Class of 2019 big man may be one of the next big things in Fort Wayne

Purdue 2019 targets ($): Keion Brooks | Isaiah Thompson

More ($): Breaking down Sydney Curry

Sydney Curry is just 15, and college coaches will undoubtedly keep close watch on his physical development, but regardless, the Fort Wayne Luers big man looks the part of a player who'll be very highly recruited.

Now about 6-foot-8 and just under 240 pounds, Curry hopes to top out one day at 6-11.

If he does, then he might possess all the makings of a blue-chip post recruit.

As it stands today, he looks advanced as a back-to-the-basket scorer for his age, with a certain Caleb Swanigan-ish violence about him in the way he uses his body, turns and faces the basket. Like Swanigan, Curry seems to enjoy the rough-and-tumble parts of playing in the post.

"I like the physicality," he said. "It makes me work harder, because I feel like (opponents) are trying to test me."

And during a few of his Indiana Elite team's games at this weekend's adidas May Classic, he showed some savvy as a passer, too.

That skill is reminiscent of Swanigan as well, and perhaps not coincidentally.

Curry said he crosses training paths with the former McDonald's All-American and Homestead star, who'll be a sophomore at Purdue next season should be opt to return to school instead of take a shot at the NBA Draft.

"He's taught me just to be patient on offense," Curry said, "and use my footwork and not hurry in the post, because they're going to go for the pump fake."

Curry said he's also learned from former Purdue center A.J. Hammons during interactions from his past visits to West Lafayette, notably the program's elite camp last August. He said Swanigan and Hammons, "really teach me how to be a big man and being physical."

At the high school level, he's off to a good start.

As just a freshman at Luers, Curry averaged nearly a double-double, certainly a solid starting point for what could be an outstanding high school career.

"I came in very confident," Curry said. "I was still learning the game, but now that I'm experienced, I can do more, contribute more to the team."

Through the course of that freshman season and beyond, Curry's body has changed as well, as he's trimmed down considerably, down to the 237 he said he weighed as of this weekend.

Again, though, college coaches will undoubtedly be tracking a different kind of physical progress in the months and years to come: Height.

As of today, Purdue, Indiana, Xavier and Michigan State have shown the most early interest, Curry said, and he's visited all but Michigan State.

He's been to West Lafayette on multiple occasions, including that elite camp last August, then the home finale against Wisconsin.

"I like Purdue. It's a very good school," Curry said. "They tell me to keep working and I'll be all right."

It's very early in the recruiting process for Curry, but scholarship offers come earlier and earlier nowadays. Curry thinks a Purdue offer might be a possibility.

"I think so," he said, "just from talking with their coaches and how the relationship is building."

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