Basketball Standout From Hartford Chosen In BIG3 Pro Draft

SPRINGFIELD, MA — In his first season as special adviser to the Western Mass Zombies of the East Coast Basketball League, hoop legend Rick Barry spent some time with the team in March, and one player in particular apparently caught his eye.

Now coach of the Ball Hogs in the 12-team BIG3, a professional 3-on-3 league founded in 2017 by hip hopper/actor Ice Cube, Barry selected 6-foot-10 forward Kuran Iverson with the first pick of the second round, and 11th choice overall, during the league draft Wednesday night.

In his first year with the Zombies, the 28-year-old Iverson, a second cousin to Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Allen Iverson, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.6 points and 9.4 boards per contest. The team finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Mid-Atlantic Conference playoffs.

"After I had the opportunity to watch Kuran play when I was back in Springfield, I was impressed with his skills and liked him as a person," Barry told Patch. "As coach of the Ball Hogs in the BIG3, my new team captain, former NBA player Leandro Barbosa, who is currently an assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, had discussed with me the need for our team to get some younger and taller players. I thought that Kuran would be a good addition to the team. So, I requested some video of him playing from Zombies coach/general manager Brian Stasaitis to send off to Leandro to get his approval. Leandro liked what he saw and in the BIG3 the coaches have major control over the player's selection. We are hoping that Kuran helps us achieve our goal of getting to the playoffs and winning the championship. I was impressed that Zombies owner Bill Bullock was totally on board with supporting Kuran being drafted by the Ball Hogs. Bill showed me that he’s more concerned with trying to help these young men further their careers than he is with winning the league championship. Anyone playing for his team is very fortunate to have an owner with that attitude."

Bullock said, "My first phone call with Kuran was about 30 to 45 minutes long, talking about what we were trying to do with the team and what we would do to try to get him an opportunity to further his basketball career. The focus of my wife and me, along with our head coach and general manager Brian Stasaitis, is to get our players opportunities. To be honest, some people didn’t buy into what we were trying to do. Kuran saw that opportunity and trusted us in the process. I’m just so glad and happy for him. Last night was a truly amazing experience to watch him get selected in the draft."

"Kuran Iverson has a professional pedigree," Stasaitis said. "He played high level Division I basketball at Memphis and University of Rhode Island. He has professional experience both in the G-League and overseas. In the off-season, Bill Bullock and I began speaking about opportunities for players and how the addition of Rick Barry would assist our players. When Rick was in Springfield in March, he spoke with Kuran during our game and was pleased with how Kuran responded to his advice. I am extremely happy for Kuran and glad that he trusted us (Bill and I) when we told him we would help him out! I am excited to see what the future holds for Kuran."

Iverson played three years at Northwest Catholic in West Hartford before transferring to Fishburne Military School in Virginia for his final season. A highly-touted recruit, he played Division I college ball at Memphis for two years, then transferred to the University of Rhode Island for his final two college campaigns.

With the Rams, he averaged 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 63 contests. Led by current UConn head coach Dan Hurley, Rhode Island posted a 25-10 record during Iverson's senior year in 2016-17, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After college, Iverson played a year in the NBA G-League, and also professionally overseas in New Zealand before joining the Zombies this season.

BIG3, which features a stellar roster of legendary coaches including Barry, Julius Erving, Gary Payton, George Gervin, Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie, begins its new season June 18.

You may view the draft announcement from Ice Cube and analysis by Jim Jackson, Thomas Scott and new teammate Jodie Meeks here.

A montage of Iverson's highlights from early in the 2022 season with the Zombies may be viewed here.