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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Q&A With Eric Curry
2/21/2022 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eric Curry has been a staple of the Gopher men's basketball program since the 2016-17 season. Battling numerous injuries, Curry still never gave up. Although not from Minnesota, no one bleeds maroon and gold more than the Memphis, Tenn., native. After the 2020-21 season, Curry announced he was done playing collegiate basketball. However, after giving his body some rest along with a chance to work with the coach that recruited him, Ben Johnson, Curry re-joined the program as a student-athlete. A team captain for the second-straight year, Curry also joins his high school teammate and best friend Payton Willis on the court this year. Read more about Curry's experience this year in this recent question/answer session. This feature first ran in the Purdue game program (2/2/22).
Coach Johnson recruited you to Minnesota. Can you talk about when you first knew him, how the recruiting process went and how he helped you here at Minnesota?
I met Coach Johnson in the summer going into my senior year of high school. He contacted me to recruit me and I just built my relationship with him from there. It grew with my mom, he was talking to my mom a lot, and that connection was always there as a male role model in my life. It just stuck with me through my time at Minnesota, especially when I came here, he was always the guy that helped me on and off the court and was just always in my ear to help me get better. That relationship was there from the first time he called me.
So when he became Minnesota's next head coach, what was your reaction, how did you find out and did you reach out to him?
It was actually surprising. I was on a vacation and I didn't even think the school would look his way, so it was definitely a shocking feeling for me. As soon as I saw the news, my mom and I tried to reach out to him. I had two cell phone numbers for him, but I found the right one so I reached out to him to congratulate him.
At first you were talking about becoming a grad assistant for him. What made you to first start being on his staff?
Just the time from when he reached back out to me, I would say that was the moment that I knew I wanted to come back and help him coach. Just the things he wanted me to do, like just be around the program. He knew I was a program guy and that I love the University of Minnesota as much as he does. He wanted me around the players, so just him calling me and giving me that call himself, I guess that moment definitely solidified things.
Was there a moment from when you decided going from being a graduate assistant to then playing or where you waiting to see how your body felt in doing it?
Definitely helping the guys out this past summer, my body getting that rest from last year's Big Ten tournament until this summer definitely benefited me. Just out there moving around with the guys and messing around with the guys after their workouts and practice. Playing basketball, I felt like my body was feeling pretty good. Coach Johnson was always in my ear giving me jokes about me still having eligibility, and it just came across my mind and I feel good about it.
Another nice aspect of it is Payton Willis coming back. You played with him in high school. How did you guys meet, and what was the deciding factor for him coming back and you guys being able to play together again?
We met our eighth grade year in summer ball playing for the Arkansas Wings together. We met through basketball. I know we built a bond over those trips. The moment I found out he was coming back, I was always in his ear, even though I didn't even think I was playing. I didn't even know I was playing, but I was always in his ear because I love the University of Minnesota. I always want the University of Minnesota to succeed and I knew he was a good player to help Coach Johnson out in his first year here. I knew Coach Johnson liked him because he recruited him the first time to come up here before he left, but I just always want to see Minnesota succeed and I knew Payton could help, so I just recruited him here.
Payton has mentioned it's always kind of surreal when you take that tip off to start the game that you're back playing together. What were your thoughts when you first started the season playing on the same court together?
I'd been thinking about that moment for so long, I haven't played with Payton since that summer. I missed the opportunity the first time he was here with injuries and what not, but I catch myself all the time, even in this Big Ten season right now when he's making those big shots. I'm just looking and smiling because like you said, the moment is so surreal. It's just amazing, I'm blessed to be able to play with him again.
You and he are now team captains and coach relies on you to lead the team in the locker room. Just talk about how your leadership is and what you're trying to instill in some of these players.
I would say that I'm just a guy they can look to and always be level headed. When we win those big games, my head is always high, but I don't try to get too high. I guess I'm a guy that leads by example. They need that, they haven't had experience in the Big Ten, so I know when things go wrong or right, they're going to look towards me. I just try to keep my head level, stay down, be humble and keep working so those guys can.
Minnesota does have a senior-heavy team, but not one that has a lot of Big Ten experience. What have you been able to tell them about the Big Ten to help prepare them for what's coming because every single game is tough?
