Korver & McDermott Thrill Omaha During NBA Exhibition

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OMAHA, Neb. -- The NBA returned to Omaha on Thursday night for the first time since 2006. Sure, it was an exhibition game for Atlanta and Chicago, but don't tell that to the 16,506 fans that turned out to see the Hawks' 97-81 win in the preseason finale for both franchises.

The real celebration came on the court where two of the most beloved, and best, players in Creighton history met.

On the North bench was Kyle Korver, the NBA veteran who remains Creighton's all-time leader with 371 career three-pointers after a stellar career from 1999-2003. The only Bluejay basketball player to appear in four NCAA Tournaments, Korver has carved out a career as one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history.

On the South bench was Doug McDermott, the 2014 National Player of the Year who finished his career fifth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points. McDermott graduated as a three-time First Team All-American, the only man in the last 30 years who can make such a claim, while starting 145 straight games as a Bluejay.

Neither man was a five-star recruit out of high school, but both were driven and determined to improve, and spent countless hours on the Hilltop in the Vinardi Athletic Center gymnasium crafting their game. Both hail from Iowa, starred at Creighton, and won a pair of MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors. Both men were drafted into the NBA, then traded almost immediately, and have gone on to be fan favorites wherever they've been. McDermott's has spent the past two seasons with the Bulls, much as Korver spent two seasons with the Bulls from 2010-12.

While McDermott ranks second in history with 71 games played at CenturyLink Center Omaha, it was the first game there for Korver, who played during the final four years of Bluejay basketball games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium just blocks away. He'd been to the arena several times previously, coming to watch younger brother Kaleb play at Creighton as well as a Coldplay concert, but this was different than the days at the Civic, where crowds averaged 6,400 fans per game during his freshman season.

"There's a lot more faces here than when I was here, which is awesome to see. Just watching how Creighton has grown, and how the fan base has grown, it's just really awesome to see. I'm so grateful to be here and play in front of these fans again. To see some of these faces that were so important to me 14 or 18 years ago, it's a really special moment," said Korver.

McDermott echoed similar thoughts. "It was fun being out there again. I miss the place a lot...I'm glad me and Kyle could come back and put on somewhat of a show."

Korver even joked on Thursday morning that the facility was so shooter friendly, that even 6-foot-11 center Dwight Howard could add to his total of five career three-pointers in 880 games. "It's a great environment. Dwight was shooting three's and making them, and he felt like he should have gone to Creighton. This is a shooter's gym. If Dwight's feeling that, it's got to be pretty good."

The two Creighton alums did a pregame television interview together, then later sat side-by-side as the only attendees to a press conference after the game, That's something you definitely don't see much of among division rivals in the NBA.

Officially, both men finished with 16 points. Korver heated up early in the fourth quarter, spearheading a 14-2 run that blew the game wide open. He made 6-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-8 shots from three-point range. He also added six assists, four rebounds, and a blocked shot in 29 minutes. McDermott missed five straight shots at one point, but would drain his final two shots on the night to finish 5-for-15. His last attempt came from the corner near the Bluejay bench where he terrorized opposing defenses for four years from 2010-14, and hit nothing but net.

The duo would spend much of the night guarding each other, and traded jabs early. First, Korver drained a three-pointer in McDermott's face before McDermott answered the next trip down with a fadeaway jumper, much to the delight of the crowd. After the game, both were still smiling at the sequence.

"It was fun," said McDermott. "He kind of hit me with what he did in college, and I kind of hit him with what I did in college. That was fun on my first basket. It was a great match-up and it was a lot of fun."

Korver felt the same way. "I knew it was coming the whole time, too. I was like this dude's going to post me up on the elbow and Dirk fadeaway on me, and then he did it and he made it and I just kind of shook my head. Obviously I've watched Doug do that it feels like hundreds of times. He's got that move down. Doug's got such a bright future in front of him in the NBA. He's already an amazing player and he's one of those guys you've got to game plan for him already."

