Davidson's McKillop nearly benched Curry in 1st college game

Stephen Curry became a star at Davidson, but his collegiate career nearly started on the wrong foot.

Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop considered benching the current Golden State Warriors star because of turnovers in Curry's first game at the school. That came after McKillop had also seen Curry struggle with turnovers during a scouting trip to an AAU game in Las Vegas.

"Steph’s game was like the JV game, and I’m there watching, and he has nine turnovers. Nine! I’m ducking his passes," McKillop told Jon Wilner of The Mercury News.

What really caught McKillop's eye on the scouting trip, though, was the way Curry responded to his struggles.

"But what I noticed was that he never stopped playing defense, he never complained to his teammates or the officials," McKillop said. "He would run to the bench and look the coach (Dell) in the eye, and then he was on to the next play. He lived in the present. He never let a mistake intrude on his next step. He has an incredible capacity to do that.’"

When Curry debuted for Davidson, it was a similar scene to the one McKillop saw on his scouting trip. Curry turned the ball over eight times against Eastern Michigan, forcing the coaching staff to ponder whether the two-time NBA MVP was ready for the college game.

"The coaches met at halftime, and we talked about taking Stephen out of the lineup - he was killing us," McKillop said. "But I reflected back on that Las Vegas tournament and his capacity to live in the moment. We stuck with him."

McKillop's decision paid off, as Davidson came back to win after 13 second-half points from Curry. According to his former coach, it was an important moment in the 29-year-old's career.

"We won because he stayed in the lineup," McKillop said. "That gave him confidence. It was the defining moment for him."

- With h/t to FOX Sports