Stampede coach has high hopes for Tolliver

Beginning Dec. 4, the NBA Development League is going to start a fantasy league in which fans can try to predict the next call-up to the NBA.

Idaho Stampede coach Bob MacKinnon has a little inside information for fans who might want to participate: Consider picking Stampede forward Anthony Tolliver.

"In my estimation he's one of the top five players in the league," MacKinnon said. "He has a chance to be one of the first call-ups to the NBA."

Idaho fans will get their first chance to see Tolliver when the Stampede tip off their season Saturday night at Qwest Arena. How many more chances they'll have after that remains to be seen, but if you listen to his coach and teammates it might not be long before Tolliver pulls on an NBA uniform again.

Tolliver, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward, played in 19 games with the San Antonio Spurs last season, so he's no stranger to the NBA.

But MacKinnon said he's going to enjoy having Tolliver while he's got him.

"He's a tremendous shooter and has a great feel for the game," MacKinnon said.

Tolliver has already shown his teammates what he's capable of in a game situation. He had a game-high 24 points in the Idaho's 124-111 exhibition win over the Utah Flash on Monday night in Burley.

Tolliver played four seasons at Creighton from 2003 to 2007, and he averaged 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds his senior year.

Second-year Stampede guard Lanny Smith said he played against Tolliver in college, but Tolliver is a different player now.

"When I played against him he was a big, low-post presence," Smith said. "Since then, he's really expanded his game."

Tolliver said that he's worked to do just that.

"In college I did what I needed to do to get on the floor, and what we needed at the time was a post presence," he said. "The past couple of years I've really developed a pretty accurate shot (from 3-point range)."

Smith said that is what makes Tolliver a force to be reckoned with in the D-League.

"For a guy that size to be able to step outside and shoot a high percentage, that's a deadly weapon," Smith said. "He can still play the inside game, but having the inside-outside threat makes him that much more dangerous. I think he's going to be a match-up problem for opposing teams."

That's exactly why MacKinnon helped broker a trade that brought Tolliver to Boise. MacKinnon acquired Tolliver from Iowa in a three-team deal, and the coach said the player has turned out to be everything that he hoped he would.

"He has great intelligence about the game," MacKinnon said. "I've enjoyed talking with him about the game, and many times he's on the same page as me."

The word intelligence comes up a lot when people talk about Tolliver, who graduated from Creighton with a 3.5 GPA in finance.

So it's not surprising to learn that Tolliver is smart enough to know that if he keeps working hard, a return to the NBA is just a matter of time.

"I just have to wait my turn," he said. "It's a waiting game and I have to be patient, but when I get my opportunity I have to make the most of it."