It's a long season, so don't get too high or low. We're going to win games and we're going to lose games, but those losses can't lead to more losses because these games are so back-to-back-to-back. They can pile on each other, so you always have to learn from your losses and keep pushing forward. With the wins, you can't take them and run with them and get your confidence too high because another game is in the next two or three days. So, you just have to stay level headed in this conference and keep working.
Coach Johnson recruited you to Minnesota. Can you talk about when you first knew him, how the recruiting process went and how he helped you here at Minnesota?
I met Coach Johnson in the summer going into my senior year of high school. He contacted me to recruit me and I just built my relationship with him from there. It grew with my mom, he was talking to my mom a lot, and that connection was always there as a male role model in my life. It just stuck with me through my time at Minnesota, especially when I came here, he was always the guy that helped me on and off the court and was just always in my ear to help me get better. That relationship was there from the first time he called me.
So when he became Minnesota's next head coach, what was your reaction, how did you find out and did you reach out to him?
It was actually surprising. I was on a vacation and I didn't even think the school would look his way, so it was definitely a shocking feeling for me. As soon as I saw the news, my mom and I tried to reach out to him. I had two cell phone numbers for him, but I found the right one so I reached out to him to congratulate him.
At first you were talking about becoming a grad assistant for him. What made you to first start being on his staff?
Just the time from when he reached back out to me, I would say that was the moment that I knew I wanted to come back and help him coach. Just the things he wanted me to do, like just be around the program. He knew I was a program guy and that I love the University of Minnesota as much as he does. He wanted me around the players, so just him calling me and giving me that call himself, I guess that moment definitely solidified things.
Was there a moment from when you decided going from being a graduate assistant to then playing or where you waiting to see how your body felt in doing it?
Definitely helping the guys out this past summer, my body getting that rest from last year's Big Ten tournament until this summer definitely benefited me. Just out there moving around with the guys and messing around with the guys after their workouts and practice. Playing basketball, I felt like my body was feeling pretty good. Coach Johnson was always in my ear giving me jokes about me still having eligibility, and it just came across my mind and I feel good about it.
Another nice aspect of it is Payton Willis coming back. You played with him in high school. How did you guys meet, and what was the deciding factor for him coming back and you guys being able to play together again?
We met our eighth grade year in summer ball playing for the Arkansas Wings together. We met through basketball. I know we built a bond over those trips. The moment I found out he was coming back, I was always in his ear, even though I didn't even think I was playing. I didn't even know I was playing, but I was always in his ear because I love the University of Minnesota. I always want the University of Minnesota to succeed and I knew he was a good player to help Coach Johnson out in his first year here. I knew Coach Johnson liked him because he recruited him the first time to come up here before he left, but I just always want to see Minnesota succeed and I knew Payton could help, so I just recruited him here.
Payton has mentioned it's always kind of surreal when you take that tip off to start the game that you're back playing together. What were your thoughts when you first started the season playing on the same court together?
I'd been thinking about that moment for so long, I haven't played with Payton since that summer. I missed the opportunity the first time he was here with injuries and what not, but I catch myself all the time, even in this Big Ten season right now when he's making those big shots. I'm just looking and smiling because like you said, the moment is so surreal. It's just amazing, I'm blessed to be able to play with him again.
You and he are now team captains and coach relies on you to lead the team in the locker room. Just talk about how your leadership is and what you're trying to instill in some of these players.
I would say that I'm just a guy they can look to and always be level headed. When we win those big games, my head is always high, but I don't try to get too high. I guess I'm a guy that leads by example. They need that, they haven't had experience in the Big Ten, so I know when things go wrong or right, they're going to look towards me. I just try to keep my head level, stay down, be humble and keep working so those guys can.
Minnesota does have a senior-heavy team, but not one that has a lot of Big Ten experience. What have you been able to tell them about the Big Ten to help prepare them for what's coming because every single game is tough?
It's a long season, so don't get too high or low. We're going to win games and we're going to lose games, but those losses can't lead to more losses because these games are so back-to-back-to-back. They can pile on each other, so you always have to learn from your losses and keep pushing forward. With the wins, you can't take them and run with them and get your confidence too high because another game is in the next two or three days. So, you just have to stay level headed in this conference and keep working.
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