The mutual admiration between the two men is evident. It was Korver, among others, who had multiple conversations in the spring of 2013 that helped convince McDermott to return for his senior year. All "Dougie McBuckets" did was become a national sensation, helping Creighton prove the doubters wrong in the BIG EAST. He went on to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year, appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and draw the admiration and envy of countless father/son relationships around the country.

"He definitely played a role in that decision," said McDermott of Korver. "I had a lot of different thoughts and was kind of going back-and-forth every day. We had dinner, and talked a lot on the phone, I think he was definitely a huge impact. He was telling me his favorite memories of his basketball journey had been in college, and that really stuck with me because he played four years. You can't really put a price tag on that senior year."

Eleven years older than McDermott, Korver explained why he's always been there to help McDermott. "We have a good relationship. A lot of the things, especially early on in his career that he was going through, we were able to talk through a little bit. He's such a good guy, and comes from a great family. I'm really happy for him and how things are working out."

"Kyle's meant a lot to me," noted McDermott. "He's a great mentor. Not for me, but for anyone. He's a great human, with him being an NBA veteran that I can lean on for advice."

While McDermott's career is just getting started, Korver begins the 2016-17 schedule next week as the oldest player on the Hawks roster at the age of 35. He's married, with two kids, and a third on the way. An NBA All-Star two seasons ago, Korver is optimistic that his summer workouts have him in a good spot as he enters his 14th campaign.

"I want to play as long as my body feels good. This summer I got to have a productive off-season. Last summer I was going through a couple surgeries. It's good to feel like I'm in a different mindset and my body feels a lot different than I did coming into last season."

Korver, however, was quick to note that there's more than Father Time on his mind on a daily basis. "I think the challenge for me is my life is more full now. I've got kids and a wife and there's a lot more things in life. I can't just play video games and be at practice on time, play hard, then go home and take a nap. For me, the challenge as you get older is can you be a good husband, can you be a good father, and still have the energy to work out twice a day during the off-season. I still love the game, and I still love playing and competing. We have a good culture here with the Hawks, and I love being a part of that. Hopefully there's still a few solid years left."

Regardless of how long he plays, the night both men returned to Omaha will be a lasting memory.

In an interview following morning shootaround, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said his franchise jumped at the opportunity to play in Omaha. "We kind of set our preseason schedule, and we have a role in agreeing to play this game. I don't remember the details of it, but it's kind of a no-brainer. I know Kyle's excited to be here, and we are. I'm assuming Chicago probably initiated it or had the idea, but we were all in. It's pretty cool for Kyle. He's such a big part of our program. To think about him getting to come back to play at Creighton and play here in Omaha, against a great player like McDermott, it's a pretty cool preseason game."

Both men left to standing ovations as they checked out for the final time, and were quick to find each other for a postgame embrace. As he headed off the court, Korver stopped at the free throw line and turned, waving towards the crowd. They reciprocated his appreciation with applause themselves. It's not much of a stretch to think the success of Korver's teams helped get CenturyLink Center Omaha built. The crowds, and eventually McDermott, followed, as did a 2013 invitation to the prestigious BIG EAST. The program's growth is not lost on Korver, who keeps close tabs on his alma mater.

"It's been so fun. The players that I came up with, and came through Omaha with. We're just really proud of where Creighton is, and how Creighton has managed to stay true to who they are, but still do it on a larger scale. Being in the BIG EAST now, playing in this kind of arena, and Doug with all the accomplishments he had really took Creighton to another level. I've always been proud to say I played at Creighton, and I think it's because of the people mostly. The people at Creighton, the people in Omaha."

Creighton Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen could only shake his head following the game at the impact the pair has made, and continues to make. "Just think of the character and skill of Kyle and Doug. They're two of the highest-profile student-athletes we've had in my time here, but I can't think of many better representatives of Creighton or the Omaha community. I'm glad we had a night like this to celebrate and thank them for their lasting contributions."

Korver & McDermott Thrill Omaha During NBA Exhibition

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