ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 24, 1996 TAG: 9605240043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Or, maybe there's just one - Virginia lacrosse player David Curry.
At this time a year ago, Curry had just completed his second year at Gettysburg College, where he was named first-team All-American. Gettysburg had gone 12-2, losing to eventual champion Salisbury State in the Division III semifinals.
Curry never thought about transferring until he returned home and ran into fellow New Canaan (Conn.) High School alumnus Mike Murphy, who is on the coaching staff at Virginia.
``That's when I presented the idea for the first time,'' said Curry, who was working at a camp at his old high school. ``It was almost off the top of my head, really. I just said to him, `Is there a chance? Is there any possibility of me transferring?'''
Murphy said he would notify UVa head coach Dom Starsia and urged Curry to contact Gettysburg coach Hank Janczyk. Surprisingly, the two head coaches had a similar reaction
``I was less than enthusiastic about it,'' Starsia said. ``One, you don't want to encourage kids to transfer. It's not the business that we're in. And, two, I didn't see an obvious place for David to play. As far as I knew, he was always an attackman, and we had our three starters back.''
Gettysburg, on the other hand, was going to lose seven of its top eight scorers.
``I think they were a little stunned,'' Curry said. ``They thought I was committed to the program - and I was - but I was more committed to my future. It wasn't so much lacrosse as it was the degree from Virginia.''
He knew Janczyk was upset by the news, because it took weeks for Gettysburg to give Curry the waiver that enabled him to play this season.
``Dave is no longer our player,'' Janczyk said Thursday. ``I wish him well, but, other than that, I have nothing to say. It's a unique situation.''
Originally, it was Curry's dream to go to Georgetown. His father and grandfather went there. The Hoyas had upgraded their men's lacrosse program to Division I and hired coach Dave Urich away from Hobart, a longtime Division III power. But, Curry didn't get into school.
``I was really shocked,'' said Curry, who had a B average and scored more than 1000 on the Scholastic Assessment Test. ``I was crushed. I remember carrying the rejection letter around in my wallet for about a year. I mean, everybody in my family had gone there.''
Actually, Curry's brother, Ed, went to Hampden-Sydney and was the Old Dominion Athletic Conference player of the year in 1995. David isn't sure his brother could have had an impact at the Division I level, but he knows there are other Division III players who could play.
``Eddie's a little small; he's only 5-6 and 150 pounds,'' David said. ``We had two other guys last year [at Gettysburg] who could have contributed in Division I. The other eight weren't the same caliber and maybe couldn't make the team at some Division I schools.''
Curry, despite scoring 81 goals in his two seasons at Gettysburg, almost decided to sit out the 1996 season as a redshirt. For one thing, he spent the fall in Washington, D.C., where he was an intern at the Republican National Committee.
``You've got to realize, I play lacrosse for two hours a day,'' said Curry, who enrolled at mid-year. ``How was I going to spend the other 22? I didn't know where I was going to live. I didn't know anybody, really, on the team. I had to deal with a lot of things.''
The least of his concerns was a new position.
``It wasn't soon after we began practice that you could see we had to find a place for this kid,'' Starsia said. ``About midway through the season, we stuck him on the first midfield and said, `He's got to learn how to play midfield, and we've got to adjust to having him out there.'''
Curry has adjusted so well that, despite the graduation of All-America attackman Tim Whiteley, he might play midfield again next year. Curry, who is not yet on scholarship, had five goals Sunday in the Cavaliers' 23-12 victory over Harvard in the NCAA quarterfinals.
``I tried not to expect too much,'' said Curry, who attributed a slow start to his absence from fall practice, ``but, deep down, I thought it would all work out. I thought I would get on the field. I knew what I could do.''
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Curry.by CNB