Kyle Korver Tops List Of Four Creighton Greats Named To Arch Madness 20-Year All-Tournament Team
3/1/2010 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS -- Creighton's Kyle Korver -- the only back-to-back Most Outstanding Player in State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship history -- has been selected the top player in Arch Madness history by a vote of the league's fans.
In a two-month, online voting campaign sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages, Missouri Valley Conference fans selected from a list of 58 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship all-tournament team choices to determine the Top 10 players in Arch Madness history since the first St. Louis-based tournament was played at Kiel Auditorium in 1991.
The leading three-point shooter in Missouri Valley Conference history, Korver earned all-tournament team honors in 2000 as a freshman, when Creighton outlasted Missouri State, 57-45, in the finals.
A native of Pella, Iowa, Korver earned the first of consecutive Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year selections in 2002 and followed with an Arch Madness Most Outstanding Player performance, collecting 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists during an 84-76 victory over Southern Illinois.
A two-time All-American, Korver compiled 12 points, 10 boards, six assists and two steals against Southern Illinois in an 80-56 triumph at Scottrade Center in the 2003 Arch Madness final to claim his second Most Outstanding Player laurel.
In addition to Korver, the other top five players include Nate Funk (Creighton), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Rodney Buford (Creighton) and Ryan Sears (Creighton). Funk (2007), Buford (1999) and Sears (2000) all earned Most Outstanding Player recognition for a team that won the championship, while Eldridge (2009) became only the second player in tournament history to earn Most Valuable Player honors for a team that did not take the title.
The remainder of the top 10 players feature Chris Carr (Southern Illinois), Anthony Parker (Bradley), Marcus Timmons (Southern Illinois), Rico Hill (Illinois State) and Jamaal Tatum (Southern Illinois). Timmons and Korver are the only three-time all-tournament team selections in Arch Madness history, while Carr, Parker, Hill and Tatum all collected all-tourney honors twice.
Vignettes on the All-Tournament Team members -- biographies accompany this release -- will be shown on the video board at Scottrade Center during the 2010 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday-Sunday, March 4-7. For tickets, visit www.archmadness.com or call TicketMaster at 314/241-1888.
KYLE KORVER, CREIGHTON
A native of Pella, Iowa, Kyle Korver guided Creighton to three Arch Madness titles ... A three-time all-tourney selection, Korver is the lone player to receive back-to-back Most Outstanding Player honors ... He was a member of three Arch Madness winning teams ... He still holds the career Arch Madness record for three-pointers with 33.
NATE FUNK, CREIGHTON
A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Nate Funk of Creighton was a member of two Arch Madness championship teams ... A two-time all-tournament choice, Funk was the Most Outstanding Player of Arch Madness 2007 ... He scored 33 points in a 2007 semifinal contest against Missouri State -- the third-best single-game total in Arch Madness history.
OSIRIS ELDRIDGE, ILLINOIS STATE
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Osiris Eldridge of Illinois State is one of two two players in Arch Madness history to earn Most Outstanding Player honors for a team that did not win the championship ... In 2009, Eldridge, who averaged better than 18 points in three games, scored 21 in the final versus UNI.
RODNEY BUFORD, CREIGHTON
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rodney Buford of Creighton guided the Bluejays to the 1999 State Farm MVC Championship title with a Most Outstanding Player performance ... Buford, the 1996 MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, collected 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 70-61 win over Evansville at Scottrade Center.
RYAN SEARS, CREIGHTON
A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Ryan Sears of Creighton was a member of two Arch Madness championship teams ... In 2000, Sears earned Most Outstanding Players honors while leading the Bluejays to a 57-45 win over Missouri State in the finals.
CHRIS CARR, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Pilot Knob, Missouri, Chris Carr of Southern Illinois was a member of three Arch Madness championship teams ... Carr averaged 16 points and six boards in the three title contests ... As a junior in 1995, Carr led the Salukis to their third-consecutive tourney title and earned Most Outstanding Player laurels after a 77-62 win over Tulsa.
ANTHONY PARKER, BRADLEY
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Anthony Parker of Bradley was a two-time Arch Madness all-tournament selection ...Leading the Braves to three-consecutive semifinal round appearances, Parker led the Braves into the 1996 Arch Madness final against Tulsa.
MARCUS TIMMONS, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Haywood City, Missouri, Marcus Timmons of Southern Illinois was a vital member of the Salukis' three-peat run in the mid 1990s ... A three-time all-tournament selection, Timmons collected double-doubles in the championship games of the 1993, 1994 and 1995 events.
RICO HILL, ILLINOIS STATE
A native of Calumet Park, Illinois, Rico Hill of Illinois State was a pivotal part of the Redbirds' consecutive Arch Madness titles in 1997 and 1998 ... A two-time all-tournament selection, Hill was the Most Outstanding Player of Arch Madness 1997, scoring 31 points against Missouri State.
JAMAAL TATUM, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jamaal Tatum of Southern Illinois was a two-time Arch Madness all-tournament selection ... Tatum scored 16 points in the Salukis' 59-46 win over Bradley in the 2006 Arch Madness final and scored a game-high 21 points in the 2007 Arch Madness final against Creighton.
