A few weeks ago, Sidney Curry, a JUCO big man out of John A. Logan College in IL, visited UofL. The former Kansas commit became a target for UofL after his de-commitment from the Jayhawks. The staff put the full-court press on him during the visit and now, a couple of weeks later, they have landed him.
#Team108 just got bigger 👀
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) July 15, 2021
Welcome, @BigTicket_SC!!!https://t.co/a4gmqIvX61 pic.twitter.com/fPSnVyPOTY
We had written about the JUCO big man and what he will bring to the Cards if he committed. You can read that story by clicking here.
The 6’8 260 lbs Curry chose Louisville over Kansas, Maryland, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Seton Hall. He’s a consensus 3 Star prospect that will likely play PF and C for the Cards. His JUCO college, John A. Logan, was home to former Louisville signee and native Louisvillian Jay Scrubb who is now with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
At Logan College, Curry was a beast. During his career, he averaged 13.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 1.3 apg. He shot 71.6-percent from the field. His efforts led to him being named a third-team 2021 NJCAA All-American and earned him his conference’s freshman of the year award in 2019-2020. He was also named his conference’s player of the year last season after averaging 12.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg while shooting 69.4-percent in conference play.
New #Louisville big man Sydney Curry is a force in the paint.
— Dalton Pence (@dpence_) July 15, 2021
-6-foot-8, 260 lbs
-13.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG in 2020-21
-Extremely efficient around the rim (73.9% FG)
-Strong athlete with a high motor
Huge depth for the Cards this season pic.twitter.com/qXnNZFJPbm
Curry’s game is all about utilizing his strength and athleticism. He wants to play bully ball down low and dunk with authority on opponents. The two ways he usually scores are backing his man down slowly and then dunking on him or using a quick move like a spin or up-fake and then dunking the ball. Within 5 feet, he’s got nice touch with a little jumper. Once he gets on campus and starts working with the staff, I have a feeling they will broaden his offensive game.
As a rebounder, he is bad news for opponents on the backboard. Offensively, he’s good at going and getting the ball. In fact, he’s relentless and often scores with put-backs. I suspect when he’s in a game, you will see Louisville getting quite a few offensive rebounds. On the defensive board, he has the size to anchor and block out the way Coach Mack wants his guys to. At Logan, he showed in a few of his highlights that he understands how to block out and get the rebound.
Sidney Curry will likely remind fans of a kind of hybrid of two former Cardinal greats: Chane Behanan and Trez. He’s got the frame of Behanan, and the mentality and height of Trez. A relentless rebounder and finisher, Curry will bring a tough, no-nonsense style with relentless rebounding and relentless finishing around the rim. He will also be doing all of that this season as he is eligible immediately.
To read more about the newest member of Team 108, check out UofL’s press release below:
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:
6-8 Sydney Curry Joins UofL Men’s Basketball Roster
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sydney Curry, a 6-8, 260-pound forward from Ft. Wayne, Ind. who played the last two seasons at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., has signed a financial aid agreement to continue his collegiate basketball and academic career at the University of Louisville.
“We are super excited to add Sydney Curry to our roster,” said UofL Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mack. “To add a player of Syd’s ability this late provides a real boost to our front court. He has a unique combination of strength, athleticism and skill. His summer will obviously be condensed, but he’s excited as are we to get him going as a Cardinal.”
Curry was honored as the 2020-21 Great Rivers Athletic Conference Player of the Year when he averaged 12.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and shot 69.4 percent from the field to lead John A. Logan College to an 18-5 record and conference title. Ranked as the No. 8 junior college prospect in the nation by 247Sports, he is expected to arrive on the UofL campus this weekend.
Curry was a third-team 2021 NJCAA All-America selection in helping John A. Logan to the NJCAA Region 24 championship, a No. 12 ranking in the final NJCAA D1 Poll, and the school’s first appearance in the national tournament in six years.
As a freshman in 2020-21, Curry averaged 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and shot 73.9 percent from the field as John A. Logan posted a 28-5 record, a perfect 18-0 conference mark and was ranked eighth in the nation in the final 2019-20 NJCAA poll. Curry earned recognition as the GRAC Freshman of the Year, was an All-GRAC selection and achieved NJCAA All-Region 24 honors in a year in when the pandemic did not permit a post-season tournament. He scored a career-high 27 points at Rend Lake College as a freshman and grabbed a season-best 17 rebounds at Land Lake College.
Before his junior college stint, Curry averaged 18.6 points,12.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per game as a senior at Northrop High School in Ft. Wayne. He was named to the 2019 Indiana Basketball Coaches Association “Supreme 15” all-state team and was honored as the 2019 ABC21 Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He led the state of Indiana in offensive rebounds as a senior.
Curry initially signed with Kanas in April before reopening his recruitment. He had chosen Kansas over Texas A&M, Maryland, Mississippi, Seton Hall and others.
Curry joins an incoming group of six additional newcomers that includes Matt Cross, a 6-7, 225-pound forward from Beverly, Mass., who played his freshman collegiate season this year at the University of Miami (Florida); El Ellis, a 6-3, 175-pound guard from Durham, N.C. and Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College; Mike James, a 6-6, 195-pound guard/forward from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Fla.; Noah Locke, a 6-3, 207-pound guard from Baltimore, Md., who played three seasons at the University of Florida; Jarrod West, a 5-11, 180-pound guard from Clarksburg, W.Va., who played four seasons at Marshall University; and Roosevelt Wheeler, a 6-10, 240-pound forward/center from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Va.
