Animated, passionate and poised, the Leland Cubs new head basketball coach is hard to miss along the sidelines. His team is an extension of his engagement in the game where he never takes a play off.
“I preach intensity and organized chaos on the basketball court,” said Cubs head coach Adaiah AC Curry. “My team will play fast, physical and smart this year.”
Curry came to Leland this year after spending a decade as an assistant at Mississippi Valley State University.
He spent time under the leadership of Darnell Robinson, Ashley Walker, James Green and Chico Potts while at the Valley. All these reputable coaches gave Curry some valuable tools and knowledge that he has taken to the high school ranks.
“I saw this as a tremendous opportunity to mentor younger athletes,” he said. “It’s a chance to run a program and learn the in and outs of working within the community to build a program.”
Curry stepped away from the resource rich college ranks to oversee fundraisers, seek sponsorships and organically brand and develop Cubs’ basketball.
He said that thanks to sponsors like his parents, Andre and Dr. Vickie Curry, Scott Realty and others the basketball gymnasium will soon reflect the color, pageantry and representation that his young team deserves.
A signature of his community engagement efforts will be life-sized posters of the team throughout the arena.
“This is a very different experience, but it is something that feels right so far,” he said. “It’s an adjustment, but I love the community. They’ve welcomed me with open arms, and I look forward to being the head coach for a while.”
Given Curry’s track record (literally), there is no need to doubt that Cubs’ basketball has a bright future. Curry played high school basketball in Leflore County as a three-year letterman under head coach Lester Smith and entered MVSU on a track scholarship.
During his sophomore year, Curry entered walked onto the MVSU basketball team, made the cut, had a great collegiate career and remained a fixture in the program for over a decade. “Basketball for me is a game that I believe is something that I was determined to get better and better at doing,” he said. “Coaching is the same way. There is always an opportunity to learn and grow and find out about yourself in the process.”
