Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Louisiana on February 4, 2026 , Loss , 61, to, 64
MBB
Final
James Madison
61
vs Louisiana
64
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
FEATURE: Former Basketball Dukes Find Success Overseas
2/26/2019 4:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GYŐR, Hungary - Former James Madison standout Ron Curry had never been out of the country and now his plane was about to land in Europe, as his pro basketball career was ready to begin in Slovenia nearly three years ago.
"It was surreal. I just got my passport the week before. It all happened so fast," recalls Curry, who played for the Dukes for four seasons through 2016.
Curry, 25, played last season in Germany and is winding down his third year as a pro hoopster in Europe, a typical destination for former Division I standouts who don't latch on with a team in the NBA or the G League. This season, he has been playing for a team in western Hungary.
"It is a good opportunity to play over here," said Curry, taking off his headphones to chat before a recent game here in the Hungarian Cup. "The biggest adjustment is the lifestyle. Basketball is the easy part, especially if you have good teammates. The hardest part is definitely adjusting to the European way of life, especially if you are not a big city in Germany - like a small town in Slovenia."
The small town to which he speaks is Novo Mesto, with about 23,000 people in southeastern Slovenia. He spent the 2017-18 season in metropolitan Bonn, Germany, then moved to Szombathely, a city of nearly 77,000 in western Hungary near the border with Slovenia.
The native of New Jersey is one of several former Dukes, both men and women, who have continued their careers overseas. Other former JMU hoopsters who played at the pro level during the 2018-19 season include Jackson Kent, a 2017 graduate of JMU with a degree in sport and recreation management.
Kent, about 250 miles northwest of Hungary, is playing in Nürnberg, Germany, known in America as Nuremberg. The city of about 500,000 in the southeast part of the country was the site of the Nürnberg trials for Nazis after World War II.
"I did know a little about the Nürnberg trials and have read up on it more after arriving," according to Kent, who played last season in the Czech Republic.
So, what are things like in Germany?
"A normal day for me is waking up for weight lifting three times a week and then practice during the evening. On days off, I walk around the city and try to see new places," according to Kent.
Another former JMU standout who played in Germany was Devon Moore, who was there during the 2017-18 season. He began his pro career in Hungary in 2013.
Closer to home, former JMU post presence Yohanny Dalembert, who played for the Dukes in 2016-17, was in a pro league in Canada this winter. He was averaging 3.5 points and 5.4 boards per contest in late February for Sudbury in the NBL-Canada.
A.J. Davis was the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2013 when the Dukes last won the title and qualified for the NCAA field. Since then, Davis has played for pay in Canada, Mexico and made a stop in the G League.
Virginia Beach native Denzel Bowles, who ended his Dukes career in 2011, has had a long career overseas with stints in Lithuania, the Philippines, China, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Israel and the Dominican Republic. The 6-foot-10 forward has played this season for Kanazawa in Japan, where he had 44 points in a game in December and was averaging 21 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest across his first 37 games.
Joey McLean has been playing in Dubai, according to Kent, his former high school teammate, while Andrey Semenov has been playing in his native Russia.
Former JMU women who have played in pro leagues this winter include WNBA draft picks Tamera Young (Israel) and Jazmon Gwathmey (Spain), as well as Jasmine Gill (Czech Republic) and Precious Hall (Sweden). Local product Kirby Burkholder of Turner Ashby High played in Hungary from 2016-18 after being named CAA Player of the Year in 2014.
Curry was part of the JMU title team as a freshman in 2013, then gained All-CAA honors in 2015 and 2016, when he averaged 17.2 points per contest.
The 6-foot-3 guard was part of the regular-season champions in Slovenia in 2017 and was named to the All-Import Team, according to EuroBasket.com, as he averaged 12 points per contest in league games and more than 11 per game in 26 Adriatic League games.
Curry had nine points on Feb. 16 as his team lost in the Hungarian Cup finals to a team that include American guard Andrew Rowsey, from Lexington, Va. Curry was averaging 14.7 points per contest in Hungarian league games.
Hungary is about the size of Indiana, but only has about 10 million residents with nearly 20 percent of those living in capital Budapest. Hungary was under Communist rule until the late 1980s, around the time the Berlin Wall came down. The Hungarian language is among the hardest for non-native speakers to learn, with 14 vowels just for starters.
But English is the common language for most of the pro basketball leagues in Europe and that is no exception for Curry. His coach this season is Gasper Okorn, who speaks English and is from bordering Slovenia. "I was aware of him, since he played in Slovenia," Okorn said.
Curry said it takes an open mind to adjust to new cultures overseas.
"I didn't know this would be my path. The places I have been to, it has been good to see different cultures and things you don't see in America," Curry said.
**David Driver is a Harrisonburg native who has covered CAA basketball for more than 25 years. He also lived in Hungary with his family for three years and has interviewed American basketball players in 12 European countries, according Hungary, Slovenia and Serbia. Driver has contributed to the JMU alumni magazine and has also covered the Washington Nationals and college basketball for The Washington Times. He can be reached at davidsdriver.com.**
"It was surreal. I just got my passport the week before. It all happened so fast," recalls Curry, who played for the Dukes for four seasons through 2016.
Curry, 25, played last season in Germany and is winding down his third year as a pro hoopster in Europe, a typical destination for former Division I standouts who don't latch on with a team in the NBA or the G League. This season, he has been playing for a team in western Hungary.
"It is a good opportunity to play over here," said Curry, taking off his headphones to chat before a recent game here in the Hungarian Cup. "The biggest adjustment is the lifestyle. Basketball is the easy part, especially if you have good teammates. The hardest part is definitely adjusting to the European way of life, especially if you are not a big city in Germany - like a small town in Slovenia."
The small town to which he speaks is Novo Mesto, with about 23,000 people in southeastern Slovenia. He spent the 2017-18 season in metropolitan Bonn, Germany, then moved to Szombathely, a city of nearly 77,000 in western Hungary near the border with Slovenia.
The native of New Jersey is one of several former Dukes, both men and women, who have continued their careers overseas. Other former JMU hoopsters who played at the pro level during the 2018-19 season include Jackson Kent, a 2017 graduate of JMU with a degree in sport and recreation management.
Kent, about 250 miles northwest of Hungary, is playing in Nürnberg, Germany, known in America as Nuremberg. The city of about 500,000 in the southeast part of the country was the site of the Nürnberg trials for Nazis after World War II.
"I did know a little about the Nürnberg trials and have read up on it more after arriving," according to Kent, who played last season in the Czech Republic.
So, what are things like in Germany?
"A normal day for me is waking up for weight lifting three times a week and then practice during the evening. On days off, I walk around the city and try to see new places," according to Kent.
Another former JMU standout who played in Germany was Devon Moore, who was there during the 2017-18 season. He began his pro career in Hungary in 2013.
Closer to home, former JMU post presence Yohanny Dalembert, who played for the Dukes in 2016-17, was in a pro league in Canada this winter. He was averaging 3.5 points and 5.4 boards per contest in late February for Sudbury in the NBL-Canada.
A.J. Davis was the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2013 when the Dukes last won the title and qualified for the NCAA field. Since then, Davis has played for pay in Canada, Mexico and made a stop in the G League.
Virginia Beach native Denzel Bowles, who ended his Dukes career in 2011, has had a long career overseas with stints in Lithuania, the Philippines, China, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Israel and the Dominican Republic. The 6-foot-10 forward has played this season for Kanazawa in Japan, where he had 44 points in a game in December and was averaging 21 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest across his first 37 games.
Joey McLean has been playing in Dubai, according to Kent, his former high school teammate, while Andrey Semenov has been playing in his native Russia.
Former JMU women who have played in pro leagues this winter include WNBA draft picks Tamera Young (Israel) and Jazmon Gwathmey (Spain), as well as Jasmine Gill (Czech Republic) and Precious Hall (Sweden). Local product Kirby Burkholder of Turner Ashby High played in Hungary from 2016-18 after being named CAA Player of the Year in 2014.
Curry was part of the JMU title team as a freshman in 2013, then gained All-CAA honors in 2015 and 2016, when he averaged 17.2 points per contest.
The 6-foot-3 guard was part of the regular-season champions in Slovenia in 2017 and was named to the All-Import Team, according to EuroBasket.com, as he averaged 12 points per contest in league games and more than 11 per game in 26 Adriatic League games.
Curry had nine points on Feb. 16 as his team lost in the Hungarian Cup finals to a team that include American guard Andrew Rowsey, from Lexington, Va. Curry was averaging 14.7 points per contest in Hungarian league games.
Hungary is about the size of Indiana, but only has about 10 million residents with nearly 20 percent of those living in capital Budapest. Hungary was under Communist rule until the late 1980s, around the time the Berlin Wall came down. The Hungarian language is among the hardest for non-native speakers to learn, with 14 vowels just for starters.
But English is the common language for most of the pro basketball leagues in Europe and that is no exception for Curry. His coach this season is Gasper Okorn, who speaks English and is from bordering Slovenia. "I was aware of him, since he played in Slovenia," Okorn said.
Curry said it takes an open mind to adjust to new cultures overseas.
"I didn't know this would be my path. The places I have been to, it has been good to see different cultures and things you don't see in America," Curry said.
**David Driver is a Harrisonburg native who has covered CAA basketball for more than 25 years. He also lived in Hungary with his family for three years and has interviewed American basketball players in 12 European countries, according Hungary, Slovenia and Serbia. Driver has contributed to the JMU alumni magazine and has also covered the Washington Nationals and college basketball for The Washington Times. He can be reached at davidsdriver.com.**
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