Sports Legends of the Carolinas

Jay Bilas, this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” is ESPN’s leading college basketball analyst, and in many ways, the conscience of the sport. On Part 2 of our conversation, the 58-year-old Bilas looks back at his acting career, the toughest opponent he ever faced on the hardwood, and the leap of faith that made his broadcasting career a reality. 

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

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Jay Bilas, this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” is ESPN’s leading college basketball analyst, and arguably the preeminent voice in the entire sport.

A former Duke basketball player who started for the 1986 Blue Devils team that made it to the NCAA finals, Bilas' journey to national prominence included far more than basketball: He got a degree from Duke Law School after his playing career ended, and has long advocated that college athletes be paid for their labor. In Part 1 of our conversation, I talked to Bilas, 58, about his start calling Duke basketball games for $200; his role today as, in many ways, the conscience of college basketball; and a highlight of Bilas' legal career: a courtroom battle with Barney the purple dinosaur.

On Part 2 of our conversation, Bilas looks back at his acting career, the toughest opponent he ever faced on the hardwood, and the leap of faith that made his broadcasting career a reality. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

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Phil Ford, one of the best players in University of North Carolina basketball history, is this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas.” The 1978 National Player of the Year, Ford held UNC’s scoring record for 30 years until Tyler Hansbrough broke it in 2008. In Part 2 of our conversation, Ford reflects on following in the footsteps of fellow "Sports Legend of the Carolinas" Charlie Scott, playing against other collegiate greats, and the loss he can't forget. 

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Ford, one of the best players in University of North Carolina basketball history, is this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas.” The 1978 National Player of the Year and a longtime assistant basketball coach at UNC, Ford held UNC’s scoring record for 30 years (despite playing in an era with no three-point shot), until Tyler Hansbrough broke that record in 2008. He still ranks No. 2 all-time on UNC’s scoring list and has his jersey hangs in the rafters.

Now 66, Ford also had a seven-year career as an NBA player, and was then an assistant coach for three NBA teams before retirement. In Part 1 of our conversation, Ford and I talked about his being recruited by Dean Smith, making the Four Corners famous in Chapel Hill in the 1970s, and the injury and alcohol addiction that ended Ford's NBA career.

On Part 2 of our conversation, Ford reflects on following in the footsteps of fellow "Sports Legend of the Carolinas" Charlie Scott, playing against other collegiate greats, and the loss he can't forget. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

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Judy Rose, this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” was a trailblazing athletic director for the UNC Charlotte 49ers for 28 years, before retiring in 2018. Under her leadership, the 49ers won 70 league titles in 14 sports. 

In Part 2 of our conversation, Rose reflects on fundraising in the modern era of college sports; name, image and likeness endorsement deals for current athletes; and the hardest change in head coaches she ever had to make.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judy Rose, this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” was a trailblazing athletic director for the UNC Charlotte 49ers for 28 years, before retiring in 2018. Rose was also only the third woman to serve as an AD of a Division I school, and the first to be named to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. Under her leadership, the 49ers won 70 league titles in 14 sports. 

Rose, who was once head coach of the 49ers' women’s basketball and women’s tennis teams, also launched seven new sports at UNC Charlotte, including the addition of a football team in 2013. This interview was conducted in the home she shares with her husband Ken, in the Lake Norman area. In Part 1 of our conversation, Rose looks back at how Title IX changed college sports; her early efforts to recruit for UNC Charlotte's women's basketball team; and tension with male coaches she had to navigate during her time as AD.

On Part 2 of our conversation, Rose reflects on fundraising in the modern era of college sports; name, image and likeness endorsement deals for current athletes; and the hardest change in head coaches she ever had to make. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, this week’s star of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” is the first person I’ve interviewed two separate times for this series.

I first sat down with McKillop in late May, shortly after he had finished his 33rd season as the head basketball coach at Davidson. Then, 17 days later, McKillop retired in an emotional press conference and announced he would be replaced by his son, Matt McKillop, who had been his lead assistant at Davidson for years. So Bob McKillop, 72, and I sat down again for Part 2 of our conversation. Here, he talks about when he knew it was time to leave "Camelot," as he calls Davidson, and what comes next for him. 

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop, this week’s star of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” is the first person I’ve interviewed two separate times for this series.

I first sat down with McKillop in late May, shortly after he had finished his 33rd season as the head basketball coach at Davidson. The Wildcats had won 27 games and made it to March Madness, where they lost a 74-73 thriller to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In Part 1 of our conversation, McKillop looks back at his playing days as a scrappy young guard, his recruitment of a wiry high schooler named Steph Curry, and the coaching philosophy that led Davidson to nine NCAA Tournaments.

Then, 17 days later, McKillop retired in an emotional press conference and announced he would be replaced by his son, Matt McKillop, who had been his lead assistant at Davidson for years. So Bob McKillop, 72, and I sat down again for Part 2 of our conversation. There, he talked about when he knew it was time to leave "Camelot," as he calls Davidson, and what comes next for him. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dawn Staley, star of this week’s episode of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” has had one of the most sensational careers in women’s basketball history. Currently the head women’s basketball coach at South Carolina, Staley’s Gamecock squads won national titles in both 2017 and 2022, and will be favored to repeat as national champions during the 2022-23 season. 

In Part 2 of our conversation, Staley talks about sharing pieces of her national championship nets with Black coaches and journalists; her 5-year-old gray-and-white Havanese rescue dog, Champ, who’s become a star in his own right; and how she motivates players who have already won a national title. 

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dawn Staley, star of this week’s episode of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” has had one of the most sensational careers in women’s basketball history. Currently the head women’s basketball coach at South Carolina, Staley’s Gamecock squads won national titles in both 2017 and 2022 and lead the nation in women’s basketball attendance every year. Under Staley, USC has also made the Final Four in four of the past seven seasons, and will be favored to repeat as national champions during the 2022-23 season. 

Before her standout coaching career, Staley, 52, was the ACC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992 at Virginia; a three-time WNBA All-Star for the Charlotte Sting; and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. In Part 1 of our conversation, Staley looks back at her road to South Carolina; the possibility of someday coaching in the NBA; and why her former players think she's going soft.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Staley talks about sharing pieces of her national championship nets with Black coaches and journalists; her 5-year-old gray-and-white Havanese rescue dog, Champ, who’s become a star in his own right; and how she motivates players who have already won a national title. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices