GRIND SEASON

nbaoffseason: (pic via nba-4-life) With no announcement about...

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:12:35 -0500

(pic via nba-4-life)

With no announcement about it, Kevin Durant quietly donates $1 million to the Red Cross to support the Oklahoma tornado relief effort.

Stephen Curry Interview Written by Archived ContentArchives3 Comments and 0...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:47:05 -0500

Stephen Curry Interview

Written by Archived ContentArchives3 Comments and 0 Reactions

Editor’s Note: This article is apart of content that was published from 2005-2010 under the direction of Jason Wenell. In March 2012 Darrell and Allison Vesterfelt became the new owners of Prodigal Magazine. Check out the new vision and direction of the publication.

So many people dream of playing for the Tar Heels of North Carolina, the Duke Blue Devils, and the Kentucky Wildcats. Teams that are rich in tradition have the facilities, the following, and the exposure to stay on top for decades and many young men dream of putting on those jerseys while playing AAU ball and high school basketball. They want their names to go down in history as being a part of these storied programs.

Stephen Curry also held that dream. His father had excelled in the NBA and he dreamed of going to an ACC school or an SEC school, but they took a pass on him during the recruiting process. Faced with the disappointment of not making it to where he thought he would have been, Stephen had to decide whether to give it all up or go somewhere else and make history. He chose Davidson and history would be rewritten in the next few years. We caught up with Stephen recently and he is our Men of God Spotlight.

His Life

Stephen Curry was born in 1988, the son of Dell Curry who was making a name for himself as an NBA player. Stephen attended high school in Charlotte and as his senior year came, he waited to see who would offer him a scholarship. He would receive an offer from tiny Davidson College and accepted the offer to play for Coach Bob McKillop. His game would never be the same. His faith in God, however, started at an earlier age.

Q – When did you give your life to Christ?

“It was in the fifth grade. I used to go to Central Church of God in Charlotte and I gave my life to Christ, went down to the altar down at the youth service, one Wednesday night.”

Q – How have you noticed that your life has changed since then?

“I think it’s just kept me focused in the life that I have going right now. My desire is to play basketball and I think my relationship with Christ has helped me to stay focused and give glory to heaven and reach people through the talent He’s given me. Case in point, last year’s NCAA Tournament and things like that. Just allowing the talents He’s given me to give glory to Him and further His kingdom through that.”

Q – When did you start writing Bible Verses on your shoes?

“That was when I first came to Davidson. I’d just opened up my first pair of team shoes and had a Sharpie next to me. I thought that was a pretty good idea to write down some verses. My mom’s favorite verse is Romans 8:28, which is on one side. The Philippians 4:13 was one that I thought about when I started to play basketball all of the time. I thought that would be a good daily reminder to have it on my shoes.”

His Game

Stephen Curry came onto the scene as a freshman at Davidson. He led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament after posting the second highest scoring average as a freshman in the NCAA. He scored 30 against the University of Maryland in an opening-round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The next year, he would explode, leading Davidson to the Final Eight while wowing the world with his shooting and unselfish play.

Q – What was the highlight for you from last season’s tournament?

“All of the games were a lot of fun. Playing at Ford Field in front of 70,000 people is just crazy. But I think that it was that first win that we had against Gonzaga in Raleigh and it was our first NCAA win for our school in, I think, 40+ years. Coach had been here, I think that was his twentieth year and they had been to the tournament a lot and hadn’t won one. We finally got him one and got the ball rolling. It was a pretty special time for us. You could see it on his face after we won. He was proud to coach us. We got him that one.”

Q – You were passed over by some bigger schools during the recruiting process. How do you think God used that to help you to get where you are now?

“I think I could have gotten caught up in the hype of going to a big name school and possibly lost my foundation of what I grew up on. For maybe a month or two, that’s all I thought about. I thought about how I needed to impress all these people to get in to the ACC and SEC schools. I needed to play outside of my game and do something extra special. Once it came down to it, everything happens for a reason and I think God wanted me here at Davidson just so that this story could unfold the way it has so far.”

Q – The disadvantages of playing at a small college are well-documented. When tournament time comes, often times, if you don’t win your conference tournament, you don’t get in the Big Dance. What, in your opinion, is an advantage to attending a small school like Davidson?

“I think the fact that we get to know everybody on campus is a very unique situation. Me and my teammates, after games, go to the Student Union and we’ll talk to all of our friends and our classmates, who we all know. You can sit down and have a conversation with them and thank them for coming to the game. I don’t think you really get that at a big school where the athletes kind of go missing from game to game. Academically, it’s nice with the student to teacher ratio.”

