“Bring it on”

Davidson College made history on March 10, 2025 by announcing that alum Stephen Curry ‘10 had accepted a role as assistant general manager (GM) for men’s and women’s basketball. In doing so, he became the first active player in United States major professional sports to take an administrative job with a collegiate program. Curry and his wife, Ayesha, also partnered with longstanding supporters of the school, Don, Matt ‘05 and Erica Berman to create an eight-figure fund to support both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. This gift, the Curry-Berman Fund, is intended to allow Davidson to compete with other schools in the changing landscape of college athletics, dominated by a recent focus on name, image and likeness (NIL). 

Matt Berman will also join Curry as an assistant GM. In addition to Berman, Austin Buntz, former member of Under Armour’s global basketball sports marketing team and a member of Davidson’s athletic fundraising team since 2021, signed on as general manager and assistant athletic director for basketball development. All of these developments make one thing incredibly clear: the athletics department is looking to secure Davidson’s status as a legitimate mid-major force in the NCAA.

Curry has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, revolutionizing the game with his unmatched shooting ability and offensive creativity. A two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion, Curry holds the record for the most three-pointers in NBA history, surpassing Ray Allen’s mark in 2021. His career averages of over 24 points, six assists and nearly five rebounds per game reflect his all-around brilliance, but it’s his ability to pull up from virtually anywhere on the court that has reshaped how basketball is played at nearly every level of the sport. 

Curry’s influence extends beyond the stat sheet—his deep-range shooting has forced defenses to adapt, inspired a generation of young players and made the three-pointer the most valuable weapon in modern basketball. Off the court, his leadership and humility have made him a beloved figure worldwide, elevating the Golden State Warriors into a dynasty and solidifying his place in basketball history. Moreover, he remains a proud Wildcat. Curry is always quick to cite the impact Davidson College has had on his life and sports a TCC tattoo on his wrist, representing former Head Coach Bob McKillop’s “Trust, Commitment, Care” mantra. Berman was quick to praise his new collaborator. “Steph is as awesome as you think he is, not just as a basketball player, but how he comes across as a person. He is all of that and more.”

The generous support for the College highlights Curry’s commitment to helping Davidson remain competitive in the evolving era of NIL. “The Davidson experience is top notch,” Curry stated in a press release. “I want very talented, high character student athletes [sic] to have that same experience.” Davidson President Doug Hicks ‘90 emphasized the same point: “the Currys and Bermans have provided an extraordinary gift, and they will give of their own time and expertise to ensure that we can continue providing an unparalleled educational experience—for our scholar-athletes and for our entire college community.”

Curry’s commitment is made possible only in collaboration with Berman. An alum and former Davidson soccer player, Berman reflected similarly on his time as an undergraduate student. “Davidson was really, really important to me. I love the school and love getting back as often as I can, and I’m excited for the rest of the broader school community to see this, to want to get involved and support this.” 

The Berman family also created a sports performance endowment for men’s and women’s basketball that provides mental health resources for its players. Though he admits the uncertainties amidst a changing collegiate landscape, Berman still “absolutely believe[s] that we’re going to be at the top of the A-10 again.” 

Berman is not new to sports management—he currently holds an ownership stake in Burnley F.C., an English football club. With this experience, he’s realistic about what it’s going to take to achieve their goals. “I think that the entire school community—alum[ni], administration, etc.—everyone is going to play a part in us getting to where we want to be,” Berman said.

Davidson College Vice President and Athletic Director Chris Clunie ‘06 explains that the decision to have Curry on board came about naturally. “It’s something that we’ve been working on for over half a year. […] NIL was going to shift from third-party deals and outside collectives to a revenue sharing model.” 

The Curry collaboration falls not even one month after Clunie’s announcement that Davidson would opt into the House v. NCAA settlement, which, if approved, will allow Davidson to share revenue across its two basketball teams and compensate scholar-athletes. Clunie and the College’s decision to opt into the settlement depended on what, at the time, seemed to be optimism to counter the NCAA’s uncertainties. In choosing this model, Davidson would need to depend on greater endowments and individual NIL deals to fund its team and players.

Because of the generous fund set up by Curry and the Berman family, though, the basketball teams are now completely self-sustained, each equipped with eight-figure funds. This allows Davidson to provide for their men’s and women’s basketball teams and do so not at the expense of other teams. When asked about the origin of the Curry-Berman Fund, Clunie said, “We wanted to figure out a way to help keep basketball—men’s, women’s basketball—successful, but not sacrifice all our other programs, because that’s important, too. We didn’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul. Other schools are not shy about it, right, cutting programs and cutting resources.”

Clunie describes that the plan for funding Davidson athletics is twofold: “Let’s sustain basketball. Let’s build a foundational, sustainable, successful framework for basketball. And let’s do that with external dollars. And let’s build on that. And then part two is, let’s double down on increased endowed scholarships and direct team support for our athletes, because we’ve shown that we don’t have to operate at the highest level to be successful.” The Curry-Berman Fund allows exactly that—the new endowment for basketball allows the athletics department’s other funds to be spread amongst Davidson’s other teams. In short, everyone benefits, and Davidson does not sacrifice its values in the process.

