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 ā€œUnderratedā€ (which releases in theaters and Apple TV+ on Friday), McKillop says that ā€œin 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.

ā€œNever once did he lament a mistake,ā€ McKillop recalls. ā€œNever once did he criticize an opponent… question an official.ā€

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

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ā€œHe was in a starting lineup on opening day because we believed that he transcended time and transcended mistakes,ā€ he explains, saying that in essence, ā€œhe got us to believe in him.ā€

Curry, responding to his former head coach in the same interview, would say ā€œI 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 timesā€¦ā€

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