MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior guard Malik Curry admits it's taken him a while to get adjusted to West Virginia University and Big 12 basketball.
 
But he also says it took him a while to get adjusted to Old Dominion University, just as it once took him a while to familiarize himself with Palm Beach State Junior College.

"It's been like a pattern," he says. "Once I get comfortable, it starts to show in a good way. There are big dudes in Conference USA but not like the Big 12. You've got athletes all over and you've got NBA players, so you've got to figure out how to get your shot."
 
It's safe to say Curry is figuring it out, based on what he's done recently in games against Kansas and Baylor. He scored a team-best 23 points against the Jayhawks and followed that up with a team-high 19 points versus No. 5 Baylor.
 
In those two games he's boosted his season scoring average by nearly two points per game. The Wilmington, Delaware, native might be West Virginia's best finisher around the rim.
 
"Since I've been playing basketball, I've always played around the rim," he says. "I've always been fast, so getting to the rim was never a problem. Earlier on, finishing was a problem against bigger guys but since I've gotten comfortable around the rim it's been over after that."
 
Curry says his young son, Malakai, is who motivates him to get into the gym and improve his game.
 
"Hopefully, one day I'll be able to take care of my family, especially my son, to provide for (them), but besides that I just love to play the game," he says. "I just love the crowd and the atmosphere. You see I play with passion and there's nothing like it; it's something I like to do."
 
According to Curry, the good days are really good and the bad days are not so bad now that he's a father.
 
"I have a lot of good days and a lot of bad days, but he keeps me going every day, no matter what. When he watches me on TV it's like something he can always look back on," he says.
 
Curry admits it's been an interesting experience coming from Old Dominion and taking Deuce McBride's roster spot after McBride chose to keep his name in the NBA Draft. That's how a scholarship came available for Curry last summer.
 
"I'm coming from ODU and people have high expectations of me, but people who don't play basketball don't understand systems," he explains. "ODU had a system and West Virginia is going to have a system. I just had to get into the system and get familiar with the play style, the coaching staff and my teammates. That's the whole process that you have to go through to get adjusted."
 
In the end, all that matters to Curry is winning basketball games for Mountaineer Nation.
 
"If I have a bad game, I can always redeem myself and play better and winning is all that matters to me. That's why I came here," he concludes.
 
This week's Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Justin Fitzpatrick and is presented each week by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration.