Young basketball players model games after their faves

Whether they were sticking their tongue out like Jordan or yelling Kobe while throwing up a fade away jumper, kids have always tried to play basketball like the game’s biggest stars, and right now there’s no star bigger than Golden State Warrior’s point guard Steph Curry.

Curry is in the middle of one of the most incredible runs in NBA history: back-to-back MVP award, potential back-to-back NBA championships and a record-setting, 73-win regular season in which he made more than 400 three pointers. And yet Curry’s biggest contributions may not be seen for years.

Rockville Centre children will have an opportunity to get involved with basketball this summer. Camps are offered by the organizations Game 7 and Hoops 101, and the Rockville Centre Department of Parks and Recreation offers several summer leagues.

Any spectators who haven’t watched basketball in a while may be in for a surprise, as the game has changed.

Jerry D’Angelo coaches South Side High School’s boy’s basketball team. And while he thinks that kids are looking up to Curry, he sees him more as the vessel for a “small ball” revolution which has been overtaking the sport for a while now.

“When I was playing you rarely saw centers who would shoot threes. It was all about getting as close to the basket as possible,” he said.

Teams have shifted from centering their offenses around big men to quicker guards with shooting range, and no player has made this more obvious than Curry.

Javier Duran, the coordinator for the Recreation Center’s Summer League, has seen children’s attention shift towards playing like Curry. “On Friday and Saturday nights we have what we call open rec and every sixth, seventh and eighth grader is shooting threes,” Duran said. “No more lay ups — nothing else, just threes.”

Marc Von Essen, the founder of Game 7, uses Curry as an example of how someone without the size advantage of a player like Lebron James could compete. “When kids try to emulate the pros, there’s some stuff they just can’t do,” Von Essen said. “Steph shoots like a kid, by releasing the ball on his way up, he can get it off faster and get more power behind it. You’re going to see a generation of better shooters all because of Steph.”

Curry’s pregame warm ups have become a spectacle in their own right. The long-distance three pointers may be what gets fans in the seats an hour before tip off, but coaches are paying more attention to his dribble drills.

“A huge part of his game comes from him having equal strength with both hands,” said Von Essen. “This winter we actually developed an entire curriculum around his game. Every drill involves two basketballs, dribbling with both hands, passing with both hands, finishing at the rim with both hands.”

Though Curry has proven himself to be one of the most gifted shooters in NBA history, he’s reached the level he has due to his work ethic. “Steph Curry’s ability is the result of all of the hours that he has put in — hours when the whole world is not watching,” said Michael Kelly of Hoops 101. “The kids get to see the result, but need to be reminded of what goes on behind the scenes.”