John Shulman

Southern Conference basketball begins a new era this year. Call it 1 A.C. -- After Curry.

"I never heard it described as A.C.," Furman coach Jeff Jackson said. "That's giving it some religiosity."

Yet it's appropriate because Curry reached deity status in college basketball for leading Davidson to the Elite Eight and thus elevating the profile of the SoCon and every school in league.

"Players like that graduate, he just went a year early," Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said. "Somebody else is going to fill those shoes this year, next year or down the road.

"Hopefully for the conference, there will be a few and they'll come quick."

Curry made recruiting easier for Jackson, Mike Young at Wofford and John Shulman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. High school coaches across the country returned more phone calls from SoCon coaches because of the association with Davidson.

Coaches can walk into a living and tell a prospect that they could be like Curry and rise to All-American status without getting laughed back onto the driveway.

"People know the SoCon now," said first-year Elon coach Matt Matheny, who recruited Curry during his 16-year tenure as a Davidson assistant. "I think the league as a whole is more attractive to kids coming out of high school."

Curry packed arenas across the league from the Hanna Center at Samford to Alumni Gym at Elon where athletic director reveled in the extra ticket sales.

He also packed Madison Square Garden -- where he and the Warriors will play on Friday against the Knicks -- last season which left New York fans clamoring for their team to draft Curry. But Golden State selected him with the No. 7 pick, one spot ahead of New York.

"We didn't think he'd be there for us," Warriors coach Don Nelson told the New York Times. "He ended up being this gift."

A gift the conference would have loved to enjoy for one more year, but he chose to forgo his senior season and begin playing at the highest level.

The SoCon moved its championship tournament from Chattanooga to Charlotte in hopes that attendance would-be record-setting if Curry played in it. ESPN aligned itself with the Charleston Classic partly because Davidson will play in it.

"One thing we'll miss is the crowds," College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins said. "Everywhere he went, we had sellouts. He had fans all across the SoCon. It was like a rock star coming to town and people were dying to see him play.

"We had an All-American. Holy smokes. What that kid did us is incredible."

What Curry gave to Davidson and the SoCon is immeasurable. He brought respect, credibility, star-power and showmanship. He did so with a lots of class and little arrogance.

That was last year, with Curry.

"He's going through a whole different experience where he's on a team that's significantly different," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. "The best way to put it is that it's different sitting in a locker room with Steven Rossiter on one side and Bryant Barr on the other side and now it's Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson."

Which leaves the SoCon without its star.