Basketball Star Kyle Korver Enters MVC Hall of Fame
3/5/2010 2:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Missouri Valley Conference honored some of its past legends this morning when The Valley conducted its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in St. Louis.
Long-time basketball coach Rich Herrin of Southern Illinois, hoops standout Kyle Korver of Creighton and basketball coaching legend Cheryl Burnett of Missouri State highlight the 13th MVC Hall of Fame class. Korver will be enshrined as a Hall of Fame selection, while Herrin and Burnett are Coaches Wing choices. In addition, longtime Southern Illinois publicist Fred Huff was bestowed the Paul Morrison Award, while Mary Jo Wynn claimed the John Sanders Spirit of The Valley Award.
The 2010 Hall of Fame class includes a two-time All-America men's basketball choice, a men's basketball coach who led his team to a Conference-record, three-straight tournament championships and a women's basketball coach who led her team to two trips to the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four.
In fact, all three inductees accomplished a career achievement at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The fourth-ranked men's basketball coach on the all-time Missouri Valley Conference victory list, Herrin guided the Salukis to Arch Madness titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995 -- the first tournament played at Scottrade Center.
A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year selection, Korver is the only player in the 33-year history of the State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship to earn back-to-back tournament most outstanding player honors in 2002 and 2003.
Arguably the greatest women's basketball coach in league history, Burnett led Missouri State -- then Southwest Missouri State -- to NCAA Women's Final Fours in 1992 (Los Angeles) and 2001 (St. Louis).
In 2001, Burnett coached the Lady Bears and Wade Trophy winner Jackie Stiles, who precedes Burnett in the MVC Hall of Fame, to the national semifinals.
“Each and every induction class for the Missouri Valley Conference is special its own way, but this particular class really has a unique place in league history,” said Commissioner Doug Elgin, who is in his 22nd year with The Valley.
“These three individuals played a significant part in the institutional, conference and national development of collegiate athletics, and it's ironic that St. Louis and, in particular Scottrade Center, was the site for their greatest achievements.”
“Rich Herrin and Cheryl Burnett created a niche for their programs on both regional and national levels, and Kyle Korver is the greatest three-point shooter in Valley history,” said Elgin.
“We're grateful that we have the opportunity to honor them for their accomplishments as Missouri Valley Conference ambassadors.”
A native of Pella, Iowa, Kyle Korver is one of just seven players in league history to earn back-to-back Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year awards (2002 and 2003).
A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference choice, he led the Bluejays to a 10-1 record in the State Farm MVC Tournament, winning the 2000, 2002 and 2003 events. In fact, he is the only two-time Most Outstanding Player in tourney history.
An All-America selection in 2002 and 2003, Korver owns the Creighton and MVC records with 371 career three-pointers, which is tied for 16th in NCAA history.
As a senior in 2003, he was a unanimous choice as collegeinsider.com as Mid-Major National Player of the Year and tabbed a second-team All-American by Associated Press, ESPN.com and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was also recognized as a third-team All-America choice by Dick Vitale and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
He finished his CU career fifth all-time in scoring (1,801 points) and first in three-pointers made, treys attempted (819), three-point accuracy (45.3 percent) and free throw percentage (89.1).
Korver is the only player in Creighton history to appear in four-straight NCAA Tournaments and is one of two CU players to beat rival Nebraska four times. He led Creighton to 99 wins in four seasons -- easily the best total in school history.
He was invited to participate in the 2003 Three-Point Shootout, where he finished second in the men's division.
Originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, Korver has played six seasons in the National Basketball Association, including the last two for the Utah Jazz.
In 465 career NBA games, he's averaged 10.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest, shot 40.4 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.
A native of Benton, Ill., Rich Herrin took a highly successful high coaching resume to Carbondale, Ill., and transformed the Salukis into a high-energy program that produced seven-straight trips to the postseason.
Herrin resurrected a Southern Illinois program that won a total of 30 league games over a six-year span before his first campaign in Carbondale in 1985-86.
After an 8-20 mark in year one, his teams posted back-to-back 12-win seasons, before a breakout campaign in 1988-89 that featured the first of six 20-victory seasons and a trip to the NIT. In 1989-90, the Salukis posted 26 victories, captured the MVC regular-season title and advanced to the NIT.
The 1990-91 season featured 18 wins and postseason victories over Boise State and Missouri State before a loss to eventual NIT champion Stanford. Herrin's Salukis won their second MVC regular-season crown in 1991-92 and advanced to the NIT.
Years of NCAA Selection Sunday frustration ended in 1992-93, as Southern Illinois posted a 14-4 league record, good for second place, and defeated Illinois State in the finals of the State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship for SIU's first NCAA Division I Tournament trip since the 1976-77 campaign.
The Salukis would also finish second in the MVC standings in 1994 and 1995, but competing as the second seed in Arch Madness, SIU took State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship titles, making Herrin the only coach in league tournament history to win three-consecutive postseason championship crowns.
