MVL: Drew Curry Does Little Things to Make Hanford Go

MVL: Drew Curry Does Little Things to Make Hanford Go

This story was published Friday, December 2nd, 2005

By Mark McKenna, Herald staff writer

Walk through the Hanford High campus these days and you're greeted by a backhoe, rubble from the old administration building and cafeteria, and what seems like miles of chain-link fence to keep everybody safe.

Obviously, it's easy to see the school is undergoing a major renovation project.

Inside the Eyrie Gym (the Falcon Gym also is receiving a facelift), the boys basketball team is under a little reconstruction of its own. The Falcons graduated three starters from last year's club that won the Mid-Valley League title and earned a 3A state tournament berth, so coach Paul Mayer is looking for new players to move into the leading roles.

One of the foremost candidates is Drew Curry, a 6-foot-4 senior point guard, off-guard, small forward and power forward.

That's right, the kid is versatile. He can play four positions, but he'll start the season running the point.

"If he had to, Drew could play all five positions this season, and he'd do a great job," said Steve Severin, the team's starting center.

Curry started at off-guard last season but mostly played a support role on a team loaded with talent. The Falcons relied heavily on point guard Tyler Cathey -- the MVL and Herald All-Area player of the year -- fellow first-team all-leaguer Admir Beribak and Wes Bird, perhaps the most underrated player in the league.

Cathey and Beribak were among the league's top scorers, while Bird and Severin were sound options, too. That left Curry to concentrate on what Mayer considers the most important part of the game.

"My job was to play defense," Curry said. "If you don't play defense in Coach Mayer's system, you're not going to see much playing time. And with all the great players around me, it wasn't important for me to go out and score a lot of points."

But don't think for a minute Curry plays only one end of the court. He came up big several times last season when his team needed him most. For example, in a 58-48 victory over Ellensburg in last season's 3A Eastern Regional, Curry buried 7 of 8 free throws in the final five minutes to secure Hanford's berth to state. In an earlier game against the Bulldogs, Curry chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds in a 62-46 victory.

"Drew does a lot of little things that don't show up in the box score, but when we need him he always steps up," Mayer said. "I know it sounds like a clich, but Drew is one of those players who only cares about winning."

This season, however, Curry is ready for an expanded role. The Falcons are depending on him and Severin -- the team's co-captains -- to provide a good portion of the scoring load. Curry also will do his best to keep a young but talented supporting cast clicking.

"We lost a lot of talent, but we have the players ready to show what they can do," Curry said. "Every year, our goal is to win the Mid-Valley and get to state, and I think we have a real shot this season."

Curry hopes his senior year includes two trips to state. He also was a first-team All-MVL goalkeeper for a Falcons soccer team that won the MVL title last season and advanced to the first round of the state tournament, where it suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 shootout loss to rival WestValley.

Soccer can wait, though, as Curry has been working all summer to prepare for basketball. He sharpened his skills during the offseason while playing with Richland standout guard Sam Cartmell as well as several of his own teammates.

Curry and the Falcons start the season at a disadvantage. Because its gym is out of service, Hanford must play its home games at Richland's Art Dawald Gym. But Curry said the Falcons are not going to worry about something they can't control.

"I think our gym is the best around, but we play at Richland all the time in the summer, so we're pretty comfortable there," Curry said.

Unfortunately, Curry won't get the opportunity to play again in his home gym as a Hanford Falcon. But he and his teammates know the perfect way to leave their mark on the new digs: by hanging another MVL championship banner.