The Admiral & Steph

                                                       The Admiral and Steph

         I am in awe of what Stephen Curry does on an NBA court.

         I was in awe of what Stephen Curry did his last season at Davidson College.

         I was in awe of what David Robinson did on an NBA court.

        So, too was I in awe of what he accomplished in his last year at the United State Naval Academy.

        Let's start with the obvious--Curry is a 6'3" guard. Robinson was a 6'8" center/forward. They play different positions on a basketball court. Robinson had a Hall of Fame career. Curry is in the nascent portion of his career as he seems to be ascending to the Hall of Fame.

        Both men were big time scorers in the NBA. Robinson led the league in scoring for the San Antonion Spurs without taking a lot of 3 point shots, playing against some of the best big men the pro game has ever seen. Curry, with his acrobatic game as the Golden State Warriors point guard, seems to effortlessly drain 3 point shot after 3 point shot.

       Each one has won an NBA title--Robinson won 2. Robinson had a complimentary player who he mentored--a big man. Tim Duncan has nicely carved out a place in NBA history on his own but in Robinson's last season in San Antonio they combined to win an NBA title. Curry won last season with the help of fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, a scoring machine, and Draymond Green, who can pass, rebound, score and defend within a big man's body.

      What made me think of each one was the mercurial rise each had in college. Robinson attended the Naval Academy and was granted special dispensation to continue there because of his height exceeding the Academy's limit of 6'6".  He was an All-American and player of the year in many circles. What he did was merely lead Navy, with its cadre of undistinguished but gritty players, to the East Region finals.

      Curry went to Davidson College outside of Charlotte where he grew up because all the major college programs deemed him too short and too slight. This was notwithstanding that his father, Dell Curry, had a fabulous career in the NBA, and he left the Charlotte Hornets as their all-time leading scorer. Steph Curry had a chip on his shoulder during his time at Davidson. He led them to 2 Southern Conference championships, 2 NCAA berths and some improbable wins and was an NCAA scoring leader before leaving after his junior year for the NBA.

      Immediately Robinson and Curry began to dominate the NBA upon their arrivals. It took Robinson, nicknamed "The Admiral" due to his tenacious play, a couple of years to win his first NBA title. Curry notched his first NBA title in his second year after improving his exceptional game even more. Robinson won a scoring title in 1994; Curry appears to be well on his way to winning the scoring title for 2015-16.

       Robinson's NBA resume is an impressive body of work accumulated over a 15 year career. 10 time All-Star, Olympian, NBA All-Defensive team multiple times, Most Valuable Player in 1995 and a member of the 50 greatest player squad for the NBA.

       Curry has a formidable start to his career. It is easy to predict that many of the accolades which Robinson garnered during his tenure with the Spurs will be attained by Curry although Robinson was ultimately to reach 7'1" in height while Curry will come no where near that. That, of course, does not make him any less the player that Robinson became.

       In one game for San Antonio, Robinson, a consummate team player, scored 71 points. Given his uncanny shooting and dribbling acumen, who would doubt that Curry could reach or surpass that amount in one game.

       David Robinson left a legacy in San Antonio and has become a cherished member of the community for the Academy he opened. Stephen Curry is young but has spoken up about gun violence and is a doting father of 2. Because he left Davidson after his junior year, he did not graduate and his number will not be retired by the College until he does so. If Curry, whose parents are solid role models themselves, is the person I think he is, he will eventually graduate from Davidson and establish a foundation to serve people better either in his home state of North Carolina or in the San Francisco Bay area.

       Two different players from two different eras. Veritable giants on the court and perhaps off the court as well, notwithstanding their physical differences. Both put their imprint on the NBA  with roots from small schools that no none could ever have thought could beat the big boys of the NCAA.

       Here's rooting for them today to continue their successes. What's not to like about them?