Carroll grad Curran finding success at Drexel

PHILADELPHIA — Sarah Curran did not expect to play 24 minutes per game, let alone be a starter right away for Drexel.

Yet, that is how her freshman season has unfolded. She was second in team scoring (9.7 points) through 22 games and has led the Dragons in that category more than once this season.

That’s not a bad way to begin a career that should only get better as Curran becomes more familiar with the college game and grows more comfortable with some of the things she can do on the court.

“My goal was to get some minutes and I wasn’t sure how may I would get,” said Curran was asked about her goals coming into the season. “When I came here I didn’t think I would start at all, so it has worked out nice.”

It sure has. The 5-foot11 forward and former Archbishop Carroll star has twice earned Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week hon- ors.

The first such instance was a reward for her play in a December holiday tour- nament at St. John’s. The highlight for Curran was when she had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in a win over the hosts. The second time she was so honored by the CAA was in January when she shot 11-of-14 from the field for a career-best 22 points in a victory over William & Mary. Curran followed with a 19-point effort in a win against Delaware. Both games were on the road.

“It is nice to see that hard work gets recognized and pays off,” said Curran, whose consistency has been such that her scoring average has been between 9.4 and 11.0 points since the fifth game of the season. “It is nice recognition, but at the same time my focus is on the next game.”

It is that level of maturity that coach Denise Dillon appreciates and sees every practice and game.

“She is so willing to learn, so coachable,” said Dillon, the former Villanova star who is in her 11th season leading the Dragons. “She had great instruction at Carroll and that helped her coming in here and understanding what needs to be done at this level. Overall, I am really pleased with her effort on the defensive end because I think that’s the area a player is more exposed as a freshman. Offensively, she has the mentality that she will do whatever needs to be done. She has a great outlook and attitude.”

Curran has some familiar company in University City. Former Carroll teammates and sophomores Rachel Pearson and Meghan Creighton have also started every game for the Dragons this season. Pearson, Curran’s roommate, leads the team in scoring and Creighton in assists. Together the trio won a pair of Philadelphia Catholic League championships and a state title.

Now, all three are together again at Drexel. Having a couple of former high school teammates already on board helped Curran’s transition from high school to college.

“College is a lot different than high school and to have Meghan and Rachel here was a plus,” she said. “On top of that, I liked the team in general. It was very welcoming. It was not a hard transition and the coaches made it easy.”

Coming from Carroll has also made the basketball part of Curran’s freshman season easier to handle.

“Carroll prepared me a lot because I had phenomenal coaches and they all helped me,” she said. “They understand the game so well. They made me aware of what I needed to work on and what was going to happen when I got to college.”

Among the adjustments Curran said she has had to make is releasing the ball quicker. In high school things do not move as fast and she was able to take an additional second or two before letting go of her shot. She would also like to get more involved as far as rebounding.

Curran will continue to improve in those and other areas as she progresses with her ability to adapt to a much different competitive environment. At Carroll Curran was one of the tallest players around, but as Dillon points out, that is not the case in college and it requires players like Curran to alter her style of play.

“Players are much bigger here than in high school, so you need to be crafty and use some different counter moves,” said Dillon. “On the defensive end it is about forcing Sarah to be able to guard perimeter players. She used her size in high school and kind of hung out in the middle of the paint and deterred players just by showing a hand. But now we need her to guard perimeter players and be aggressive on the boards against bigger players.”

Off the court, when she and Pearson are not whipping up some pasta and salad, Curran is, well, maybe thinking about whipping up some pasta and salad. Sheenjoys watching the Food Network, but not just for leisure. Rather, she is studying hospitality management with an eye toward the restaurant business.

It is all part of what has made for a very nice first year of college.

“I looked at other universities, but academically and basketball wise Drexel was the best fit for me,” she said.

Dillon would like to think Curran will be more than a fit for the Dragons over the next three years. After all, especially when considering the progress she has made as a freshman, the bar is very high for a player of Curran’s makeup.

“We are actually putting a lot more on Sarah as a freshman than we may want to,” said Dillon. “Seeing her in the position that she is this early in her career certainly makes us excited. You have to think that as a sophomore, junior and senior she can just start doing things on her own without thinking; things will comes natural to her. She is definitely the type that can become a leader. She has a great personality and the team is drawn to that on and off the court.”