Ex-Davidson coach recalls kicking Stephen Curry out of his first workout: "He was three minutes late, maybe four"

Ex-Davidson coach recalls kicking Stephen Curry out of his first workout: “He was three minutes late, maybe four” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Many greats have faced setbacks in the early stages of their careers. Stephen Curry was no different.

In 2007, Curry, a freshman on campus, slept through his alarm and arrived late for his first workout with Davidson Wildcats. His coach, Bob McKillop, had no other option but to send him home.

“He was three minutes late, maybe four,” McKillop said.

Humble beginnings

A rough start to his college career didn’t faze Curry. He worked even harder and eventually became the program’s legend.

Davidson retired Curry’s No. 30 jersey number in 2022 after he completed his coursework and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. He became the first and only player in school history to have his up in the rafters.

During the ceremony, Curry recalled being late to his infamous first practice.

“Who would have thought, coach, that uh we’d be having this ceremony when back in 2007, I was late to my first practice” he said with a smile. “I get a tap from my roommate Brian Barr, his phone’s blowing up, mine’s silent, alarm doesn’t go off, he’s like, ‘Hey, do you have an individual at eight?’ And I wake up, run across from second Belt, barefoot, try to run into the locker room, change into my clothes right quick”

Out of desperation, Curry even tried to outsmart his coach.

“I tried to sneak into the workout about 10 minutes late and act like nothing happened, so it’s literally right where coaches standing on the baseline. I snuck in from the tunnel and try to get in the line, ran out to get my rep of a close out, before I could even take a breath on the court, coach was like ‘Get Out,'” he recalled with a massive smile on his face.

Coach McKillop didn’t give him any special treatment, especially since he didn’t know that the then-18-year-old would be the best player he had ever coached. But even if he had, the outcome would’ve probably been the same.

Embracing failure

Everyone knows the famous story of Michael Jordan not making his varsity team in his sophomore year and the afterburn that left on him. However, that motivated him to work harder and prove his high school coach wrong.

Curry did the same thing, owning his mistake and promising himself never to be late again. He put in the hours in the gym, which was already evident in his first season with the Wildcats, where he averaged 21.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

In his sophomore season, Curry exploded in the NCAA tournament, leading “Cinderella team” Davidson to the Elite Eight, where they lost 59-57 to the eventual champions, the Kansas Jayhawks. He finished the season with 25.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, a 4.4-point increase from his freshman year..

In his junior year, Davidson didn’t make the NCAA tournament, but Curry didn’t disappoint, averaging 28.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists over a 34-game span. He declared for the NBA draft and was eventually picked seventh by the Golden State Warriors.

Sixteen years into his NBA career, Curry has become one of the greatest players the league has ever seen. Fans will remember the unanimous MVP and four-time champion as a legend. Curry, meanwhile, will always look back on his first college practice, where McKillop humbled him.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

Ex-Davidson coach recalls kicking Stephen Curry out of his first workout: “He was three minutes late, maybe four”

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