Still Two McKillop’s at Davidson
It seems like there has almost always been two members of the McKillop family on Davidson. Matt played for his father from 2003 to 2006 and younger brother Brendan just graduated following the 2010-2011 campaign. Not having a young McKillop playing for Coach Bob McKillop just seems odd after so many years. But the Southern Conference version of Valparaiso is running the same route as the Drew family dynasty.
After a brief playing career and some front office time in the NBA, Matt realized he needed to coach. He went to Emory University with former Davidson player and assistant coach Jason Zimmerman when Zimmerman took over that program. Not long thereafter, there was an opening on the Wildcats staff and Matt applied for the job. He got it.
With no more McKillop kids on their way to college, this will likely play out just like the Drew family. Matt will spend a few years on the sidelines, gaining some valuable experience. Eventually there might even be a Brendan siting on the sidelines. For now, the patriarch will have to put in a few more years before Matt will be ready to take over. That may seem a little unfair, but the elder McKillop has been leading Davidson since 1989 and Matt has pretty much been groomed for this job for the better part of two decades.
Many had concerns with Bryce Drew taking over the Valpo program, but he was only there for a year before becoming the head man at Baylor…where he has been extremely successful in what was a tough, tough coaching job at the time. Matt McKillop lacks the great moment of history that Bryce Drew had with “The Shot” and was not involved in the Wildcats magical Elite Eight run in 2008. Matt made just one trip to the NCAA Tournament when Davidson was bounced by Ohio State in the first round. But the lack of name recognition, at least on a first name basis, will not make Matt any better or worse off as a coach. He knows basketball and he knows Davidson and hopefully we can enjoy a McKillop roaming the Davidson sideline for another two or three decades.
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