Athlete of the Week winner: Jason Curry Jr. steps up for Jensen Beach basketball

Everything senior Jason Curry Jr. has done for the Jensen Beach basketball team is gravy.

Jensen Beach Coach Ryan Power wasn’t expecting much – if anything - from the South Fork transfer who barely played for his former school in Stuart. Curry was a football star (cornerback, wide receiver)  – not a basketball contributor.

All that changed at Curry’s new school in his senior year – punctuated by last week’s basketball brilliance that has earned him the TC-Palm Player of The Week.

Curry, who will play football in college, carried Jensen Beach to a four-game winning streak between late December and early January, leading the team in scoring each game.

More of a defensive player, the 6-3 forward  posted between 17 and 20 points in each victory with 6-to-10 rebounds in easy wins over  Vero Beach,  Pine School, Tradition Prep (Port St. Lucie) and Somerset Academy.

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In that span, Curry, 18,  filled the box score with an average of 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 deflections and 1.5 steals.

“I was  really a defensive player at Southport - passing and defense,’’ Curry said. “They had their team set. This feels good. I feel more comfortable and can play the way I want to play. I felt I would be a good addition to the basketball team. That’s why I joined and I know last year they didn’t do well.’’

While Jensen Beach floundered to a 5-21 season, Curry was buried on the South Fork bench in most games. In fact, Jensen Beach’s Power can’t  remember ever seeing Curry play.

“He played very little for South Fork,’’ Power said. “We played them twice and I don’t remember him being on the court at all. He showed up for summer workouts. He was a football player first. We let him concentrate on football. Once the football season was over he came out (to practice). With his size and athleticism, we knew he had the potential to impact our season as well.

“But I didn’t know how good he actually was because I didn’t see him play. But I knew his size and athleticism was something we were missing. We did not expect him to do as much as he’s done this year.’’

Jensen Beach’s leading scorer still is Cordell Wilkins Jr., but the Falcons wouldn’t have vaulted to a winning record (8-7 at the start of the week) without Curry’s consistent excellence during the four-game streak.

“Those first couple of games, I was just more like a  passer and finding teammates open,’’ Curry said. “But I was getting more comfortable and started scoring more.’’

Defense, the coach says, sprung Curry to his spree.

“ One thing he’s done well all season is he takes the other team’s best player and does everything he can to defend him at a high rate,’’ Power said. “(Last week), he was shutting their best player down, which led to bad shots for the other team and transition opportunities for him.’’

Curry isn’t much of an outside shooter; he takes about one 3-pointer a game. Putbacks and hard drives lead to many of his buckets. And defense still is his calling card.

“His football skills definitely transfer over to basketball,’’’ Power said. “He’s one of the top defenders on our team. His footwork is really good. He likes the physicality of being in the paint and leads us in rebounding.’’

Curry’s chemistry with teammates has been an unexpected boon. “We only have two seniors on the entire team,’’ Power said. “He’s come in and been a glue guy for us as far as developing relationships. We have two freshmen on the team. He treats everyone like they’re the same age as him with the same level of respect. He came in from Day 1 and got along with everybody which brought our team together.’’

A club that nosedived last season now has a five-game winning streak. And though he wasn’t there, Curry has heard about 2022-23’s disappointment.

“Last year’s team was more individualism, though they stuck together,’’ Curry said. “But this year, there’s a more comfortable feeling with each other. I’m happy to get the opportunity to play and show off what I can do. ‘’

Because of a family issue, Curry moved from Stuart to Jensen Beach to live with his grandmother. The move has gone swimmingly for both football and basketball. “It’s working out well,’’ Curry said. “I transferred for football and we were 9-2. Last year South Fork (football) was 2-8.’’

On MLK Day, Curry made a college visit to Webber International in Lakeland, Fla. Other colleges high on his list are Concordia St. Paul University in Minnesota and St. Thomas University (Miami Gardens).

Curry will play cornerback in college. Now he will focus on being the best power forward he can be in basketball.

“I’d like to compete for a district title,’’ Curry said. “They haven’t won one in a while.’’

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: AOTW: Jason Curry Jr. steps up for Jensen Beach basketball