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/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Q&A With Eric Curry
12/6/2020 10:36:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Eric Curry is back for his redshirt senior year after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. Curry was voted by his peers as one of the team captains this year and is currently working on a master's degree in youth development leadership. We caught up with Memphis, Tenn., native as he's starting the season.
What has it been like to be back on the court after the long layoff and what you have been through?
It has been a blessing to just be able to play basketball, the game I love. Being back out there with the guys, I have been enjoying my moment and being grateful.
You are a captain on this team, you have been around for a long time and you have experience on two NCAA Tournament teams. How can you help this team that has six newcomers with your leadership and your role as captain?
I tell them my experiences and what to expect, especially with the new front court guys that we have coming in with Liam (Robbins) and Brandon (Johnson). I have been helping with the experience that I have been through and seen throughout this league. I tell them how it is, what we need to work on and what we need to do as bigs for this team.
There is a lot of depth on this team. How can that help when the Big Ten season starts?
When one guy is in foul trouble or not playing well, the next guy can step up. I think that is always a benefit on a deep team, just having multiple guys that can go in there and not have the talent drop off. We cannot rely on one guy, and that is huge for a successful team.
You have earned your degree and are now working on your master's degree. What does getting your degree mean to you?
It is a blessing, especially with all the injuries I've had. I can fall back on that, my plan B. I have been taught my entire life by my mom that I have to have a plan B in case plan A does not work. I think this degree helps a lot and by having two degrees now.
How important has your mom been as a role model to you, especially through some of those times that I would guess were a little lonely in rehab.
She has been huge. It is hard to explain because she has been there through everything. She is always keeping my head up high and she never talked about the negative either. We always focused on the positives and she would always be in my ear to keep me motivated. She has been huge throughout this whole thing and I love her for it. I look up to her in the way of just not quitting. She has never quit at anything in her life, and I want to do this for her.
I know Madden and video games are some of your hobbies and what you like to do. How good are you? Can you take on just about anybody?
I don't want to brag too much about myself, but I would say I am pretty good. I take pride in Madden and I am a big football guy. Football is about equal to basketball in the knowledge I have of it. Yeah, I am pretty good at Madden.
During the quarantine over the last several months, did you pick up any other new hobbies or did you just continue to work on video games?
Just video games. I don't like to be by a lot of people, which does come in handy being in a pandemic. I just played a lot of video games and chilled at home.
If you could have dinner with any three people, who would it be?
I would pick LeBron James, Drake and Reggie Bush. When I was younger, before I started playing basketball, I was a football guy. Growing up, I played running back when I was really small. Just watching Reggie at USC was unbelievable because every time he touched the ball it was a touchdown. Being a kid looking up to him and he was doing those types of things, I always wanted to do that too. He was always an inspiration to me from an early age.
Do you have a favorite place that basketball has taken you?
I would say the trip to Italy. That was a good trip. I have never been out of the country before that trip, so just getting that experience of a new place and new environment was fun. It wasn't as fun when I was over there because it was so different and I was ready to come home, but it was pretty cool looking back on the trip.
What has it been like to be back on the court after the long layoff and what you have been through?
It has been a blessing to just be able to play basketball, the game I love. Being back out there with the guys, I have been enjoying my moment and being grateful.
You are a captain on this team, you have been around for a long time and you have experience on two NCAA Tournament teams. How can you help this team that has six newcomers with your leadership and your role as captain?
I tell them my experiences and what to expect, especially with the new front court guys that we have coming in with Liam (Robbins) and Brandon (Johnson). I have been helping with the experience that I have been through and seen throughout this league. I tell them how it is, what we need to work on and what we need to do as bigs for this team.
There is a lot of depth on this team. How can that help when the Big Ten season starts?
When one guy is in foul trouble or not playing well, the next guy can step up. I think that is always a benefit on a deep team, just having multiple guys that can go in there and not have the talent drop off. We cannot rely on one guy, and that is huge for a successful team.
You have earned your degree and are now working on your master's degree. What does getting your degree mean to you?
It is a blessing, especially with all the injuries I've had. I can fall back on that, my plan B. I have been taught my entire life by my mom that I have to have a plan B in case plan A does not work. I think this degree helps a lot and by having two degrees now.
How important has your mom been as a role model to you, especially through some of those times that I would guess were a little lonely in rehab.
She has been huge. It is hard to explain because she has been there through everything. She is always keeping my head up high and she never talked about the negative either. We always focused on the positives and she would always be in my ear to keep me motivated. She has been huge throughout this whole thing and I love her for it. I look up to her in the way of just not quitting. She has never quit at anything in her life, and I want to do this for her.
I know Madden and video games are some of your hobbies and what you like to do. How good are you? Can you take on just about anybody?
I don't want to brag too much about myself, but I would say I am pretty good. I take pride in Madden and I am a big football guy. Football is about equal to basketball in the knowledge I have of it. Yeah, I am pretty good at Madden.
During the quarantine over the last several months, did you pick up any other new hobbies or did you just continue to work on video games?
Just video games. I don't like to be by a lot of people, which does come in handy being in a pandemic. I just played a lot of video games and chilled at home.
If you could have dinner with any three people, who would it be?
I would pick LeBron James, Drake and Reggie Bush. When I was younger, before I started playing basketball, I was a football guy. Growing up, I played running back when I was really small. Just watching Reggie at USC was unbelievable because every time he touched the ball it was a touchdown. Being a kid looking up to him and he was doing those types of things, I always wanted to do that too. He was always an inspiration to me from an early age.
Do you have a favorite place that basketball has taken you?
I would say the trip to Italy. That was a good trip. I have never been out of the country before that trip, so just getting that experience of a new place and new environment was fun. It wasn't as fun when I was over there because it was so different and I was ready to come home, but it was pretty cool looking back on the trip.
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