WALTHAM, Mass. -- About a half decade before Stephen Curry would become "the best player in our league," as former teammate David Lee described him Thursday, the Davidson junior guard had caught the attention of a young college coach who was on the verge of his own breakout.
It was February 2009 when Brad Stevens brought his 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs to Davidson, North Carolina, for a matchup with Curry, the nation's leading scorer. Even with a 15-point lead with only 39 seconds to play and Curry dinged up, Stevens still implored his team to play to the buzzer.