After losing four guards to injuries, Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach Jordan Mast knew he needed help, and he got it in mid-season transfer Trey Curry.
Curry, a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound freshman guard, joins the Skyhawks after starting the season at JUCO College of Southern Idaho.
It’s the first time in Mast’s head coaching career that he’s had to bring in a mid-season transfer, but the Skyhawks’ guard depth had become so depleted that he needed another guard.
The first injury was when freshman guard Daniel Steverson tore his ACL during the second practice of the year. The next blow was when last season’s leading scorer in the RMAC, transfer senior guard Jude Tapia from Adams State, tore his meniscus before the season started.
Another injury happened when redshirt sophomore guard Nathan Penney broke his foot early in the season. The final straw was when starting point guard Yorgio Golesis tore his ACL early in the second half against St. Edward’s University on Dec. 17, ending his season.
“We talked that night as a staff because it was right during break,” Mast said. “So the opportunity presented itself. We felt that if we could add somebody that bought into what we want to do, is a good person, high character, can fit in with the team quickly, we would think that'd be a good option to add guard depth.”
Mast knew it would be a challenge to pick up a guard mid-season because usually, when someone’s available at this point, it’s because they’re ineligible or not good enough. But Curry is a unique situation.
Curry was redshirting at College of Southern Idaho behind two guards who already have Division I offers, according to Mast. He recruited Curry out of high school at PHH Prep in Phoenix, so there was already a previous relationship. Mast reached out to College of Southern Idaho head coach Jeff Reinert to see if they could reach out to Curry. Reinert thought it would be a great fit; Reinert previously coached current Skyhawk Cassius Carmichael.
Mast talked to Curry about his vision, and Curry was ready to play. Despite being a freshman, Curry is 20 years old after his prep school experience.
“He's super athletic and a great defender,” Mast said about Curry. “With our defensive pressure and how we want to play, that's one of the things we look at first, is if they can defend at a high level … He might be one of our best defenders at the guard spot; we think he can be. But then his ability on the offensive end to attack and get into the paint, because that's what we're trying to do on offense.”
Mast hopes Curry is a great long-term fit for the Skyhawks. He’s been enrolled at FLC so he can practice, but he needs to be cleared by the NCAA to play. Mast hopes he’s cleared before FLC’s home game against Western Colorado on Thursday.
FLC’s injured players are getting better. Penney is recovering from his broken foot, and Mast thinks he could return sometime in February as an experienced member of the backcourt. Golesis had a successful ACL surgery; Tapia will take a medical redshirt to preserve his year of eligibility; Steverson is ahead of schedule on his ACL recovery, and Mast thinks he’ll be back working out in the spring before next season.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