In a two-month, online voting campaign sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages, Missouri Valley Conference fans selected from a list of 58 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship all-tournament team choices to determine the Top 10 players in Arch Madness history since the first St. Louis-based tournament was played at Kiel Auditorium in 1991.
The leading three-point shooter in Missouri Valley Conference history, Korver earned all-tournament team honors in 2000 as a freshman, when Creighton outlasted Missouri State, 57-45, in the finals.
A native of Pella, Iowa, Korver earned the first of consecutive Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year selections in 2002 and followed with an Arch Madness Most Outstanding Player performance, collecting 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists during an 84-76 victory over Southern Illinois.
A two-time All-American, Korver compiled 12 points, 10 boards, six assists and two steals against Southern Illinois in an 80-56 triumph at Scottrade Center in the 2003 Arch Madness final to claim his second Most Outstanding Player laurel.
In addition to Korver, the other top five players include Nate Funk (Creighton), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Rodney Buford (Creighton) and Ryan Sears (Creighton). Funk (2007), Buford (1999) and Sears (2000) all earned Most Outstanding Player recognition for a team that won the championship, while Eldridge (2009) became only the second player in tournament history to earn Most Valuable Player honors for a team that did not take the title.
The remainder of the top 10 players feature Chris Carr (Southern Illinois), Anthony Parker (Bradley), Marcus Timmons (Southern Illinois), Rico Hill (Illinois State) and Jamaal Tatum (Southern Illinois). Timmons and Korver are the only three-time all-tournament team selections in Arch Madness history, while Carr, Parker, Hill and Tatum all collected all-tourney honors twice.
Vignettes on the All-Tournament Team members -- biographies accompany this release -- will be shown on the video board at Scottrade Center during the 2010 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday-Sunday, March 4-7. For tickets, visit www.archmadness.com or call TicketMaster at 314/241-1888.
KYLE KORVER, CREIGHTON
A native of Pella, Iowa, Kyle Korver guided Creighton to three Arch Madness titles ... A three-time all-tourney selection, Korver is the lone player to receive back-to-back Most Outstanding Player honors ... He was a member of three Arch Madness winning teams ... He still holds the career Arch Madness record for three-pointers with 33.
NATE FUNK, CREIGHTON
A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Nate Funk of Creighton was a member of two Arch Madness championship teams ... A two-time all-tournament choice, Funk was the Most Outstanding Player of Arch Madness 2007 ... He scored 33 points in a 2007 semifinal contest against Missouri State -- the third-best single-game total in Arch Madness history.
OSIRIS ELDRIDGE, ILLINOIS STATE
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Osiris Eldridge of Illinois State is one of two two players in Arch Madness history to earn Most Outstanding Player honors for a team that did not win the championship ... In 2009, Eldridge, who averaged better than 18 points in three games, scored 21 in the final versus UNI.
RODNEY BUFORD, CREIGHTON
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rodney Buford of Creighton guided the Bluejays to the 1999 State Farm MVC Championship title with a Most Outstanding Player performance ... Buford, the 1996 MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, collected 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 70-61 win over Evansville at Scottrade Center.
RYAN SEARS, CREIGHTON
A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Ryan Sears of Creighton was a member of two Arch Madness championship teams ... In 2000, Sears earned Most Outstanding Players honors while leading the Bluejays to a 57-45 win over Missouri State in the finals.
CHRIS CARR, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Pilot Knob, Missouri, Chris Carr of Southern Illinois was a member of three Arch Madness championship teams ... Carr averaged 16 points and six boards in the three title contests ... As a junior in 1995, Carr led the Salukis to their third-consecutive tourney title and earned Most Outstanding Player laurels after a 77-62 win over Tulsa.
ANTHONY PARKER, BRADLEY
A native of Naperville, Illinois, Anthony Parker of Bradley was a two-time Arch Madness all-tournament selection ...Leading the Braves to three-consecutive semifinal round appearances, Parker led the Braves into the 1996 Arch Madness final against Tulsa.
MARCUS TIMMONS, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Haywood City, Missouri, Marcus Timmons of Southern Illinois was a vital member of the Salukis' three-peat run in the mid 1990s ... A three-time all-tournament selection, Timmons collected double-doubles in the championship games of the 1993, 1994 and 1995 events.
RICO HILL, ILLINOIS STATE
A native of Calumet Park, Illinois, Rico Hill of Illinois State was a pivotal part of the Redbirds' consecutive Arch Madness titles in 1997 and 1998 ... A two-time all-tournament selection, Hill was the Most Outstanding Player of Arch Madness 1997, scoring 31 points against Missouri State.
JAMAAL TATUM, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jamaal Tatum of Southern Illinois was a two-time Arch Madness all-tournament selection ... Tatum scored 16 points in the Salukis' 59-46 win over Bradley in the 2006 Arch Madness final and scored a game-high 21 points in the 2007 Arch Madness final against Creighton.
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