Q – Your name was hot last year after the tournament. What made you decide to come back to school for another year?

“Just realizing that I wasn’t ready for that jump yet. I’ve been blessed to have my dad play 16 years in the NBA, so he can give me his insight about when the right time comes to go to the next level and what I needed to do to get better, so I wasn’t rushed into a decision. I love college and I love my teammates so it wasn’t a hard decision to come back. It’s something I wanted to do and it’s worked out so far. I’ve had the opportunity to get better and make my game a whole lot better.”

Stephen constantly reflected attention back to his teammates and his coaches as we spoke. It was not an act. That is who he is as a person. He holds an understanding that in basketball and in life, we need others to make it through to the next level. In today’s world, that is a rare quality for an athlete to have.

His Outlook

His humility was shocking and his overall nature and demeanor was refreshing to see in a world consumed with self and greed. Stephen is someone who looks to see things beneath the surface, not settling for simple appearance but looking for depth. It is how he is as a person, having great depth of character for someone who is only twenty years old.

Q – Why do you think God has given you this opportunity to be in the spotlight?

“I’m not sure, to be honest with you. It is a blessing to have everything happen the way that it has, so far, since I’ve been here at school. I try to stay as humble and use every opportunity to deflect attention off of me to Him. So I have that little sign I do after the game and during games and Bible verses on my shoes and use my humility and the situation that I’m in to bring glory to Him. The people who are watching basketball games might not know that somebody’s trying to witness to them while they’re playing, but it’s something that I try to do.”

Q – With all of the attention you are getting now, you still seem to be team-focused, which is odd in today’s sports world. What keeps you grounded and focused?

“Just knowing that basketball is a blessing and a gift. My coach here at Davidson, Coach McKillop, preaches that in his own way. (He says) That we have a blessed opportunity to play basketball and right now, you have to just cherish that. I think to be selfish about it or take the spotlight, put all of the attention on yourself, would take advantage of that situation. Personally, I know that my teammates, coaches, and everyone else involved are as much of a part of it as I am. With that in mind, I give glory to God for my talents and whoever is helping me, they get the credit too.

Davidson is working towards another NCAA Tournament berth this season. If they make it, the cameras will again shine upon this young star as the media will chronicle each step Davidson and Stephen Curry make along the way. Stephen, however, will continue to point the cameras and the world to a Savior who has changed his life. He wants history to say that he stood for Christ in everything.

About The Author

Archived Content

This post was created and posted prior to December 2011, before Prodigal Magazine changed ownership and vision. We apologize if any links are broken or pictures are missing. It is our desire to leave old content on the site for your convenience, but we don’t have the resources to edit and manage it. For more information about the new ownership and direction of Prodigal Magazine, please visit our About Page. Thank you for understanding!

Seth Curry - I Am Second

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:41:42 -0500

Seth Curry - I Am Second

the-triple-double: FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS - WARRIORS GAME...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:23:27 -0500

the-triple-double:

FIRST ROUND: NUGGETS - WARRIORS GAME 4

Final: Nuggets 101, Warriors 115

His star point guard slowed by a sore left ankle, Warriors coach Mark Jackson told Stephen Curry in the first half he might shut him down for good.

Curry quieted his coach with a resounding answer.

Curry shook off the soreness in his ankle to score 22 of his 31 points in a spectacular third quarter, leading the Warriors past the Denver Nuggets 115-101 on Sunday night for a commanding 3-1 series lead.

#TheTripleDouble

charityline: No pain no gain

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:53:02 -0500

charityline:

No pain no gain

foreverbasketballlife: Round 1: Game two

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:52:13 -0500

foreverbasketballlife:

Round 1: Game two

Wayne Simien

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:11:00 -0600

Wayne Simien:

Why do YOU play basketball?

foreverla: The Lakers seal the deal to get their winning streak...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:59:42 -0600

foreverla:

The Lakers seal the deal to get their winning streak to 3.

Kobe Bryant once again put up big numbers scoring 12 points on 5-12 shooting, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Steve Nash put in the dagger 3 to seal the win for the lakers along wtih 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Dwight Howard had 24 points on 9-13 shooting along with 4 blocked shots, and 5 steals.

Earl Clark once again continued to contribute with a double double: 20 points on 8-11 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Pau Gasol toyed with triple double territory with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Antawn Jamison continued the game sealing runner putting in 16 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.

Jodie Meeks had 13 points, making 3 of the Lakers 12 threes.

But the real stat line of the night is, the Lakers had 34 assists on 39 field goals tonight (!!!)

