阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Stephen Curry’s grandfather built a simple basket by 【小题1】 (attach) a piece of plastic to a telephone pole. Stephen spent many childhood hours playing on this 【小题2】 (mud) basketball court. It was where he learnt to be creative and flexible as a player.

【小题3】 (know) where the ball would go wasn’t easy in those poor conditions. He had to adjust his own playing style as a result. Shooting with great accuracy 【小题4】 another thing he learnt. Practising day in and day out helped Stephen sharpen his skills.

Many people didn’t think he would be a successful basketball player, 【小题5】 he never gave up. His creativity and 【小题6】 (persevere) made him Davidson’s star player. 【小题7】 (select) for the NBA in 2009, he performed 【小题8】 everyone’s expectations with his accurate shooting and continuous efforts. Stephen won his first NBA championship in 2015.

After receiving the Most Valuable Player award for two years in 【小题9】 row, Stephen explained his philosophy. In his opinion, 【小题10】 he wanted to do was just be himself. What he did was to work every single day to get better. At the same time, what others thought of him didn’t influence what he became.