Coach Bob McKillop reveals the foundation of his relationship with Dell Curry
Davidson Head Coach Bob McKillop first met Dell Curry on a youth baseball field years before recruiting his son, Stephen Curry, to play college basketball. The relationship began when their sons were 10-year-old teammates on a travel baseball team, laying the foundation for trust that later defined Curry’s collegiate career. The two fathers spent hours on baseball fields talking about various topics while intentionally avoiding the subject of basketball.
McKillop, who later coached Curry for three years at Davidson, said the mutual respect they developed as parents and professionals away from the hardwood was essential to their future relationship. Charlotte Hornets to retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey McKillop recalled that the hours spent on those baseball fields allowed for a relationship to grow between the parents and the players.
He noted that the environment provided a rare moment of peace away from the pressures of the court. “I believe Dell and I had this great respect for each other. He for me as a coach and me for him as a pro player, and we did not have any conversation at all about geez.
How is the NBA going, or how is college basketball going? ” McKillop said. When the time came to recruit Curry to Davidson, McKillop said his belief in the young player started earlier than most.
He focused on the character he saw in the young athlete, which he attributed to the parenting of Dell and Sonya Curry. “Congratulating a teammate, not saying anything to the referee, looking the coach in the eye, getting back on defense, and not having a pity party and woe is me. But I’m going to do something right now, at the present moment, I think that is a great tribute to what Dell and Sonya did as parents,” McKillop said.