Hall of Famer

Hall of Famer

November 3, 2015

When Bob McKillop strolls the sidelines during the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden on December 20, he will do so as a new member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Although he has been at Davidson for 27 seasons, McKillop is a New Yorker who has not lost his accent.

Born in Queens, he grew up in Long Island where he attended Chaminade High School in Mineola. He stayed in Long Island for college, attending Hofstra, from which he graduated in 1972. Upon graduation, he accepted a job teaching history and coaching basketball at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, compiling an 86-25 ledger.

McKillop made his first appearance at Davidson in 1978 when he joined the staff as an assistant to then head coach Eddie Biedenbach. After one year, he headed back to New York as the head coach at Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, one of New York’s traditional basketball powerhouses. As head coach from 1979-89, McKillop guided the Crusaders to a 182-51 mark and five New York State Championships.

In 1989, McKillop left Long Island Lutheran to return to Davidson as its head coach.

The Wildcats’ 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance marked their eighth under McKillop and the 14th time in his tenure that he has led Davidson to a postseason berth – the NCAA Tournament in 1998, 2002, 2006-08, 2012, 2013, 2015 and the NIT in 1994, 1996, 2005, 2009, and 2014. He has guided his teams to the 20-win mark 13 times, with six having won 25 or more games.

A 10-time conference Coach of the Year, McKillop has won more games than any other coach in Davidson history, thanks to an all-time mark of 496-300.

Truly, a Hall of Famer.

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