GREENVILLE, South Carolina − Stephen Curry saw the videos.
MiLaysia Fulwiley created magic with the basketball.
Wrapping the ball around her back into a scoop layup in transition had Curry, a two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, questioning if he’d ever seen anything like it for someone that age.
Curry was mesmerized by her flow on the court and how her layups were artful, elegant yet assertive.
“Her athleticism, her style and creativity just jumped off the screen,” Curry told The Greenville News. “She had that flashy kind of vibe.”
Fulwiley’s game is unique but also linked to Curry.
“Confidence is key, he has the most confidence when he steps on the floor so that motivated me to be more confident myself,” Fulwiley said, admitting she wasn’t immune to the generation of young basketball players whose shooting range knew no bounds after watching Curry pull up from way beyond the arc.
She was rhythmic and could score from anywhere on the court as a high school star in Columbia. That caught Curry’s eye.
“Very similar to how I play, there’s a flair for the dramatic, a creativity that she always finds a way to express,” Curry said. “She has a killer instinct.”
A lesson Curry has learned is one Fulwiley is now committed to mastering: how a flashy player, one that’s so dynamic, fits into a top-tier system.
That’s why Fulwiley joined South Carolina women’s basketball to play for coach Dawn Staley.
Why MiLaysia Fulwiley picked South Carolina
In 2022, Fulwiley played her final season of AAU basketball for Team Curry in Charlotte, North Carolina. That August, she attended Curry Camp in San Francisco, where the NBA star got a closer look.
The silky moves and offensive domination made Fulwiley a five-star prospect. She was ranked the No. 3 point guard and No. 13 player in the country according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz rankings before becoming Keenan High School’s all-time leading scorer with over 3,000 career points, and a four-time state champion.
She had many college offers but her mother knew that one of them meant a little more.
Two national championships in five years doesn’t happen with one star but with an entire roster, and Fulwiley had been the best player on every court she stepped on.
“You need someone that’s going to say no when the time is right,” Phea Mixon told Fulwiley, as recruiters said her daughter could run the show. “Transitioning to college and the WNBA, you have to be able to change and sacrifice some things … you need someone that’s going to hold you accountable.”
Staley had no issue with that.
“It’s not addition by subtraction with her, it’s just addition,” Staley said. “We recruited her flash, we knew that was what she was bringing to the table. When the flash isn’t working, you have to have something to fall back on. She knew there’s more, she just didn’t know what that looked like, she (came) to a place that understands what her superpower is.”
What Steph Curry said about MiLaysia Fulwiley
Fulwiley, now a sophomore with the Gamecocks, went from a local legend to a transcendent college guard in just one year.
“She knows she’s good but there’s humility too,” Curry said. “She knows she has a lot more to do and can get a lot better. I like that combination. There’s things you can’t teach with her, her ball handling, speed, athleticism, the way she sees the game, she’s fearless.”
In March, Fulwiley became the first college athlete to sign with Curry Brand — a vehicle for his mentorship but also a recognition of her skill and accomplishments, which last season included SEC Tournament MVP and a highlight reel full of crafty plays.
Staley, who coached A’ja Wilson into South Carolina’s most decorated player, and guided Aliyah Boston into stardom, called Fulwiley generational after an electrifying performance to start the 2023-24 season in Paris.
“I know about generational wealth, but I was like, ‘Dang, I’m a generational player, I’m legitimate,’ ” Fulwiley admitted.
Success last season was rapid, constant, though the offseason wasn’t spent watching her highlights either.
“I can’t let last year define me, I did a lot of fancy stuff but I want to be more than just a fancy player,” Fulwiley said.
Her game is layered and evolving, as she has to discover what’s already there in order to move forward. Moments this season like against UCLA on Nov. 24 when too much flash resulted in playing just three minutes will happen. Other times it will be like the game against TCU on Dec. 13 where 20 points and three steals appeared effortless.
An outside eye may look at her on the bench and assume it hinders her game, but to Curry, “That’s her story, that’s the cool part,” he said. “Everyone has a different journey and she has such a unique perspective in the game … very similar to like a Devin Booker story, a player that was apart of championship caliber team in college but a six man role like MiLaysia is … I think the sky’s the limit for her.”
Staley, the daily voice reminding her of who she is, and Curry, an embodiment of Fulwiley’s dreams, have become pillars in her metamorphosis. Staley wants both: flash and fundamentals, which requires understanding how Fulwiley learns, meeting her where she’s at, then stepping forward, together.
“You have to understand when and she’s getting to know that process,” Staley said. “I don’t expect her to understand it every play every game, I just want her aware of it … she’s not resisting it, she’s welcoming it because she wants more for herself … it’s never been about ‘don’t do this’ it’s about ‘add this,’ and just complimenting what she already brings to the table.”
THE FUTURE: South Carolina women selected for Players Era tournament in 2025 with Duke, Texas, UCLA
Every day in Staley’s system is an opportunity to take one step closer to becoming the player and person she’s always wanted to be, seven miles away from the driveway she spent hours in, with just cones and basketball.
This is just the beginning.
To to be able to play in a program as good as this, coached under one of the best coaches in the world and be home at the same time, it just means a lot,” Fulwiley said. “I just know that the younger version of myself would be so proud of how far I’ve come.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Steph Curry helps South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley improve game