In all, Herrin coached 13 seasons with the Salukis, registering a 225-174 record and 111 league victories. His 13-year tenure ranks tied for fourth on the all-time MVC coaching list, while his overall win total lists fourth and his conference only triumph sum ranks fifth.
His players included Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year selections Ashraf Amaya (1992) and Chris Carr (1995) and MVC Freshman of the Year choices Tony Harvey (1989), Amaya (1990) and Marcus Timmons (1992).
He's sent a total of four players onto the National Basketball Association, including Harvey, Amaya, Carr and Troy Hudson.
Prior to his arrival at SIU, he coached 29 seasons in the high school ranks, compiling 616 victories.
The all-time winningest basketball coach in school history, Cheryl Burnett becomes the first Missouri State University head coach inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.
A native of Centralia, Mo., Burnett guided MSU to ten 20-win seasons and 10 NCAA Tournament berths in her 15 seasons as head coach of the Lady Bears.
Missouri State advanced beyond the first round in seven of those 10 NCAA appearances, with a Sweet Sixteen trip in 1993 and trips to the Final Four in 1992 and 2001. In all, she had an overall NCAA slate of 14-10.
The 1991-92 Lady Bears became the lowest-seeded team (eighth) to reach the Final Four, as they defeated Kansas, top-seeded Iowa, UCLA and Ole Miss before facing Western Kentucky in the national semifinals.
The 2000-01 MSU squad were seeded fifth and defeated Toledo, Rutgers, top-seeded Duke and Washington to advance to St. Louis with a national semifinal loss to Purdue.
Her career numbers include 319 overall wins and 201 league triumphs in the Gateway Collegiate Athletic and Missouri Valley Conferences.
Missouri State won or tied for nine conference regular-season titles and claimed six league tournament championships during her tenure.
Burnett's years saw her MSU teams also among conference and national leaders in academic performance and the Lady Bears were among the nation's top 10 teams in average attendance 11 years in a row, including leading the nation in average attendance in 1992-93.
A winner of numerous Coach of the Year honors who produced eight Kodak All-America selections by five different players, Burnett had the staggering totals of five league MVP selections, 26 first-team all-conference players and 12 first-team academic all-conference choices.
Three Lady Bears were named CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-Americans, with Lisa Davies selected as the 1997-98 Academic All-American of the Year.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, Burnett recruited and coached four-year starting guard Jackie Stiles -- the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history with 3,393 points.
Stiles was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletics Hall of Fame in October of 2006.
Long-time basketball coach Rich Herrin of Southern Illinois, hoops standout Kyle Korver of Creighton and basketball coaching legend Cheryl Burnett of Missouri State highlight the 13th MVC Hall of Fame class. Korver will be enshrined as a Hall of Fame selection, while Herrin and Burnett are Coaches Wing choices. In addition, longtime Southern Illinois publicist Fred Huff was bestowed the Paul Morrison Award, while Mary Jo Wynn claimed the John Sanders Spirit of The Valley Award.
The 2010 Hall of Fame class includes a two-time All-America men's basketball choice, a men's basketball coach who led his team to a Conference-record, three-straight tournament championships and a women's basketball coach who led her team to two trips to the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four.
In fact, all three inductees accomplished a career achievement at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The fourth-ranked men's basketball coach on the all-time Missouri Valley Conference victory list, Herrin guided the Salukis to Arch Madness titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995 -- the first tournament played at Scottrade Center.
A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year selection, Korver is the only player in the 33-year history of the State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship to earn back-to-back tournament most outstanding player honors in 2002 and 2003.
Arguably the greatest women's basketball coach in league history, Burnett led Missouri State -- then Southwest Missouri State -- to NCAA Women's Final Fours in 1992 (Los Angeles) and 2001 (St. Louis).
In 2001, Burnett coached the Lady Bears and Wade Trophy winner Jackie Stiles, who precedes Burnett in the MVC Hall of Fame, to the national semifinals.
“Each and every induction class for the Missouri Valley Conference is special its own way, but this particular class really has a unique place in league history,” said Commissioner Doug Elgin, who is in his 22nd year with The Valley.
“These three individuals played a significant part in the institutional, conference and national development of collegiate athletics, and it's ironic that St. Louis and, in particular Scottrade Center, was the site for their greatest achievements.”
“Rich Herrin and Cheryl Burnett created a niche for their programs on both regional and national levels, and Kyle Korver is the greatest three-point shooter in Valley history,” said Elgin.
“We're grateful that we have the opportunity to honor them for their accomplishments as Missouri Valley Conference ambassadors.”
Hall of Fame:
KYLE KORVER, CREIGHTON
KYLE KORVER, CREIGHTON
A native of Pella, Iowa, Kyle Korver is one of just seven players in league history to earn back-to-back Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year awards (2002 and 2003).
A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference choice, he led the Bluejays to a 10-1 record in the State Farm MVC Tournament, winning the 2000, 2002 and 2003 events. In fact, he is the only two-time Most Outstanding Player in tourney history.
