Sydney Curry focused on bringing a national championship to John H. Logan

Sydney Curry, the 6-foot-9, 265-pound power forward from John A. Logan C.C. in Carterville, Ill., made Thanksgiving Day for most Kansas fans a bit sweeter. Curry had originally planned to commit on November 30th, but as Thanksgiving Day approached, those plans ultimately changed.

Originally from Fort Wayne, Ind., Curry, in 31 games last season, averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for John A. Logan C.C. Offensively, Curry shot 73.9 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Because of his production on the hardwood, Curry established himself as one of the top prospects in the junior college ranks. While many programs from coast-to-coast expressed a high amount of interest in the talented big man, Kansas, Texas A&M, Mississippi, and Seton Hall emerged as the programs most mentioned with Curry throughout his recruitment.

During an interview with JayhawkSlant.com back on November 18, Curry indicated that Kansas was extremely high on his list, but the Jayhawks, at least publicly, weren’t the only program in good standing with Curry.

Curry, at the time of the interview, made it clear that Kansas was, without question, very high on his list of schools, but also mentioned Texas A&M as a school that he liked as well.

With nothing but time on his hands, Curry, after much thought, ultimately made the decision to move up his commitment date and, in doing so, verbally commit to Bill Self and Kansas.

In his mind and heart, Kansas was the only real option when it came to his future.

“I decided a couple of days ago,” Sydney Curry told JayhawkSlant.com during a phone interview on Thanksgiving Day. “I woke up and decided to get it over with and not waste anybody’s time. I felt it would be a good thing, really a good thing to do on Thanksgiving for the KU fans and everybody.

“I was crying last night,” he added during the interview. “Everybody kind of doubted me. I’m really overwhelmed. My decision to go to Kansas is a dream come true.”

Under normal circumstances, Bill Self and Jerrance Howard, who did an absolutely amazing job recruiting Curry, would have laid out the red-carpet for Curry during his recruitment. One of the nation’s top junior college prospects in the 2021 class, Curry, because of his strength and size, has a chance to make a major impact next season.

Normally, Self and his staff would have invited Curry and his family out to Lawrence for an official visit, which would have included a tour of the campus and facilities, spending time with the current members of the team, spending time with the coaching staff, having the opportunity to ask any and all questions that might have remained unanswered heading into the visit, and much more.

However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Zoom calls and virtual tours have replaced official and unofficial visits. In getting to know the coaching staff from a distance, Curry was able to build a strong bond and level of trust with Self, Howard and the rest of the staff.

When the scholarship offer from Kansas was extended in June, Curry had a pretty good idea of where he was headed following his sophomore year at John A. Logan C.C. While he wasn’t ready to decide at the time the scholarship was offered, he had a pretty good idea what his next move would be.

“It was just Kansas,” said Curry. “They offered me a scholarship in June and that was a big offer for me. Watching coach (Bill) Self and KU basketball all my life, watching Kansas growing up, I really wanted to go there.”

Early on Thanksgiving Day, Curry became the third player from the 2021 class to join KU’s recruiting class. Zach Clemence, the 6-foot-10, 218-pound forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., committed to the Jayhawks on May 11, 2020.

Clemence, the No. 35 ranked player in the class, became the first commit for Self and his staff in the 2021 class.

KJ Adams, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas offered up his verbal commitment to Kansas on July 31, 2020. At that time, Adams, the No. 85 ranked player in the class, became the second player to commit to Self and the Jayhawks.

While both Clemence and Adams signed with Kansas during the early signing period, Curry will have to wait to make his verbal commitment official until the late signing period arrives in the spring.

Self can’t publicly comment on Curry until he signs a National Letter-of-Intent with Kansas, but don’t surprised if Self mentions Curry and Udoka Azubuike when talking about comparisons.

“I’ve been compared to a shorter Azubuike,” he said. “I’m athletic enough to have a 40-inch vertical. My athleticism can take over. “

Self, not surprisingly, was ecstatic when he got the call from Curry saying he was ready to commit. Self and Howard invested a ton of time recruiting the native of Fort Wayne, Ind., and that hard work paid off for Self, Howard, and the entire coaching staff.

“Coach Self was hyper jacked,” he said. “He said I can prepare for a national championship, get on campus, and get to work.”

During a phone interview with JayhawkSlant.com earlier in the week, Curry said that not much has changed since he committed to Kansas back on Thanksgiving Day.

He’s been keeping a close eye on Kansas and, at the same time, staying busy with school and looking forward to the start of his sophomore season at John H. Logan C.C.

“I’ve been watching Kansas play this season and I watched the game against Kentucky last night,” he said. “I thought Kansas played great and I liked the pace of the game. I’m also staying busy with school and getting ready for my season. We had a scrimmage not long ago and I scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

“The season starts in January, so I’m just looking forward to that,” he added. “For me, I’m just focused on winning a national championship. That’s where all of my focus is at right now. I’m just focused on being the best player that I can be and not trying to play like or compare myself to somebody else. I want to be the best that I can be.”