Former Bluejays Korver, Tolliver, Open NBA Seasons Tonight
10/31/2007 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- A pair of former Creighton University men's basketball players will open up the NBA season tonight. Kyle Korver begins his fifth season with the Philadelphia 76ers with a game at Toronto, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) begins his rookie season with defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland tonight against Dallas.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003 and remains fifth in school history with 1,801 career points. The All-American was picked in the second round of the 2003 draft by New Jersey, and immediately dealt to Philadelphia. Korver has played 312 career games with Phiadelphia and owns averages of 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Last year he averaged a career-high 14.4 points per game while posting career highs in all three shooting categories (44.0% FG's, 43.0% 3FG's and a league-best 91.4% FT's). He ranks 12th in NBA history with 40.6 percent accuracy from three-point range, and has made more three-pointers than anyone in the NBA since the start of the 2004-05 season (542). Korver's younger brother, Kaleb, is a freshman on the 2007-08 Bluejay squad.
Tolliver played at Creighton from 2003-07 and finished his career with 1,004 career points. As a senior, he averaged 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks in 33 games for the Jays NCAA Tournament team. He was also the MVC's only player to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots per game. Named a Senior CLASS Award All-American and a Second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Tolliver made the Cavaliers squad as an undrafted free agent. According to DraftExpress.com, he is one of eight undrafted rookie free agents that made an Opening Day roster this fall.
Korver and Tolliver are two of five Missouri Valley Conference alums on Opening Day rosters in the NBA. Troy Hudson (Southern Illinois) and Patrick O'Bryant (Bradley) are on the Golden State roster, while Anthony Parker (Bradley) returns for his second season with Toronto.
Tolliver will become the 11th former player in school history to play in the NBA, joining Korver, Wally Anderzunas, Benoit Benjamin, Rodney Buford, Chad Gallagher, Neil Johnson, Kevin McKenna, Bob Portman, Paul Silas and Alex Stivrins.
