Zombies Set To Begin Defense Of ECBL Mid-Atlantic Championship

SPRINGFIELD, MA — If the hustle, intensity and drive exhibited by players during the team's final preseason tuneup - an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday - then the Western Mass Zombies should be in a good position to successfully defend the Mid-Atlantic Conference championship they won in 2021, their inaugural season in the East Coast Basketball League.

The first official test comes this Saturday, when the Zombies open the regular season with a home game against the Philly Raiders. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the South End Community Center.

"Every team is going to come out and give us their best effort," head coach/general manager Brian Stasaitis said. "We need to compete every game for all 48 minutes."

Despite losing several key offensive performers from last year's squad, and an ankle injury which will sideline all-star guard Tyler Desrosiers for much of the season, the Zombies' roster seems to have more depth this year, which should bode well in the fast-paced style prominent in the ECBL.

A half-dozen players return from last year's championship team, with several looking to take on a bigger role than before. Robby Jones, who averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game off the bench, will be counted on to direct the offense as point guard. He tallied 22 points in the intrasquad game, played with officials under actual game conditions.

Joining Jones in the backcourt is Marcel Brown, who started all 14 games last season and averaged 7.9 points per contest. Terrance Thompson, at 5-foot-9 the smallest player on the roster but with perhaps the biggest heart, is an outside shooting threat who canned 43.3 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2021, and put on an amazing exhibition in winning the 3-point contest at the conference all-star game in Springfield in July.

Other guards competing for playing time are Darrick Boyd, Petey Skevas, Tre'kel Douglas, Darric Myers and Johnny Dombrowski. Boyd hit 5 treys Sunday en route to a 20-point performance, while Douglas nailed three from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter alone and Skevas added 14 points.

Up front, a pair of 6-foot-10 veterans look to provide both rebounding ability and offensive firepower. Kuran Iverson, who formerly played in the NBA G-League, led all scorers Sunday with 34 points, including six 3-pointers, and demonstrated excellent ball-handling skills for a man his size. Center Kevin McLaughlin, who averaged 5.3 rebounds per game in limited playing time last year, added muscle in the off-season and will be counted on to handle the middle of the lane.

Newcomer Andreas Kontopidis, a former All-Liberty League forward at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, had a strong game both inside and outside Sunday, accounting for 28 points, including five 3-pointers. Chris Starks, Noris Cuevas and Isaiah Louis add more forward experience to the team's deep bench.

"We have a strong core of players returning this season," Stasaitis said. "The returning players have demonstrated a strong commitment to the team by attending workouts weekly since November. We are looking for strong contributions from all of our new guys."

Team owner Bill Bullock said, "Compared to last season's team, we have a deeper roster from top to bottom. It’s refreshing to see the bond these guys already have. These are the best team players we have had over these last four years. No more big egos; not one player is above the team and they understand how to play as a team."

A welcome addition to the organization has been the legendary Rick Barry, a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams who is the only player in history to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring. He has been brought on board as a special advisor.

"The addition of NBA Hall Of Famer Rick Barry was a big move for us on and off the court," Bullock said. "Rick has been able to offer insight to me as an owner as someone who markets the team, to our coaching staff he has made himself available and advice he has given our players this off season. He has been a big asset, and we know he is going to open some doors for guys to get other opportunities."

Barry will be in Springfield March 12 for an action-packed day, beginning with an autograph session from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Zombie Hideout in the Five Town Plaza on Cooley Street. He and Stasaitis will conduct a clinic for youths aged 7-17 at the South End Community Center from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., then that evening, the Zombies host the Lehigh Valley Flight at 7 p.m.

The Zombies' complete 2022 season schedule may be found here. Tickets are available by visiting the team headquarters at Zombie Hideout. For more information, call 413-273-1837.