Melvin Watkins, Chad Kinch, Lew Massey, Kevin King and Cedric Maxwell took the city of Charlotte and a little known university at the time on quite a ride in March of 1977. That starting five took Charlotte to its lone Final Four appearance in school history.

Many fans are familiar with the accomplishments of Watkins, Kinch, Massey and Maxwell - but what about King? The 6-foot-7-inch forward from Lakewood, New Jersey, was a four year letterman for the Niners and significant contributor on the teams that made runs in the NIT in 1976 and the Final Four in 1977. In fact, it can be argued it was King who set the stage for the run in 1977. However, it almost didn't happen.

"Well we weren't sure that Kevin was coming," said Lee Rose. "The previous staff had done a lot of work and with the coaching change there is always the possibility that the player will then leave."

King was recruited by Bill Foster and his staff prior to Rose's arrival in 1975. However, Foster had left Charlotte to take the same position at Clemson. "He came to some of my all-star games and so forth and talked to me and when I came to visit with Coach Foster the atmosphere just seemed fine," King recalled. "It was my first plane trip. Everything just felt real good."

Despite Foster opting to go to Clemson, King had his heart set on coming down to Charlotte. "I told my high school coach I really didn't want to visit anywhere else but I did and it always brought me back to Charlotte," said King. "So eventually I called Coach Rose [and told him] I wanted to sign a letter of intent and the rest is history."

Coach Rose and his staff were obviously pleased to add King to a talented roster. "We felt like he would be a perfect fit for our team," said Rose. "We were aware he had some great skills. Kevin was so fundamental as a player. He didn't put himself at a disadvantage. He knew how to play defense. He knew the difference between a good pass and a bad pass and having a solid fundamental person come in at that position was going to be really important."

Former teammate Jeff Gruber echoed Rose's analysis. "Kevin always had a good head on his shoulders and he was a hard worker," said Gruber. "He was a key piece of the team. Defense was a big part of his game."

King, known simply as "K K" by those close to him, was also quick to say that he had a pretty decent jump shot as well. Little did King know, he would have the opportunity to showcase how decent his jump shot was - and it came on one of the biggest stages of college basketball.

**************The NIT run**************

He started alongside Massey, Maxwell, Watkins and senior guard Bob Ball during the 1975-76 campaign. The Niners, in their last year of being an independent, stormed out of the gate with six straight victories before dropping three straight. They rebounded to win 15 of their last 17 regular season games to finish the regular season 21-5. The only losses in that final stretch were a three point defeat at North Carolina State and a six point setback at Creighton.

"We knew we had a great team," said King. "We had a great chemistry of players and we knew what each other's abilities were."

The NCAA Tournament was out of the question and it didn't look like the team was going to get a bid from the NIT selection committee. An invitation to the NIT was nothing to slouch about back in those days.

"If it hadn't been for the NIT there never would have been an NCAA Tournament," said Rose. "It was such a big thing." The Niners were the last team selected in the 16 team field, but the mood wasn't all celebratory for the team.

"We got in with a threat from the committee that [we] better do well," said Rose. That added pressure was also due in part by the selection committee's decision to take three teams from the state of North Carolina. NC State and North Carolina A&T were the other two schools.

Things looked bleak in their first game of the tournament against a high powered San Francisco squad.

Down two with 16 seconds to go, Rose called timeout once the ball was brought into the frontcourt. Rose said that what happened in that timeout and on the ensuing possession reflected the type of player and person King was.

"OK, I want to know who wants to take this shot to tie," Rose told the players on the bench. Three players indicated that they wanted to take the shot. However, two of those players did not come out directly say it and Rose knew he couldn't set the play up for them.

So who wanted the shot? "I wanted to take the last shot," King recalled. Despite being a freshman he knew what he had to do. "My High School Coach, Robert Nastase, always wanted the leaders of the team to lead by example and step up to the plate."

Coach Rose recalls the final play of regulation:

"Without that basket and without that momentum I don't know," Rose stopped and pondered for a second. "It's just one of those really remarkable things that happens to a team."

The Niners would end up advancing to the Finals of the NIT where they fell to Kentucky. King knows what his basket and the run in the NIT meant for Charlotte.

"The NIT did set the stage for the 1977 team because if we didn't get past San Francisco, there probably wouldn't be a Final Four banner," he said. "We took advantage. The players took advantage of the opportunity to try to put Charlotte on the map. It was a great experience."

That experience would be trumped exactly one year later…

**************The road to the Final Four**************

The stage was set for Charlotte to make a splash during the 76-77 season. "I knew we had potential from the 76 team going over," said King. The Niners lost starting guard Bob Ball but he was replaced by a kid that King knew from New Jersey in Chad Kinch.

"Chad added another dimension when the 77' team came along," said King. "You seen it every day in practice. We had a good cohesiveness with that team because we hung together off the court. We looked to go play games together. We knew we had a great team that year."

With Maxwell, Watkins, King and Massey returning as starters the Niners went 25-3 and earned a bid to their first NCAA Tournament in their first year affiliated with the Sun Belt.

Just like the prior season's NIT opening round game, the Niners had to go to overtime to defeat Central Michigan, ranked No. 17 at the time. Then the Niners rolled fifth ranked Syracuse to set up a regional final match with the top ranked Michigan Wolverines.

King was given a simple assignment for that game. All he had to do was guard Wolverine big man and All-American Phil Hubbard. In the Wolverines previous victory over Detroit, Hubbard scored 22 points and grabbed 26 rebounds.

"The key was to stop him and we felt we contained him enough," said King. Hubbard would also fall victim to one of the biggest dunks in Niner history when "the kid" Kinch slammed one right on top of him. It was the play of that game and the Niners defeated Michigan 75-68 to head down to Atlanta for the Final Four.

Unfortunately for the Niners they would lose in the National Semifinals against eventual national champion Marquette on the final play of the game. It's something that still stings King to this day.

"Any game, regardless if it was Marquette or what, when you lose by one or two you think about what you could have done not to lose by one or two," said King. "That game, even if the basket was good we felt it should have went into overtime. With the things they have now, instant replay and all that they could have determined [it] but when you go off someone's gut feeling that the basket was good that was a heartbreaker. We took that loss real hard and it showed over when we played Vegas."

Still, history had been made and King was a major part of that. That would be the only NCAA Tournament King competed in as a player. The Niners won the Sun Belt regular season the next year but fell in the conference tournament. Rose left after that year and King's senior season ended up being his best scoring year (15.5), but worst in terms of losing.

King had a productive career and his name appears on many top lists in Niner history. He ranks 14th all-time in points scored (1517), 10th all-time in rebounds (739), ninth in field goals made (631), eighth in field goal percentage (52.5), tied for 10th in double figure scoring games (81) and second in minutes played per game (36.1). His 66 steals in the 77-78 campaign rank sixth for a single season and he played 37.2 minutes per game in 78-79, which ranks second all-time. He also hold the record for the number of consecutive baskets made in one game when he hit all 13 of his shots against South Alabama in February 1978. He was named team MVP and first team all Sun Belt in his senior season after he led the team in rebounds, assists, steals and field goal percentage.

Not too shabby.

**************Life after basketball**************

King earned his Bachelor's in Human Service and took a few jobs with law enforcement and Piedmont Airlines before joining the Department of Corrections in 1982 and he's been there ever since. He is the Assistant Superintendent for Custody/Operations III Southern Correctional Institution in Montgomery County where he resides with his wife Cynthia.

He also joined the Army Reserves in 1988. Two years later King would be deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. "I believe we landed in Saudi Arabia on the day the war started," said King. "It was exciting to know I had a part in (history) providing logistical support (supplies) to the men and women of the Armed Forces. I will remember that opportunity for a life time." He is still active in the Reserves today and currently holds the rank of Master Sergeant.

Although King says he is preparing for retirement it doesn't mean that he is slowing down. Two of his three children (Tyrone 31, Koby 22) have already graduated and his daughter Shae is a junior in high school.

This season King will embark on a new challenge in his life as he will be the head varsity basketball coach at West Montgomery High School. It was something King couldn't pass up. "I talked it over with my family because I do carry a big schedule with the prison, the Army Reserves, community church and I'm preparing for retirement and this was an opportunity for me in a lifetime to say hey I can make a change and a difference."

He was named the head coach over the summer by West Montgomery High School Principal David Cassady. "He was an assistant last year and just did a phenomenal job," said Cassady. "You can see that the kids gravitate to him. He's just a positive influence all the time. It was a no-brainer [to hire him]. I'm as excited as anybody about it and can't wait to see what he can do with the boys."

It shouldn't surprise anybody on what King will emphasize to the young players. "What I try to teach these players is the fundamentals of basketball and most importantly being respectful of the game and trying to do the things they need to do to progress in life," said King. "[Things like] having a set schedule, planning that schedule out, and accomplishing that schedule. I try to explain to them that we can be a great team if we work together and you put your egos aside."

"I think he'll be a good high school coach," said Gruber. "He'll be a guy kids like to play for."

King was excited about the hiring of another first time head coach in Alan Major. "I'm hoping he can bring some of those players he got to Ohio State to Charlotte," said King. "I think he will be able to do that if the supporters embrace him in the community."

One thing that will help the Charlotte community out is football. King sees it as an opportunity to raise the profile of the university. "I'm very excited about football," said King. "Just having the opportunity to bring a sport into a college like Charlotte - you have outstanding football players in South Carolina and North Carolina and hopefully they can get some of those players and start a great program there. Athletic Director Judy Rose has done a great job in bringing the athletic programs to the level that it is now. I'm embracing it as a former player. You'll have your people that will say why but to progress and be at the competition that we need to be in these elite conferences we might need a football program to bring additional revenue into the school."

King said he cannot wait to attend games, especially the first homecoming game in 2013. Until then, he said he will continue to stay involved with Charlotte because he is a proud alumnus of the university.

"My blood is green," said King. "I've stayed involved in the basketball program. It's all about that connection. Former players like myself like to go back and feel that they are wanted and needed and being able to have relationship with the program after 30 something years has been a blessing to me. I go to the games as much as I can. I try to talk to the coaches. Hopefully I can continue that once I get some of these things off my schedule. When I go to games I see Judy Rose, I see former players. I see some of the supporters that were there when I was there. We talk about the 77 team and stuff like that. Eventually we will get there again. I think Coach Major is one of them that will get us there. Records are made to be broken and I think over the years we had some outstanding players. We have the caliber players. Charlotte will get there again and I'm just glad and fortunate that people still remember that team and remember me and I am truly blessed to be part of a great university."

Those who know "K K" say the same thing.