Q&A with Golden State Warrior Anthony Tolliver

Anthony Tolliver’s story is almost too good to be true.

Sure, now he’s enjoying status as a full-time NBA player with the Golden State Warriors, including a career-high 29 points on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, but it hasn’t always been that easy for the 24-year-old Tolliver.

Always remembered as a member of Kickapoo’s 2003 nationally-ranked state championship team, Tolliver had a nice career at Creighton, torturing Missouri State with an assortment of rugged post moves and relentless rebounding.

But, 6-foot-9 guys who don’t leap like LeBron James need something to differentiate their games. That’s when Tolliver extended his game to a face-up, pick-and-pop type of guy, even stretching it to the 3-point line. After being cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers on the eve of the 2007-08 season opener, Tolliver had to grind through the NBA’s Developmental League and European professional basketball.

He made the San Antonio Spurs to open the 2008-09 season, but lasted only 19 games before being released after averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game over 11 minutes per game, while shooting just 29.2 percent. He played in two games earlier this season with the Portland Trail Blazers before latching on with the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 18 with a 10-day contract. He signed another before being locked up for the rest of this season on Feb. 6.

After that 29 points Against the Clippers, Tolliver has proved he belongs in the NBA, averaging 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game over 28.5 minutes per game. He’s shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.

TAGsgf.com’s Allen Vaughan caught up with Tolliver to discuss the NBA lifestyle, his involvement with the Kickapoo community and how perseverance paid off.

AV: At the Stephanie Phillips fundraiser last week, you recorded a prayer to be said over the public address system. Why did you feel the need to contribute to the Coach Phillips fundraiser?

AT: I didn’t feel a need to contribute, I just wanted to. (Classmate) Greta (Wiersch) contacted me about getting something signed for the fundraiser game and I felt like I could do more, so Greta and I decided doing a prayer would be best.

AV: Why was prayer the way you contributed?

AT: I’m a very big believer in the power of prayer. I felt that prayer was the best and the most important thing I could do to help the situation.

AV: Do you still feel close to the Kickapoo community? How well do you know Coach Phillips?

AT: Yeah, I still feel close to the community. I still live less than five minutes from the school. I go back at least once a year to see (former) teachers and just see the progress of my old school. I know Coach Phillips pretty well. We spent a lot of time together in 2003 when the men and women both won the championship. She’s a great woman.

AV: You had to persevere to get your current extended shot with the Warriors. Did you ever feel like your shot wasn’t going to come?

AT: No, I knew it would come. I had faith that my hard work would pay off and now it is. But, this is just the beginning. I’m excited to see what the future brings.

AV: What has your Warriors experience been like? Talk about your role with the team.

AT: It’s been awesome. I’ve met some really great people in the organization and have become really good friends with my teammates. But, the best part has been being on the court a lot. They have given me the opportunity of a lifetime. Being able to play almost 30 minutes a game and start about half the games I’ve played in has made my confidence skyrocket.

AV: Do you like playing on a team with such an up-and-down tempo? What’s Don Nelson like to play for?

AT: This system is perfect for me. Getting up and down the floor allows me to use my speed versus the bigger guys I play against. Nelly is an awesome coach. He allows us to all play our game and he pushes us to try new things and expand our games.

AV: How has your game changed from your Creighton days up until now? People remember you as a post player, but that’s not your style in the NBA, is it?

AT: My game from Creighton to now has completely changed. At Creighton, I was a back-to-the-basket 5 and now I’m a face-the-basket 4. When I was at Creighton, my coaches taught me how to play in the post and I didn’t want to at first, but I’m glad I did, because now I have a complete game.

AV: How does rookie status work in the NBA? You’ve been with three teams now, so are you a rookie every time, or is that over with?

AT: Well, for the most part, people look at me as a young player, but not a rookie. Depending on the situation, sometimes they say that you need to have 82 games under your belt in order not to be considered a rookie. In that case, I’m still a rookie, but I try to avoid all rookie duties!

AV: If so, how is Stephen Curry handling his rookie responsibilities? Even though he just got second in the NBA 3-point contest,who would win in a 3-point shootout, you or him?

AT: He does a great job. Usually when you perform your duties well, the veterans will give you their per diem on the road, which is a lot of money! So, I’m sure has made a lot of money this year off of being the coffee, donut, smoothie and newspaper deliverer. Steph and I simulated the final round of the 3-point contest right before he went to Dallas and I beat him 21 to 20. I will never play again!

AV: Do you feel like you’ve showed enough to get a contract extension with the Warriors, or maybe a contract with another NBA team? What’s the next move?

AT: Well, I already signed for the remainder of the season here with the Warriors (and) they have already shown interest in signing me for next year, as well. I’m really excited about this situation.

AV: You scored 29 points against the Clippers, recently. What was your previous career high from any level?

AT: The most points I ever scored in high school and college was 26.I was never really a big scorer until I became a professional basketball player. Like I said, my game has changed dramatically.

AV: What was playing in the D-League like? Tell us a funny traveling story.

AT: Playing in the D-League was a lot of fun. I had a chance to develop a lot of the skills that I knew I needed for the next level and made some great friends while I was doing it. One story that kind of sums up the D-League isn’t technically a traveling story, but it’s pretty crazy. So, in the D-League, you usually play the same team a couple of times in a row in order to save on traveling expenses. But one time during my rookie year, we played the Dakota Wizards three times in four days. That’s not even the bad part. We played the first game in North Dakota on a Friday, the second in Iowa on Sunday and the third in Boise on Monday. It was crazy.

AV: Now, compare the D-League travel to NBA travel.

AT: They don’t compare! NBA is private planes and four-course meals on the plane. D-League is sometimes commercial flights with complimentary peanuts and sometimes bus rides with Subway, if you are lucky!

AV: Finally, what’s the greatest part about playing in the NBA?

AT: Playing against the best basketball players in the world every night.

Allen Vaughan is a national award-winning reporter and writer who lives in Springfield. After leaving the Springfield News-Leader in September of 2009, he has taken his affinity for sports in the Ozarks and tried to raise the bar in terms of innovative journalism. Want to get in touch with Allen? E-mail him at Allen@TagSGF.com. You can follow him on Twitter here or on Facebook here.