Curry headed to Duke

Seth Curry, shown in this file photo huddling with teammates before a game against Coastal Carolina, will spend his final three college seasons at Duke.

By: Chris Lang | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: March 30, 2009

Seth Curry has found a new home.

The former Liberty guard will spend his final three college seasons at Duke, Flames coach Ritchie McKay said Sunday. McKay said Curry called him Sunday to share the news.

Curry, the nation’s leading freshman scorer, led the Flames with 20.2 points per game and helped Liberty to its first postseason berth since the 2003-04 team won the Big South tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

Liberty’s season ended Monday night with an 88-65 loss to James Madison in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and Curry announced the next day he was transferring because wanted to play against a higher level of competition.

McKay speculated that Curry would end up at an ACC school, and Sunday, that speculation came true.

“My immediate reaction was, what a great opportunity for Seth,” McKay said. “Duke is a program rich in tradition with not only one of the greatest head coaches of all time, but an impressive staff as well. I am excited that Seth will be able to fulfill his desires at a place as prestigious and successful as Duke.”

The Roanoke Times reported Saturday that five ACC schools asked for permission to speak to Curry — Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Clemson, North Carolina State and Duke.

Curry went to Durham, N.C., for an official visit this weekend. Duke returned home from Boston on Friday after its loss to Villanova in the NCAA tournament’s East Regional semifinals.

Duke is an interesting landing spot because Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski rarely accepts transfers into his program. The only notable transfers to enroll in Duke under Krzyzewski’s watch were Roshown McLeod (St. John’s) and Dahntay Jones (Rutgers). Both went on to play in the NBA.

Curry, who will have to sit out a year and be eligible to play in the 2010-11 season, set the Liberty and Big South records for freshman scoring and is the only freshman in Big South history to hit at least 100 3-pointers. He finished with 102.

He helped the Flames upset Virginia in November and was the Big South’s freshman of the year. He also earned second-team all-Big South honors.

“We are thankful for Seth and the time he spent at Liberty, helping with the foundation of what we are building,” McKay said.