Former Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, this week’s star of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” is the first person I’ve interviewed two separate times for this series.
I first sat down with McKillop in late May, shortly after he had finished his 33rd season as the head basketball coach at Davidson. The Wildcats had won 27 games and made it to March Madness, where they lost a 74-73 thriller to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In Part 1 of our conversation, McKillop looks back at his playing days as a scrappy young guard, his recruitment of a wiry high schooler named Steph Curry, and the coaching philosophy that led Davidson to nine NCAA Tournaments.
Then, 17 days later, McKillop retired in an emotional press conference and announced he would be replaced by his son, Matt McKillop, who had been his lead assistant at Davidson for years. So Bob McKillop, 72, and I sat down again for Part 2 of our conversation. There, he talked about when he knew it was time to leave "Camelot," as he calls Davidson, and what comes next for him. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.
Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .
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