No matter how the NCAA changes in the coming years, the College’s core values will remain the same. “Wherever we are, it’s still going to be about leadership, still going to be about service, we’re still going to have an honor code, we’re still going to [strive for] a 3.5 GPA or better. That’s my goal, let’s maintain that,” Clunie said. “What the future brings, bring it on, and we’ll be right where we need to be.”

Further suggesting that Davidson is a “unicorn”—as Clunie stated in his email about the House settlement in February—is the heavy emphasis on education. Berman, Curry and Clunie continually uphold Davidson’s academic commitments in their statements. “There are schools that compete at the highest level academically, but they sacrifice athletically, and there are schools that compete at the highest level athletically and sacrifice academically. We do neither. We do not compromise. You do not have to sacrifice here. It’s hard. It’s really difficult, but you can do both here and have a great experience,” Clunie said. Berman added, “Ensuring that Davidson stays true to its character and its core values was the only way this was going to be successful.”

Clunie also stressed the importance of not just being an athlete at Davidson, but a scholar-athlete. “[Duke forward] Cooper Flagg was never coming to Davidson. [Alabama wide receiver] Ryan Williams was never coming to Davidson. […] We need kids that value the Davidson educational model, the academic experience and [have the ability to] succeed on the court, on the track, in the pool, whatever.”

Curry—who came back to Davidson to finish his degree in 2022, thirteen years after declaring for the NBA draft—naturally echoed Clunie’s beliefs in the Davidson press release. “There are very few places in higher education that can offer demanding academics with elite athletics in the way that Davidson can. Davidson will always be a world-class academic institution, and I am proud to be part of the solution that allows Davidson to remain a place where elite athletes can go to compete at the D1 level AND get a fabulous education.”

This move comes during what looks to be a pivotal moment for Davidson men’s basketball. Over the past three years, Davidson has struggled in the wake of the retirement of longtime Head Coach Bob McKillop in 2022. During his last season with the team, the ‘Cats finished 27-7 overall, 15-3 in the A-10, secured the regular-season conference championship and earned an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Since then, however, the team has struggled to finish above .500 in their regular season record, with a 16-16 overall record in 2022-23, a 15-17 overall record in 2023-24, and a 17-16 overall record this past season. Current Head Coach Matt McKillop could not be reached for comment. 

For women’s basketball, this increased support and attention will also strengthen the program’s competitiveness and provide valuable resources for player development. The past four years, too, have yielded mixed results, with a 14-15 overall finish in 2021-22 and 14-16 overall finish in 2022-23. The 2023-2024 season looked incredibly promising, with an 18-8 record, until injuries forced their season to be canceled in early March. This past season was much improved, with Davidson finishing 19-13 overall and earning a spot in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). Head Coach Gayle Fulks could also not be reached for comment.

The Curry-Berman Fund’s equal emphasis on men’s and women’s basketball continues Curry’s commitment to uplifting women’s athletics. The Curry Family Women’s Athletics Initiative, established by Curry and his family in 2021, elevates and supports women’s sports at Davidson by providing resources, funding and enhanced opportunities for female scholar-athletes. The Curry-Berman Fund builds on this foundation, ensuring that both programs have the tools and support needed to compete at the highest level.

The reaction to this news has been nothing short of major. Curry and Berman made headlines at ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and several other major news outlets. Response on campus has been equally strong. ‘Cats Stats member and Davidson cross country runner Alex Thole ‘28 remarked that it “gives [him] hope for the future of all athletics, but especially the basketball teams.” Curry’s contributions to the College have made a strong impact on the freshman. “I’ve been amazed by how much impact Steph has had on Davidson, and it’s really cool to see him continue to pour so much into this little college,” Thole said.

Other students have maintained similar sentiments. Alex Meyers ‘25 and Kaylie Williamson ‘25—avid Davidson basketball fans and partial creators of the Davidson Section 30 organization—both believe that, at the very least, this will yield “great publicity” for Davidson and expressed their excitement over the news. 

Adding Curry to the athletics staff has resulted in far-fetched—yet well-earned—optimism. Davidson swimmer Frank Howden ‘26 believes that “Steph [will] retire in the next two years and then come home to Davidson and take over as GM.” 

Williamson has similar hopes. “This means Steph will finally come play with and retire with the Hornets,” which she called the “family reunion we’ve all been waiting for.” These desires are undoubtedly lofty, but the speculation is fun nonetheless. 

Basketball fanatic Elise Desjarlais ‘26 put it best: “it made me super proud to see how much Davidson pride Steph Curry still has. I feel like him becoming an assistant GM while he is still playing speaks volumes about how much he cares about Davidson and how positively it impacted him. It makes me happy to see Davidson recognized publicly as such a special place, because we feel that everyday.”

Regardless of what Curry’s long-term commitment to Davidson looks like, there is no doubt that adding one of the single greatest and most influential athletes in the world to the athletics staff will benefit the College. Davidson alumni are known to emphasize the positive role that the College has played in their lives, and the decisions they’ve made reflect this. With the Curry-Berman Fund, athletics will only improve, and academic excellence will only be reinforced.  Berman knows that any change for the school will be positive. “Davidson as a whole is better as an institution, [and] it’s more fun to be a part of either on campus or as an alum, when the basketball team is doing well.”