Acquaintances renewed in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. – The text message arrived on Gonzaga guard Matt Bouldin’s cell phone shortly after the NCAA pairings were announced Sunday.

It was from Davidson standout guard Stephen Curry: “How about that, man? Going to be some kind of game.” Bouldin replied with words to the effect of, “Yeah, but it’s kind of a home game for you.”

They’ve stayed in touch since they were roommates on the USA’s U-19 team that finished second to the host nation at the world championships in Serbia last summer. Eight members of the U-19 team are playing in the NCAA tournament and three more are in the NIT, so Bouldin’s cell phone has probably been working overtime.

Bouldin and Curry will share the court again Friday at the RBC Center, which is about 150 miles from Davidson’s campus. Bouldin leads the balanced Bulldogs at 12.7 points per game. Curry is fifth in the nation at 25.1 points per game, essentially doubling teammate Jason Richards’ 12.6.

Bouldin and Gonzaga coach Mark Few have seen first-hand Curry’s scoring ability and long-distance shooting range.

“He can shoot it from anywhere,” Bouldin said. “He’s a great scorer, a great scorer. I’m pretty sure they run a lot of screens for him. He’s really tough, passes the ball, great free-throw shooter. He can get in the paint and he draws fouls really well. He’s going to be a tough matchup for whoever guards him.”

“I’ve seen him at Nike camps and some things like that,” Few said. “He’s a heck of a player. He can really shoot it. He’ll play at the next level.”

Curry, son of former Virginia Tech and NBA shooting guard Dell Curry, was lightly recruited coming out of Charlotte Christian High. Virginia Tech offered a walk-on opportunity with the likelihood of a scholarship the following year. Curry opted for Davidson, where he scored more points than any freshman in the country not named Kevin Durant.

He’s hiked his scoring average from 21.5 points as a freshman to 25.1. He dropped 24 points on North Carolina, 20 on Duke and 29 on North Carolina State. In postgame hindsight to in-state newspapers, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams and Blue Devils counterpart Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged missing on Curry, a late bloomer.

Meanwhile, Curry’s specialty is makes, not misses. He’s made nearly 44 percent on 3-pointers and almost 90 percent at the foul line. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder has eight 30-point games this season, including a 41-point outburst against North Carolina-Greensboro, but there’s more to Curry’s game than points.

“He never stops running,” said Gonzaga guard Jeremy Pargo. “He’s kind of like Rip Hamilton. He always finds a way to get the ball and he always finds a way to get it in the hole.”

Opponents have tried every defensive scheme imaginable. Curry’s season low was 12 points against NCAA tournament participant Winthrop, but he still grabbed eight rebounds.

“We’ve seen box-and-one, triangle, complete denial, seen short and quick, long and quick, physical,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “Having success as a freshman and the attention he got, it gave him some experience at the varying defenses.”

Curry will likely see a handful of different GU defenders, including Steven Gray, Micah Downs, Pargo and Bouldin.

“I look forward to the challenge,” Gray said. “I was chasing (San Diego’s) Brandon Johnson around numerous screens on every possession, but it’s not just me. I’m the guy chasing him around, but I’m able to do that because I know I’m going to have help to make it difficult for them.”

Gonzaga has had mixed success against high-scoring guards, limiting Tennessee’s Chris Lofton to 11 points and Johnson to single digits in two of three games. The Bulldogs yielded 28 to Texas Tech’s Alan Voskuil, 22 to UConn’s A.J. Price and 21 to Georgia’s Sundiata Gaines, though Price and Gaines were a combined 13 of 32 from the floor.

Shooting was something for which the elder Curry, who played 16 NBA seasons, was known. The younger Curry seems on track for an NBA career, but McKillop isn’t sure if that means leaving Davidson early for the draft.

“One of the great aspects of coaching him is that his parents, Dell and Sonya (a former Virginia Tech volleyball standout), are his heroes,” McKillop said. “If we get to a point where we do address (the NBA), the guidance will be lent by his parents. His feet are solidly planted on the earth and the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.”