GIVING BACK: Former Friar guard Sharaud Curry opens basketball school in Pawtucket

Make that global.

Seeking to create a hoops laboratory where the skills he learned during his 13-year professional career are passed down to the next generation, the idea of Curry calling it Worldwide Basketball Academy gets the message across. Officially, the doors swung open to his post-playing venture last November – a city-based 1,600 square-foot space that was purposely designed to drill down on necessities when the game slows down in the half-court.

Now 36 years old, Curry scored over 1,600 points for Providence College over five seasons (2005-10). If you’re going to connect with basketball hopefuls, your main selling point should harp on the longevity he was fortunate enough to enjoy.

“It’s about taking pieces from where I’ve been and bringing them here,” said Curry, speaking one day last week from his India St. “office” before the start of a workout session. “It’s growing into something good.”

Curry retired from the pro ranks last summer. The list of countries where he followed the bouncing ball included Greece, Poland, Austria, Germany, Finland, Bulgaria, France, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, North Macedonia and Mexico.

A native of Georgia, Curry would make his way back to Rhode Island during the offseason to train and gear up for the fresh slate of games that awaited. This past summer, the seeds were planted when he started training local kids through friends he knew in Scituate. 

“It felt natural to me. I was always a gym rat. With my size [he was listed at 5-foot-10], I had to be,” said Curry. “I was always obsessed with the process of working on your game and getting better.”

Some of Curry’s basketball itch was satisfied when he signed on to become Director of Student-Athlete Development for the Bryant University men’s hoops program, a title he held this past season. Still, he couldn’t ignore the signals – repaying the game that allowed him to set foot in different countries.

“When you play for so long, you have that knowledge. You just don’t know when or where inspiration may strike to give back,” said Curry, believing the Rhode Island market has the appetite for the type of instruction and wisdom that he wholeheartedly believes he can provide.

With the mission clear, Curry settled on space that featured an important characteristic – the installation of a hardwood floor. You’ll also find a basketball catch-and-shoot machine and a pair of hoops. The court is equipped with markings designated specifically for the high-school 3-point line and free-throw line.  

“If you’re going to be authentic in everything you do, go all the way,” said Curry. “Location was key. I told the person I negotiated with that I was going to put in a basketball court. He didn’t see it, but after putting up a basket and taking some pictures, I realized this spot would be fine.

“You want to be professional. That’s the key,” he added.

The key is also ensuring you have the youngster’s attention from the moment they walk inside the door. For Curry, the decision to hang pictures from his Friar career, plus his Providence jersey, was intentionally done.

“We have a basketball school. These are the students. I’m the professor,” said Curry, who to date has 40 students, the males and females ranging from elementary school to college age. “We’re adding more and more every week. It’s growing.”

Curry offers private 1-on-1 instruction, then he’ll work with groups of three or four students at a time. His client base has expanded to include prospects from Massachusetts and Connecticut. This summer, he plans to work with kids from one of his teammates from his overseas experience in France.

“The first session is an assessment to see where they’re at. Then we’ll build them up,” he said. “It’s fun … like a science project.”

With Curry, the training boils down to emphasizing a specific set of needs that he believes will prove handy when certain in-game situations dictate their usage.

“It didn’t matter if you were the tallest player on the roster or the smallest. Every player is working on footwork, shooting and ballhandling. Whether they end up playing center or guard, they can all dribble, shoot, or pass. That’s what I wanted to bring here and help provide a nice space for that. It all worked out,” said Curry, who on a recent weekday was instructing a pair of middle schoolers – Naziel Hilario, an eighth grader at UCAP School, and Tekye Ivey-Jones, a seventh grader attending Goff Middle School – on the importance of ball fakes before pulling up for mid-range jump shots. 

“I fell in love with it … working with the kids,” said Curry. “Their eyes light up when they see me demonstrating drills for them.”

For more information, visit www.worldwideba.org or email Curry at sharaud@worldwideba.org

Follow Brendan McGair on X, formerly Twitter, @BWMcGair03