Anthony Tolliver Makes Spurs Roster, Joins Korver in NBA
10/27/2008 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Two years ago, Anthony Tolliver had just finished his senior year at Creighton while watching the 2007 NBA Finals match-up between Cleveland and San Antonio. On Wednesday, he'll be on the San Antonio Spurs opening-night roster and able to say he's been on the roster of both franchises.
Tolliver joins Kyle Korver as one of two Creighton alums in the NBA, which opens its season this week. Korver enters his sixth year in the NBA and is a member of the Utah Jazz, which acquired him in the middle of last year from Philadelphia.
Tolliver won a hard-fought battle for one of the final spots on the roster for the Spurs, an annual contender who has been picked to win the NBA title by Sports Illustrated. The Springfield, Mo., native signed a two-year deal in July following an impressive summer league showing. In seven games, he averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds and shot 53 percent from beyond the arc. Though listed as a center on the San Antonio roster, it would seem as though he's found his niche with an ability to hit the outside shot, as well as his rebounding, defense, hustle and character.
Last year Tolliver won an opening-night roster spot with the Cavs as an undrafted free agent, only to be cut two days later when the team signed holdout Sasha Pavlovic. Tolliver, who has yet to appear in an NBA game, would play for the Iowa Energy in the NBDL before completing the winter with a team in Germany, alongside former Creighton teammate Nate Funk.
Tolliver played at Creighton from 2003-07, developing into an all-Valley selection during a career that also saw him earn Academic All-America honors. Tolliver scored 1,004 points at Creighton, grabbed 603 rebounds and blocked 136 blocks shots. He hit 21-of-63 three-point attempts at CU, an area he has focused on and is now a strength in the eyes of NBA personnel.
Tolliver's Spurs team opens the season Wednesday against Phoenix. He wears No. 35.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003, and still ranks fifth in school history with 1,801 career points. During his All-American senior season Korver led the Bluejays to a 29-5 record and lengthy stay in the national rankings. He closed his career with an MVC-record 371 three-pointers.
His marksmanship has carried over to the professional ranks, where Korver ranks ninth in NBA history with a 40.6 accuracy rate from downtown. In 2006-07, Korver led the NBA in free-throw percentage, connecting at a 91.4 percent clip. He has made 734 career three-pointers in 387 career regular-season contests.
The Jazz open the season on Wednesday against Denver. Korver wears No. 26.