An All-America selection in 2002 and 2003, Korver owns the Creighton and MVC records with 371 career three-pointers, which is tied for 16th in NCAA history.
As a senior in 2003, he was a unanimous choice as collegeinsider.com as Mid-Major National Player of the Year and tabbed a second-team All-American by Associated Press, ESPN.com and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was also recognized as a third-team All-America choice by Dick Vitale and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
He finished his CU career fifth all-time in scoring (1,801 points) and first in three-pointers made, treys attempted (819), three-point accuracy (45.3 percent) and free throw percentage (89.1).
Korver is the only player in Creighton history to appear in four-straight NCAA Tournaments and is one of two CU players to beat rival Nebraska four times. He led Creighton to 99 wins in four seasons -- easily the best total in school history.
He was invited to participate in the 2003 Three-Point Shootout, where he finished second in the men's division.
Originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, Korver has played six seasons in the National Basketball Association, including the last two for the Utah Jazz.
In 465 career NBA games, he's averaged 10.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest, shot 40.4 percent from three-point range and 88.5 percent from the free throw line.
Coaches Wing:
RICH HERRIN, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
RICH HERRIN, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
A native of Benton, Ill., Rich Herrin took a highly successful high coaching resume to Carbondale, Ill., and transformed the Salukis into a high-energy program that produced seven-straight trips to the postseason.
Herrin resurrected a Southern Illinois program that won a total of 30 league games over a six-year span before his first campaign in Carbondale in 1985-86.
After an 8-20 mark in year one, his teams posted back-to-back 12-win seasons, before a breakout campaign in 1988-89 that featured the first of six 20-victory seasons and a trip to the NIT. In 1989-90, the Salukis posted 26 victories, captured the MVC regular-season title and advanced to the NIT.
The 1990-91 season featured 18 wins and postseason victories over Boise State and Missouri State before a loss to eventual NIT champion Stanford. Herrin's Salukis won their second MVC regular-season crown in 1991-92 and advanced to the NIT.
Years of NCAA Selection Sunday frustration ended in 1992-93, as Southern Illinois posted a 14-4 league record, good for second place, and defeated Illinois State in the finals of the State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship for SIU's first NCAA Division I Tournament trip since the 1976-77 campaign.
The Salukis would also finish second in the MVC standings in 1994 and 1995, but competing as the second seed in Arch Madness, SIU took State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Championship titles, making Herrin the only coach in league tournament history to win three-consecutive postseason championship crowns.
In all, Herrin coached 13 seasons with the Salukis, registering a 225-174 record and 111 league victories. His 13-year tenure ranks tied for fourth on the all-time MVC coaching list, while his overall win total lists fourth and his conference only triumph sum ranks fifth.
His players included Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year selections Ashraf Amaya (1992) and Chris Carr (1995) and MVC Freshman of the Year choices Tony Harvey (1989), Amaya (1990) and Marcus Timmons (1992).
He's sent a total of four players onto the National Basketball Association, including Harvey, Amaya, Carr and Troy Hudson.
Prior to his arrival at SIU, he coached 29 seasons in the high school ranks, compiling 616 victories.
Coaches Wing:
CHERYL BURNETT, MISSOURI STATE
CHERYL BURNETT, MISSOURI STATE
The all-time winningest basketball coach in school history, Cheryl Burnett becomes the first Missouri State University head coach inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.
A native of Centralia, Mo., Burnett guided MSU to ten 20-win seasons and 10 NCAA Tournament berths in her 15 seasons as head coach of the Lady Bears.
Missouri State advanced beyond the first round in seven of those 10 NCAA appearances, with a Sweet Sixteen trip in 1993 and trips to the Final Four in 1992 and 2001. In all, she had an overall NCAA slate of 14-10.
The 1991-92 Lady Bears became the lowest-seeded team (eighth) to reach the Final Four, as they defeated Kansas, top-seeded Iowa, UCLA and Ole Miss before facing Western Kentucky in the national semifinals.
The 2000-01 MSU squad were seeded fifth and defeated Toledo, Rutgers, top-seeded Duke and Washington to advance to St. Louis with a national semifinal loss to Purdue.
Her career numbers include 319 overall wins and 201 league triumphs in the Gateway Collegiate Athletic and Missouri Valley Conferences.
Missouri State won or tied for nine conference regular-season titles and claimed six league tournament championships during her tenure.
Burnett's years saw her MSU teams also among conference and national leaders in academic performance and the Lady Bears were among the nation's top 10 teams in average attendance 11 years in a row, including leading the nation in average attendance in 1992-93.
A winner of numerous Coach of the Year honors who produced eight Kodak All-America selections by five different players, Burnett had the staggering totals of five league MVP selections, 26 first-team all-conference players and 12 first-team academic all-conference choices.
Three Lady Bears were named CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-Americans, with Lisa Davies selected as the 1997-98 Academic All-American of the Year.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, Burnett recruited and coached four-year starting guard Jackie Stiles -- the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history with 3,393 points.
Stiles was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletics Hall of Fame in October of 2006.
Players Mentioned
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