Boys Basketball: Curry’s versatility shows in Vernon Hills victory

• Reprints

Vernon Hills' Jarrett Wood grabs a rebound away from Chicagoland Jewish High School's Jeffery Budweg during action last week. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media

Article Extras

Updated: April 16, 2012 1:42AM

Despite a noticeable lack of size, the Vernon Hills boys basketball team has managed to put together respectable season. 

And because they are undersized, the Cougars (13-10 overall) have been forced to use a more guard-oriented style of play. The tallest player in their starting lineup is senior forward Jarrett Wood, who’s listed at 6-foot-4.  

As a result, a lot of responsibility has been put on the shoulders of the team’s guards. Junior point guard Stephen Curry, second on the team in scoring with averages of 14 points, five rebounds and three assists per game, serves as one example. 

Curry’s 18-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, two-steal performance in a 54-42 win over Antioch on Saturday showed just how versatile — and dangerous — he can be. 

“He brings a lot of things to our team,” said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty, noting that Curry has been on the varsity team since his freshman year. “He can get to the basket, he can shoot, pass — and knows how to run with the ball in transition.” 

The best thing about Curry may be his upside; he could develop into one of Lake County’s top players next season. College scouts may start to keep a closer eye on him, too. So far, he’s only received a few, lukewarm letters of interest. But Curry knows his play is the biggest factor in whether or not that changes. And his willingness to learn, and play a team game, may be his biggest assets. 

“I think I need to work on shooting the ball a little better, and things like rebounding and boxing out,” said Curry, who has been playing his club ball with the Rising Stars. “There’s always room to grow. I know I can also get stronger by putting time in the weight room, too. As far as my strengths go, I think my biggest strength is getting the ball in transition and pushing it up the floor. We don’t have that true, inside post presence — even though guys like Jarrett and Trenton (Fulton) do a great job in the lane — which makes our guard play even more important. When we attack the basket, it opens those two guys up for baseline jumpers a lot of the time, which they are really good at.” 

Curry also brings physical toughness, and isn’t afraid to mix it up inside. He recently needed seven stitches to repair a cut near his eye. And he exudes a confidence that shows just how much he loves being on the court. 

“I would say the one thing I’ve learned since my freshman year is, you have to be ready to play every game every night,” Curry said. “You can take a game off against anyone, especially in the North Suburban Conference, no matter who it is. Because if you do, you’re gonna get beat.” 

Curry and the Cougars (6-5 NSC Prairie Division), wrap up divisonal play against Lakes on the road Friday (7:30 p.m.). Vernon Hills will host Lake Zurich on Feb. 21.

Trigger finger: Senior guard Darren Hoveydai continues to lead the Cougars in scoring, at 17 points per game.

He’s one of those streaky shooters who can rack up points in a hurry.  

Despite going a combined 6-for-30 from the field in back-to-back games against Grant and Antioch, Hoveydai is the last person on Vernon Hills’ roster you want to leave open, particularly from three-point range. He shot 40 percent from behind the arc against the Sequoits. He’s also very adept at finding his teammates for open looks when he draws double-teams. 

“He pulls the trigger,” McCarty said with a chuckle. “In timeouts, we have to remind our guys that we want No. 1 (Curry) and No. 15 (Hoveydai) to touch the ball a lot.”

Revenge factor: McCarty made no secret about the fact that he hasn’t forgotten his team lost to Wauconda 61-50 on Feb. 3. The Cougars defeated the Bulldogs by 20 points at home in December. 

That’s why it’s fitting that the two teams will play each other in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A Ridgewood Regional. The Cougars are a No. 7 seed, while Wauconda is a No. 10 seed.  

“Obviously, we’re gonna have a revenge game against them,” McCarty said. “The biggest keys will be how well we take care of the ball, and whether or not we can make our outside shots against their zone.”

Bright future: Although the Cougars will lose starters Hoveydai, Wood and guard M.J. Crowley to graduation after the season, Vernon Hills figures to be a solid team in 2012-13. 

Curry and Fulton will both return with an extra year of experience, and bring double-digit scoring capability each night — as will bench player Nate Rathod, a jack-of-all-trades junior guard who is solid defensively. Like Hoveydai, Rathod is a dangerous outside shooter who should have his share of high-scoring games. 

“We do have a lot of key returning players, which will be a big advantage for us,” McCarty said. “Obviously, we’ve been watching this group of guys since they were freshmen, so we know what to expect from them. We’re not gonna blow anyone away with our athleticism, but they’re all extremely good guys — both on and off the floor. Next year, we’ll have one of the deeper senior classes.” 

Recap: The Cougars dropped a heart-breaking 54-52 decision to Grant on Friday. Curry led the team with 16 points. Wood added 10 points.

On Feb. 7 in a nonconference game against visiting Chicagoland Jewish, Vernon Hills stormed out to a 20-10 first-quarter lead and coasted to a 76-51 victory. Curry tallied 22 points. Hoveydai (13 points) and Rathod (12) also reached doubles figures, while Dylan McNamara and Fulton had eight points each.