Curry adds spice to Flames' offense

He was the little brother, and he did what he had to do to win. He called phantom fouls. He argued. When all else failed, he held the ball until he got his way.

"I had to cheat a little bit," Seth Curry said Friday, laughing.

Curry spoke from the Liberty University team bus, en route to Norfolk with his Flames teammates for a "Bracketbusters" game today at Old Dominion. He was talking about childhood games of one-on-one against his brother, Stephen.

"Very competitive," he said. "A lot of arguments. A lot of fights."

That was then. These days, the Curry brothers have moved way past the sibling rivalry stage. They talk and text often, comparing notes.

There's much to discuss. Stephen, a junior at Davidson who became a household name last March after averaging 32 points in four NCAA tournament games, leads the nation in scoring at 29 points per game. Seth, a first-year player for the Flames, leads the nation's freshmen, scoring 20.6 a contest.

They share a jersey number - 30 - and a smooth style of play that makes purists smile. Each is baby-faced and slight enough to pass for a team manager. Yet, both have deceptive quickness, great court vision and nearly unlimited shooting range.

They come by it naturally. Their father Dell, a former Virginia Tech standout, played 16 years in the NBA and is one of the league's all-time sharpshooters. Over his career, he shot 40 percent from beyond - often well beyond - the 3-point arc.

Summer games of H-O-R-S-E at the family home in Charlotte have been known to drag on a while.

"It takes forever," Seth said. "A lot of deep shots."

It hasn't taken Seth nearly as long to emerge from his father and brother's shadows and carve his own identity at Liberty. In his third game, he scored 26 points in a win over Virginia. He hit shots to force overtime wins over William and Mary and George Mason. He dropped in 24 in a close loss to nationally ranked Clemson, then put up 30 against Northern Colorado.

Like his brother, he looked like a high-major talent playing at a mid-major school. It caused people to wonder: How could the big schools have missed again on another Curry?

A number of factors conspired, Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. Stephen hadn't yet exploded on the national scene when Seth was being recruited. At 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, Seth appeared too frail to stand up to the pounding of major college ball. An injury the summer before his senior year caused him to miss most of the AAU circuit, limiting his exposure.

McKay saw an unselfish kid who had a tremendous feel for the game. He pursued him hard. Seth chose Liberty over Davidson and Virginia Tech, which made a late offer.

"It's easy to say now I knew it all along," McKay said. "But what I loved was Seth as a person. I thought, 'This person is exactly what we need at Liberty.' The family is an absolute joy."

Seth, credits McKay with giving him the confidence and freedom to play his game.

"There was no pressure on me at all," he said.

There is now - from opposing defenses. Seth has seen box-and-one and triangle-and-two defenses recently. It's had an effect. Over the last 10 games, he's shooting 36 percent from the field, down from 46 before that stretch. His 3-point shooting dropped from 40 percent to 29 over those 10 contests.

Still, his rebounds and assist numbers are up. And he's made 36 straight free throws.

"You never see him rush his offense," McKay said. "He's patient. He's a good decision maker and he's got a willingness to defer to his teammates when he's got a double team or a denial situation."

McKay said Curry will get stronger as his career goes on. All the other pieces are in place.

"His biggest strength is his competitiveness," McKay said. "And his last name is Curry, so you know he can shoot the ball."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com