Steph Curry’s day at Davidson is a story of inclusion

Stephen Curry – 4-time NBA champion, NBA 3-point record holder – is a Davidson College graduate today because he was kicked out of his first basketball practice during his freshman year. I exaggerate, for life and accomplishment rarely unfold along such neat lines of progression, but only a little. Curry overslept and showed up to the gym 10 minutes late, his teammates on the court running drills. When Curry tried to join them, Coach Bob McKillop told Curry to get out. There were standards, high standards, that would be adhered to, even by the player McKillop knew would likely take an already-strong program to unprecedented heights. No exceptions.

That’s why no one should be surprised that Curry, the man who revolutionized the game of basketball, who has given back to the college in a thousand ways, its most high-profile well-known alum, was not a member of the Davidson College Athletics Hall of Fame until Wednesday despite his long list of accomplishments. Only those who graduate from Davidson are eligible. No exceptions. Curry left college a year early to pursue his NBA career before attaining enough credits to earn a degree.

Raining logo threes for the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals couldn’t get him in. Establishing charity organizations that provide millions of meals to the needy would not result in his No. 30 being retired, as it was during a special ceremony Wednesday. Being a stalwart father, husband and human being wouldn’t lead to his jersey joining the handful of other jerseys hanging in Baker sports complex above the basketball court named in honor of McKillop.

Those are worthy endeavors. But the standard for hall of fame entry was clear before Curry made his first layup at Davidson and has remained since. It’s why McKillop never let Curry forget about the need to finish, something McKillop has done for every player during his tenure. Academics are the priority, athletics a complement, the goal of every Davidson student-athlete to pursue excellence in each. Earning a degree was a baseline requirement for the hall, even for Curry, the man basketball analysts compare favorably to the top players of all time. No exceptions.

It’s why Wednesday’s events, which included Curry being greeted with a hero’s welcome by a few thousand people who made parking difficult throughout town, were so meaningful. Because everyone knew he had earned it. Because Curry knew he had.

It’s why I’ve grown frustrated with critics of changes that have been occurring at colleges such as Davidson, changes designed to enhance inclusion and diversity. They’ve claimed such changes are a lowering of standards, a backing away from the pursuit of excellence. They are wrong. If Davidson didn’t reduce its standards for someone like Curry, it won’t reduce standards for anyone for any reason at all – and shouldn’t. Fortunately, a growing number of Davidson officials understand what McKillop understood, that traditional metrics make it as easy to miss out on the Stephen Currys as it is to identify the LeBron Jameses.

Critics of inclusion efforts are viewing such programs through the wrong lens. They are as blind to tradition as the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Roy Williams and Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski were when assessing Curry. He was too skinny, had too much of a babyface, wasn’t built like the players those basketball powerhouses were used to recruiting. They couldn’t see what McKillop could, what McKillop did, an incredible potential that needed cultivating.

Had McKillop viewed potential only through a tradition lens, he would have missed out on Curry, too. And Davidson would have been the poorer for it.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Steph Curry’s day at Davidson is a story of inclusion."