Before Steph Curry thrilled NBA arenas with his lethal, long-range jump shot, he burst onto the scene as a sophomore star at Davidson College in March 2008.
Under coach Bob McKillop's watch, Curry wowed the nation by leading the Wildcats to an Elite Eight berth, where they lost to the eventual national champion Kansas Jayhawks.
Eleven years later, the Warriors star is a three-time NBA champion, a two-time MVP and almost universally regarded as the greatest shooter in league history.
While the jump shot always has been pristine, it was Curry's time with McKillop at Davidson that allowed him to become the legend he is today.
"He gave me all the confidence in the world, in terms of what I could be -- in terms of being a man, the balance of on-the-court and off-the-court expectations," Curry told ESPN's Tom Junod. "He was an example of that every day, and we had no choice but to follow suit."
It's hard to think of Curry without confidence, but there was a time when he needed to find it. It was McKillop who helped Curry see the player he would become.
Sports
"He told me when I was a freshman that I had license to shoot any shot I wanted, but I'd have to work for it," Curry said. "I'd have to put in the time and actually commit to learning on the job. Even when I failed early freshman year, he stayed in my ear because he saw my potential before I did."
McKillop knew Curry was special, but even he didn't know Steph would become what he did.
"I thought we had a game-changer," McKillop told Junod. "You never think of it as revolutionary as it's going on. You're just thinking he's the right guy taking the right shot at the right time because he's making it."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr undoubtedly feels the same way.
[RELATED: Most important defensive plays of Warriors' championship run]
After being taken with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Curry labored early in his career, set back by ankle injuries and an imperfect Warriors roster. But during the 2014-15 season, Curry took a leap, becoming an MVP and leading the Warriors to the NBA title.
The rest, as they say, is history.
