BleedGopher
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per Jon K:
Not only did he decide to come back, but Curry has been one of the biggest reasons the Golden Gophers have defied expectations and are off to a 10-1 start heading into a game Tuesday night against Illinois. He is averaging 8.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while playing, incredibly, almost 30 minutes per night. For his willingness to keep going when it all seemed over, his steadiness on a makeshift roster and the inspiration he has provided in such difficult times, Eric Curry has been named The Athletic’s 2021 Sportsperson of the Year.
Curry joins former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, former Lynx star and current Gophers women’s coach Lindsay Whalen and Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck as recipients of the honor. An award was not given last season because of the havoc COVID-19 wreaked with sports across the world, something Curry experienced firsthand. The only reason he came back for a fifth season in 2020-21, Curry said, was out of a sense of obligation to teammates like Marcus Carr, Liam Robbins and others because they held such high hopes for that season.
Curry slogged through last season, and the only thing worse than the last-place finish in the Big Ten was that no one was there to see it. He remembered how emotional the senior nights were for players like Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey earlier in Curry’s career. But when it came time for his moment, “There was nobody there but family,” he said. “It still made it fun, but the arena not being sold out like it normally would have, it just didn’t sit right with me.”
Once a highly touted recruit who put together a promising freshman season at Minnesota way back in 2016-17, Curry missed the 2017-18 season with a torn ACL in his left knee, played 15 games in 2018-19 before tearing ligaments in his right foot and then tore the ACL in his right knee later that summer, which caused him to miss the 2019-20 season.
When the NCAA decided to let every athlete have one more season of eligibility, it would have been understandable if Curry decided to move on with his life. But there was just something he couldn’t shake, a little whisper in the back of his head that was impossible to ignore.
“You can’t be a failure,” Curry says it told him. “Your mama didn’t raise you to be a failure. There’s something inside of me that won’t let me get to that point.”
theathletic.com
Go Gophers!!
Not only did he decide to come back, but Curry has been one of the biggest reasons the Golden Gophers have defied expectations and are off to a 10-1 start heading into a game Tuesday night against Illinois. He is averaging 8.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while playing, incredibly, almost 30 minutes per night. For his willingness to keep going when it all seemed over, his steadiness on a makeshift roster and the inspiration he has provided in such difficult times, Eric Curry has been named The Athletic’s 2021 Sportsperson of the Year.
Curry joins former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, former Lynx star and current Gophers women’s coach Lindsay Whalen and Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck as recipients of the honor. An award was not given last season because of the havoc COVID-19 wreaked with sports across the world, something Curry experienced firsthand. The only reason he came back for a fifth season in 2020-21, Curry said, was out of a sense of obligation to teammates like Marcus Carr, Liam Robbins and others because they held such high hopes for that season.
Curry slogged through last season, and the only thing worse than the last-place finish in the Big Ten was that no one was there to see it. He remembered how emotional the senior nights were for players like Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey earlier in Curry’s career. But when it came time for his moment, “There was nobody there but family,” he said. “It still made it fun, but the arena not being sold out like it normally would have, it just didn’t sit right with me.”
Once a highly touted recruit who put together a promising freshman season at Minnesota way back in 2016-17, Curry missed the 2017-18 season with a torn ACL in his left knee, played 15 games in 2018-19 before tearing ligaments in his right foot and then tore the ACL in his right knee later that summer, which caused him to miss the 2019-20 season.
When the NCAA decided to let every athlete have one more season of eligibility, it would have been understandable if Curry decided to move on with his life. But there was just something he couldn’t shake, a little whisper in the back of his head that was impossible to ignore.
“You can’t be a failure,” Curry says it told him. “Your mama didn’t raise you to be a failure. There’s something inside of me that won’t let me get to that point.”
Eric Curry’s perseverance is at the heart of Minnesota’s surprising 10-1 start
Curry had retired from playing and transitioned into coaching, but a little voice kept telling him he wasn't done on the court.
Go Gophers!!