All these contributions totaled for a 111 - 106 win against the New Orleans Hornets. What a great team effort, and it looks as if the Lakers are starting to put the pieces together (about time!).

Let the good times roll.

Courage - Francis Chan

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:50:25 -0500

Courage - Francis Chan

Gravity - Lecrae It’s been said that the vainest things in...

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:18:00 -0500

Gravity - Lecrae

It’s been said that the vainest things in life are the ones that we expect the most contentment from. We are hedonists and pleasure seekers by nature. We want satisfaction and contentment and seem committed to finding it somewhere on earth. People are constantly asking, “What’s the meaning of life,” like maybe the answer would satisfy their discontent. However, few people meditate on this question, and most would rather pacify themselves with fleeting pleasures.

They wake up every day only to repeat the cycle of seeking contentment, not finding it, and settling for some form of temporary gratification. It’s a virtual Groundhog Day for humanity. King Solomon understood this more than anyone, and he writes in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (ESV).

Earlier in verse two of the same chapter, he calls everything “meaningless” or “vanity” which translates better as “redundant”. Obviously, everything isn’t meaningless, otherwise why take time to teach people the valuable lessons in Ecclesiastes? Redundant, however, makes perfect sense.

We, outside of a relationship with Jesus who satisfies our deepest longings, are left to a redundant existence. Were it not for faith in another life to come, we’d have no hope but to look for contentment in power, pleasure, or possessions, only to never find it. Life seems very worthless under the sun, unless your worth is found in the Son.

Hear ‘Gravity’ at TheOverflow.com

Capacity: Student Leadership

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:51:00 -0500

Capacity: Student Leadership :

God has called you to great things. Not just when you get older, but right now. This plan will encourage you and show you what it looks like to step up and lead right where you’re at in your life right now. God can and will use you in awesome ways. The question is—will you let Him?

Kyle Korver Testimony

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:51:00 -0500

God has a way of meeting His kids in the strangest places. God met Kyle Elliot Korver on the floor of a Philadelphia shower. As an NBA rookie for the Philadelphia 76ers, Korver got sucked in by the fame, money, and garish, but often godless, lifestyle swirling about him. How’d it turn out, Kyle? “I woke up one morning, and I was just totally empty,” he says with emphasis. “I was in the shower, and I just sat there on the floor. I was like, ‘God, I don’t want this anymore. These are not my desires. I want to glorify you.’”

Korver, who set the Sixers’ single-season record for most three-pointers made (226), has been growing in his faith since that morning in the shower. He has led Bible studies, while also leading “Kyle’s Coat Drive,” which has collected over 2,200 new winter coats for low-income kids.

This is just some of the spiritual fruit beginning to manifest itself in Korver, and his corner of the world is at least a little better because of it. Maybe that’s why the Lord will go to any length to fully get a hold of those He calls His own. Even if it means invading a Philadelphia shower.

Zigzag Ball Handling Drill

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:44:58 -0500

Zigzag Ball Handling Drill

Photo

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:03:38 -0500

3 Ways to Make Nutrition Work for You | iHoops

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:47:37 -0500

3 Ways to Make Nutrition Work for You | iHoops

adidas Basketball: The Return of D Rose: Episode 1- BELIEF “I...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:46:29 -0500

adidas Basketball: The Return of D Rose: Episode 1- BELIEF

“I wanna be great. I’m gonna be great”.

doubleclutch: Here’s the latest commercial by the Jordan Brand:...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:15:45 -0500

doubleclutch:

Here’s the latest commercial by the Jordan Brand: “This is where it starts” , which tells the story two Basketball players who grow up countries apart (one in China and one in America) later become rivals in College, the NBA and Olympics. In it the Bobcats also win a NBA title, lol.

Photo

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 09:32:41 -0500

OJ Mayo Reportedly Drawing Interest from Lakers, Bulls, Suns and Mavs | Bleacher Report (via...

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:50:10 -0500

OJ Mayo Reportedly Drawing Interest from Lakers, Bulls, Suns and Mavs | Bleacher Report (via http://ble.ac/teamstream-) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1258896-oj-mayo-reportedly-drawing-interest-from-lakers-bulls-suns-and-mavs?utm_source=teamstream&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tsandroid

Team USA beat Dominican Republic by 54 points in its 1st exhibition. In 2008, USA went 5-0 during...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:17:13 -0500

Team USA beat Dominican Republic by 54 points in its 1st exhibition. In 2008, USA went 5-0 during exhibition tour, won by avg of 31 PPG — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo)