Stephen Curry sends special message to Keisei Tominaga amid impressive season
Keisei Tominaga has been one of the breakout stars for Nebraska this season thanks to his ability to hit some big three-pointers. His nickname in his native Japan is “The Japanese Steph Curry,” and his namesake sent him a message Thursday.
The Big Ten Network did a special on Tominaga and his journey to stardom for the Cornhuskers. As it turns out, he wears the No. 30 for Curry, who’s one of the faces of the NBA and the Golden State Warriors.
Curry saw the tweet and made sure Tominaga knew it.
“Love it, Keisei!” Curry tweeted.
One year after averaging 5.7 points per game for Nebraska, Tominaga has broken out to average 12.7 points per contest this year and help the Cornhuskers to a 13-14 overall record, including a 6-10 mark in Big Ten play. His 40% three-point percentage leads Nebraska and he ranks second on the team in scoring behind Derrick Walker.
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg knows what kind of impact Tominaga can have both in Lincoln and back home.
“The way he shoots the ball and how easy he shoots it, he’s go a chance to do some really special things,” Hoiberg said in the BTN special. “… The nickname for Keisei is ‘The Japanese Steph Curry.’ He’s a hero in Japan right now.”
Tominaga’s biggest performance came Feb. 5 when he dropped a career-high 30 points to help the Cornhuskers beat Penn State 72-63. After that game, Hoiberg talked about what his star guard brings to the court, saying he’s all-in every time he takes the floor.
“I’m never going to try to do anything to take that kid’s passion away,” Hoiberg said, via On3 and Husker Online’s Robin Washut. “He’s so much fun to root for and coach, just because of how much fun he has playing the game.”