Before superstar Stephen Curry set the NBA world on fire, he was setting nets on fire at Davidson, transforming himself from the little-known recruit that so happened to have a father who used to play in the NBA into a household name. However, Curry's rise — either at the pro level or in college — may not have happened without the belief of former Davidson Wildcats men's basketball head coach Bob McKillop.

Revealing a time when his belief in Curry was most tested in an interview with USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt about Curry's documentary “Underrated” (which releases in theaters and Apple TV+ on Friday), McKillop says that “in the summer of prior to his (high school) senior year, he was in a tournament in Las Vegas… Stephen turned the ball over, missed shots, got beat defensively.

“Never once did he lament a mistake,” McKillop recalls. “Never once did he criticize an opponent… question an official.”

“He went to the bench, and he cheered his teammates on,” McKillop continues, fondly remembering what it was that made him believe in Curry. “[Curry] looked in his coach's eyes directly during every timeout… transcended time… transcended experience.”

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“He was in a starting lineup on opening day because we believed that he transcended time and transcended mistakes,” he explains, saying that in essence, “he got us to believe in him.”

Curry, responding to his former head coach in the same interview, would say “I 100% do believe my trajectory would be a little different had he not acknowledged or been aware and believed in the patterns that he saw in me, to have confidence that I would find a way to push through some of those learning curves and those tough times…”

Frankly, Curry's ability to overcome obstacles may be the defining characteristic of his career.