When Casey Field first encountered Stephen Curry, it was during eighth-grade recess and he was sitting by himself against the wall. At Toronto’s Queensway Christian College, the academic year had begun, but this was Curry’s first day. Field recollects that James Lackey, his basketball coach, informed him that a new student was enrolling in the class. Field was told that his dad was an NBA player and that maybe he could make him feel more at ease.Field then went over to Curry and inquired about his basketball skills. Absolutely, I do play a little bit, Curry answered.

‘The ultimate green light’When he wasn’t finding his teammates under the basket, Curry was making shots from way beyond the 3-point line. “He would just come down and hit 3s on four or five possessions in a row,” Field recalled. After the first game, Field realized this was going to be an incredible season. Queensway finished undefeated.”He was very, very smooth.”Colleagues remember him off the court as a cool-headed, well-mannered eighth grader with a good sense of humor. Sutherland remarked, “You could really chop it up with him like he was one of your brothers.” “He had a very smooth demeanor.”Sutherland recollects going to the movies, spending time at the shopping center, and going bowling with Curry and his representative group. Coaches would typically take them out for pizza or ice cream after a win.

During his one year in Toronto, Field was among Curry’s closest pals. Field’s father accompanied him and Curry to play golf at Milton’s Trafalgar Club & Country Club near the end of the academic year. “He made an 89,” Field remarked. “I think I shot 105.” I still recall thinking, “It’s unfair, you’re so talented at basketball and golf.” There aren’t even any skills that are similar between the two. Curry continues to play golf frequently in the off-season; last summer, he even teed off with President Obama.MORE: Who will win the NBA Midseason Awards if Curry isn’t the MVP?Near the end of the season, teammates understood Curry’s time in Toronto was running out.

The family was returning to North Carolina, where Stephen would attend Charlotte Christian and guide his high school team to three conference championships and three trips to the state playoffs, as Dell was retiring.Field remarked, “He missed our graduation party.” Even though we all knew he wouldn’t be returning, we still wanted him to be there. We got to know one other over the course of a year, and at the end, we were really close.”

A more mature iteration of his younger self”Curry only lived in Toronto for a brief period of time, but everyone who came into contact with him followed his career closely—from leading Davidson to the 2008 Elite Eight to the Warriors selecting him seventh overall in the 2009 draft to his current status as the best player in the league. All of these individuals will be watching and reliving all of those eighth-grade experiences again when Curry comes back to Toronto this weekend to play in the 3-point shootout on Saturday and the All-Star Game on Sunday. Curry continues to wow everyone even years after.Sutherland chuckled, “We thought he might be as good as his dad.”

“Nobody anticipated that he would become legendary. It’s absurd. He’s just the younger version of himself, just older.Adam Shutt, a coach at Bannister’s York Region Avengers: “It’s pretty nuts.” I felt he could play after that shot, perhaps in Europe.MORE: Curry film session: How does he keep getting open?

 

This weekend, Curry will be back in Toronto for the NBA All-Star Game. As the current Most Valuable Player in the league, he and his Warriors are on track to break the record for most regular-season victories. Whether he’s dominating opponents with his handles, finishing elegantly at the rim, or showcasing his seemingly endless shooting range towards halfcourt, Curry appears to be creating his own highlight reel every night.

Curry’s father, Dell Curry, was a player for the Raptors, thus for a year during his early years, the family lived in Toronto, where Curry played basketball and made friends like Field. Sporting News recently met with teammates, rivals, and coaches from Curry’s eighth-grade years. Their testimonies read like past-tense accounts of Curry in the present.

Curry was the smallest player on the boys basketball team in Grades 7 and 8 at Queensway. His shooting technique was a little unusual. Field acknowledges that he had doubts about his teammate’s ability. It didn’t take him long to come around. Field, an undersized power forward, scored 24 points in their first game together, “at least 20 of them” he credits to Curry dribbling out of double teams to create open layup opportunities.

Curry also joined the Toronto 5-0, a rep team made up of players from the West End of the city. Tramar Sutherland, who plays professionally for the Niagara River Lions of the National Basketball League of Canada, was also a member of that team. He was ecstatic to take a trip down memory lane.

“I loved playing with him,” Sutherland said. “There were times when we would just stand there on the court and watch him do his thing. Coach gave him the ultimate green light.” Their rep team went 33-4 and won the provincial championship.

The York Region Avengers, led by Dave Bannister, who currently instructs youth basketball in Toronto, was one of the teams who defeated Curry that season. The Avengers and the Toronto 5-0 squared off twice at Markham High School during a competition. Curry’s squad easily prevailed on Friday in a round-robin encounter. The rematch took place in the championship game on Sunday. Bannister’s group won.

Looking over his notes, Bannister recalls that Curry had scored more than thirty points that day. According to Bannister, “He kept them in the game by himself.” “That year, we were fortunate to defeat him.”

At a competition at Newmarket, Bannister’s best memory of Curry was Toronto 5-0 trailing the Scarborough Blues, another top-ranked rep team, by 15 points. Curry didn’t arrive at the gym until halftime because his dad was working out with the Raptors. He didn’t warm up before going on the court with his team to begin the third quarter. “He simply ran onto the court without warming up, dribbled over halfcourt, launched a three-pointer, and wished it,” Bannister remarked, allowing the memory to bubble up for one more instant even after all these years. “And he repeated it after that. And once more.

At the time, Bannister believed this was above the capabilities of an eighth grader. It’s expected of you to perform a play or anything.

They were unable to stop him.

In an attempt to curb Curry’s scoring sprees, teams used a variety of strategies, including box-and-one, triple-teams, matchup zones, and double teams, but none of them were successful. “They were unable to stop him,” Sutherland remarked. “There were no responses. He was simply superior to everyone else.

When more than one defender advanced on him, Curry would locate the free teammate. If a defense tried to cut him off at the 3-point line, he could easily get by them thanks to his ball handling skills. Another issue was that it was not apparent how far he could shoot.

MORE: Does Curry’s former coach believe that his manner is harming basketball?

Dan, the point guard for the Avengers and Bannister’s son, was assigned to guard Curry. Dan remarked, “Back then, you were probably out far enough to defend your man if you were playing defense and stood at the 3-point line.” But he continued to take long shots. I would therefore move away from the 3-point line by one more step. Next, take another step outside. He was still taking and making enough shots at halfcourt by the time I was so far out.

In addition to his incredible shooting, Sutherland recalls Curry as a leader. He would converse with all players on the court, helping them to relax and feel at ease so they could execute the appropriate plays in the closing moments of close games. Sutherland remarked, “You felt like you had to step up.” “That edge came from him.”

Rob Molenda, a member of the representative squad that faced Curry, said, “I assumed he would be Monta Ellis’ sidekick.”

Regarding Bannister, he is now going up late to watch every Warriors game this season, even though he coached Curry for years. Curry is still in awe of what he is doing on the floor. Bannister remarked, “He’s hitting shots from everywhere.” It isn’t just. It is not your place to make those shots.

The most amazing thing about Bannister’s incredulity is that he responded to me about an eighth-grader he didn’t know how to stop with precisely the same remark only minutes before.