Can you smell what Chef Curry is cooking?
Better lace those kicks up and learn from Curry, arguably one of the best shooters of all time, as the Chef cooks up a spicy shooting clinic here in this basketball-crazed country.
The 2014-2015 NBA Most Valuable Player is set to visit Manila on September 5 for a promotional visit for Under Armour that would reportedly include a shooting clinic.
READ: NBA MVP Stephen Curry to visit Manila in September
With Curry sharing his shooting touch to Filipinos, INQUIRER.net lists down seven basketball players, professional and collegiate, who we think can use a trick or two from Chef Curry.
1. Jeff Chan, SG, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
From one great shooter to another.
Curry and Jeff Chan will light up any scoreboard and summon a torrential downpour from the parquet floor.
Chan is no doubt one of the best shooters in the Philippines, evident by his display with his time with Gilas Pilipinas.
It doesn’t hurt that Chan really puts the emphasis on the “shooting” part in shooting guards.
2. Jayson Castro, PG, Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters
Both Curry and Castro point guards and both can light it up with reckless abandon.
Known mostly as a devastating slasher in his early days, Castro has evolved into the PBA’s most lethal scorer.
Castro is not only the PBA’s best point guard but also the whole Asia’s, and he could be an even bigger threat from deep by learning from the best.
3. Alex Cabagnot, PG, San Miguel Beermen
Alex Cabagnot was the quintessential clutch man of the PBA before San Miguel turned on itself and introduced the drama-filled Petronovela.
Fast forward to 2015, Cabagnot is still a dangerous lefty but his shooting from deep took a slight dip.
Maybe a little whiff of some spicy curry can put him back on track.
4. Terrence Romeo, PG, Globalport Batang Pier
Hands down, Terrence Romeo can shoot. It’s never debatable.
Curry shoots threes even with four defenders on him, and Romeo does, too.
Romeo, however, doesn’t get the same luck as Curry and the NBA MVP can teach the young gunner a thing or two about shooting well-contested threes.
5. Stanley Pringle, PG, Globalport Batang Pier
He’s got the beard, he’s got the moves, he’s got the swagger, and his right-handed.
Stanley Pringle looks like Rockets star James Harden, and he can also shoot those dagger threes.
He shares the floor with Romeo to make a devastating backcourt, like Curry does with his Splash Brother Klay Thompson.
While Pringle can no doubt shoot, it’s time for Curry to make him better.
6. Kiefer Ravena, SG, Ateneo Blue Eagles
Kiefer Ravena is the face of the UAAP with his impressive basketball skills that earned him the nickname Phenom.
Anywhere on the floor, Ravena can score.
Once Ravena becomes a consistent sniper like Curry, all the teams in the UAAP better watch out.
7. Jeron Teng, SF, De La Salle Green Archers
Jeron Teng can score. There’s no arguing about that.
He can pound the ball inside and bang bodies with the big men in the paint.
But when he goes out of the paint, it becomes a different story.
Teng does not have the most reliable jump shot in the UAAP and under the tutelage or Curry he can maybe get some of that Splash spirit.
Honorable mentions:
Jiovanni Jalalon, PG, Arellano University Chiefs
He’s arguably the best collegiate point guard and is part of the Philippine National Team in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
Defense is his calling card and his slashing game is his secretary.
Jalalon doesn’t shoot that much, but with those handles and hard-nosed drive, the Chief point guard may just become one deadly sniper with just enough push.
JK Caiño, PG, Centro Escolar University Scorpions
When the cards are down and the chips are all in, JK Casiño can work his wizardry to lift CEU out of a tight spot.
He may ply his trade in the lesser-known NAASCU, but Casiño can shoot from deep and it’s a shame not many people can witness his magic.
From a set shot, to a stop and pop, a swish usually follows his flick of the wrist, and if he could develop that shot with a few tips from the NBA MVP, he could be as lethal as the man himself.
And just for fun:
June Mar Fajardo, C, San Miguel Beermen
Once June Mar Fajardo starts shooting threes. Game over. CC