Davidson head coach Bob McKillop first met Dell Curry on a youth baseball field several years before recruiting his son, Stephen Curry, to play college basketball.
Their relationship began when their sons were teammates on a travel baseball team when they were 10 years old, laying the foundation for the trust that would later define Curry’s college career.
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The two fathers spent hours on the baseball diamond talking about a variety of topics, while studiously avoiding the topic of basketball.
McKillop, who later coached Curry for three years at Davidson, said the mutual respect they developed between themselves as parents and pros away from the court was crucial to their future relationship.
Charlotte Hornets retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey
McKillop recalled that time spent on the baseball diamond allowed relationships between parents and players to develop. He noted that the setting provided rare moments of calm, away from the stress of court.
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“I believe Dell and I have a lot of respect for each other. Him to me as a coach, me to him as a pro, and we don’t have any conversations at all about gosh. How is the NBA going, or how is college basketball going?” McKillop said.
When recruiting Curry to Davidson, McKillop said his faith in the young player began earlier than most. He focused on the character he saw in the young athlete, which he attributed to the upbringing of Dell and Sonya Curry.
“Congratulating my teammates, not saying anything to the referee, looking the coach in the eyes, getting back on defense, not having a pity party, that’s how sad it is for me. But I’m going to do something now, and at this moment, I think it’s a great tribute to Dale and Sonya as parents,” McKillop said.
The recruiting process will depend largely on how well Curry’s skills match his personality. McKillop believes that a player’s shooting ability and mental toughness are inseparable.
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“Looking at the shooting from a technical standpoint, looking at the characters from a spiritual standpoint – they got married together, that was a big factor in why we recruited Stephen,” McKillop said.
McKillop said that he has supported Curry during Curry’s three years at Davidson University but did not interfere in coaching decisions. Despite 16 years of experience as an NBA player, Curry has chosen not to impose his basketball knowledge on the program’s strategy.
“In the three years that Steph was with us at Davidson, Dale never intervened in the dynamics of being a professional basketball player with incredible knowledge and insight. But he never wanted to impose that or question coaching strategies when we were coaching Steph,” McKillop said.
The partnership between the Curry family and the Davidson program is built on mutual trust. McKillop emphasized that the connection extends to Curry and Steph himself.
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“One of the foundations of our relationship with the Curry family is a relationship built on trust. Dell and Sonya said we trust Steph in your hands. Steph said coach I believe my future is in your hands and we said to Steph we trust you to wear our uniform and represent our program,” McKillop said.
Video: Charlotte Hornets retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey
