Doug McDermott squared off against Kyle Korver last week in Omaha during an NBA exhibition game.
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Creighton Trio Ready To Start 2016-17 NBA Season
10/25/2016 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton grads Kyle Korver, Anthony Tolliver and Doug McDermott continue to let it fly at the highest level
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton Basketball will have three alums in the NBA for the third straight year as the 2016-17 season tips off when Kyle Korver, Anthony Tolliver and Doug McDermott continue the school tradition of Bluejays playing at pro basketball's highest level.
Korver is back with the Atlanta Hawks, Tolliver begins his first full season with the Sacramento Kings after signing as a free-agent in the off-season, and McDermott embarks on his third season with Chicago Bulls.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003 and was succeeded by Tolliver, who played for the Bluejays from 2003-07. In 2012-13 they were teammates with the Hawks, where they became CU's first alums who were NBA teammates since 1970, as well as becoming the first Bluejay alums to start an NBA game as teammates.
Korver begins his 14th year in the NBA and fifth with the Hawks. Known as one of the elite long-distance shooters in the NBA, Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,887 career three-pointers and is eighth in league history with his 42.94 percent marksmanship from three-point range. Korver is the only player league history in the top-15 of both categories.
Korver's 53.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range in 2009-10 remains an NBA record for a season, smashing a mark held by noted sniper Steve Kerr. In 2013-14, Korver smashed the NBA record (since broken by Stephen Curry) with a 127 game streak with a 3-point basket obliterating the Hawks franchise mark of 42 and the previous NBA mark of 89 formerly held by Dana Barros. He also led the NBA by shooting 47.2 percent from long-range in 2013-14. In 2014-15 Korver was an NBA All-Star for the first time, was named NBA Co-Player of the Month in January, led the league with 49.2 percent three-point marksmanship, and finished third in the NBA with 221 three-point baskets. He is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in three-point percentage three times.
For his NBA career, Korver has scored 9,617 points (third-most among Creighton basketball alumni) in 964 games (10.0 ppg.). He has also made 87.9 percent of his career free throws, which ranks 15th in NBA history among players with at least 1,100 makes from the charity stripe.
Korver wears No. 26 with the Hawks.
Tolliver enters his first year with Sacramento after also spending time with the Cleveland, San Antonio, Portland, New Orleans, Golden State, Minnesota, Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix and Detroit organizations in his career.
Creighton fans who remember Tolliver as an inside force may be surprised to learn of his perimeter game. More than 59 percent of his career shots have come from behind the NBA three-point arc, and he has made 35.7 percent of those shots from downtown. Last season he made 36.0 percent of his long-range tries, connecting on 98 overall. Tolliver has also converted 77.0 percent of his shots at the line and owns 393 career assists (against just 275 turnovers), 140 blocks and 167 steals.
Tolliver went undrafted and spent time in the NBA D-League and Germany before becoming an NBA regular. He wears No. 43 with the Kings.
McDermott played at Creighton from 2010-14 and left as the most decorated men's basketball player in school history. He ranks fifth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and swept 14 National Player of the Year awards as a senior. McDermott was a three-time conference player of the year and became the first male in 30 years to be named a First Team All-American three straight seasons by the Associated Press.
McDermott was selected 11th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, then traded an hour later to the Chicago Bulls. McDermott averaged 9.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 23.0 minutes last season for the Bulls. He played in 81 games, starting four, and had a single-game high of 30 points on February 19 vs. Toronto.
McDermott averaged 13.0 points per game in the preseason this fall, and matched Kyle Korver's 16 points last Thursday when the two went head-to-head at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
The signing of Dwyane Wade helped convince McDermott to switch to uniform No. 11 with the Bulls. He is the son of Creighton head men's basketball coach Greg McDermott
Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years, and 50-of-53 seasons since 1964-65.
Prior to the current three-year run, the last time Creighton had three (or more) NBA players on rosters at the same time was the 1969-70 season, when Paul Silas, Neil Johnson, Bob Portman and Wally Anderzunas were active at the same time.
Korver is back with the Atlanta Hawks, Tolliver begins his first full season with the Sacramento Kings after signing as a free-agent in the off-season, and McDermott embarks on his third season with Chicago Bulls.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003 and was succeeded by Tolliver, who played for the Bluejays from 2003-07. In 2012-13 they were teammates with the Hawks, where they became CU's first alums who were NBA teammates since 1970, as well as becoming the first Bluejay alums to start an NBA game as teammates.
Korver begins his 14th year in the NBA and fifth with the Hawks. Known as one of the elite long-distance shooters in the NBA, Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,887 career three-pointers and is eighth in league history with his 42.94 percent marksmanship from three-point range. Korver is the only player league history in the top-15 of both categories.
Korver's 53.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range in 2009-10 remains an NBA record for a season, smashing a mark held by noted sniper Steve Kerr. In 2013-14, Korver smashed the NBA record (since broken by Stephen Curry) with a 127 game streak with a 3-point basket obliterating the Hawks franchise mark of 42 and the previous NBA mark of 89 formerly held by Dana Barros. He also led the NBA by shooting 47.2 percent from long-range in 2013-14. In 2014-15 Korver was an NBA All-Star for the first time, was named NBA Co-Player of the Month in January, led the league with 49.2 percent three-point marksmanship, and finished third in the NBA with 221 three-point baskets. He is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in three-point percentage three times.
For his NBA career, Korver has scored 9,617 points (third-most among Creighton basketball alumni) in 964 games (10.0 ppg.). He has also made 87.9 percent of his career free throws, which ranks 15th in NBA history among players with at least 1,100 makes from the charity stripe.
Korver wears No. 26 with the Hawks.
Tolliver enters his first year with Sacramento after also spending time with the Cleveland, San Antonio, Portland, New Orleans, Golden State, Minnesota, Atlanta, Charlotte, Phoenix and Detroit organizations in his career.
Creighton fans who remember Tolliver as an inside force may be surprised to learn of his perimeter game. More than 59 percent of his career shots have come from behind the NBA three-point arc, and he has made 35.7 percent of those shots from downtown. Last season he made 36.0 percent of his long-range tries, connecting on 98 overall. Tolliver has also converted 77.0 percent of his shots at the line and owns 393 career assists (against just 275 turnovers), 140 blocks and 167 steals.
Tolliver went undrafted and spent time in the NBA D-League and Germany before becoming an NBA regular. He wears No. 43 with the Kings.
McDermott played at Creighton from 2010-14 and left as the most decorated men's basketball player in school history. He ranks fifth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and swept 14 National Player of the Year awards as a senior. McDermott was a three-time conference player of the year and became the first male in 30 years to be named a First Team All-American three straight seasons by the Associated Press.
McDermott was selected 11th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, then traded an hour later to the Chicago Bulls. McDermott averaged 9.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 23.0 minutes last season for the Bulls. He played in 81 games, starting four, and had a single-game high of 30 points on February 19 vs. Toronto.
McDermott averaged 13.0 points per game in the preseason this fall, and matched Kyle Korver's 16 points last Thursday when the two went head-to-head at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
The signing of Dwyane Wade helped convince McDermott to switch to uniform No. 11 with the Bulls. He is the son of Creighton head men's basketball coach Greg McDermott
Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years, and 50-of-53 seasons since 1964-65.
Prior to the current three-year run, the last time Creighton had three (or more) NBA players on rosters at the same time was the 1969-70 season, when Paul Silas, Neil Johnson, Bob Portman and Wally Anderzunas were active at the same time.
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