Connecticut Contingent Leading Zombies Into New ECBL Season

SPRINGFIELD, MA — In 2021, the Western Mass Zombies of the East Coast Basketball League won the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Conference championship, and came within four points of ousting longtime powerhouse Prime Time Players in the ECBL Super Cup finals. Last season did not go quite as well for the Springfield-based franchise, which was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Team management is looking to recapture the magic of two springs ago, assembling a dynamic roster mixed with established veterans and talented newcomers. The Zombies will be bigger, and likely better, than ever, with five players on the roster standing 6-foot-9 or taller.

Among the new players are several with experience in the NBA G-League, Division I college ball and/or overseas action.

Three new team members who hail from Connecticut are expected to make an immediate impact.

• Ta'Quan Zimmerman (Waterbury), a 6-foot-2 guard who starred at Holy Cross High School. "Tootie" then played one season at the vaunted Putnam Science Academy, averaging 26.6 points per game and setting a school record which still stands with nine 3-pointers in a single contest. He was an inaugural inductee into the PSA Hall of Fame in 2018. He spent two seasons with the Utah Jazz G-League entry, and played several years professionally in Canada.
• Arkel Lamar (Bridgeport), a 6-foot-6 forward who played for the legendary Jere Quinn at St. Thomas More, advancing to the national championship game. He played Div. I college ball in the America East Conference for four years at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, then had a graduate year at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
• C.J. Seaforth (Hamden), a 6-foot-1 guard who played Div. I at Iona before transferring to Southern Connecticut State University to play for UConn legend Scott Burrell. He averaged nearly 22 points per game in his final two years at Hamden High School.

Other newcomers who should provide added firepower are:

• Chris Baldwin (Springfield, Mass.), a 6-foot-10 power forward who played Div. I ball for two years each at UMass and Texas Southern, participating in the NCAA tournament in his senior year.
• Dou Gueye (Senegal), a 6-foot-10 center who played at South Carolina State and a year as a graduate transfer at Ball State.

There is no shortage of returning players on the roster, headed by Kuran Iverson (Hartford), a 6-foot-10 power forward who played at Memphis and Rhode Island. A second cousin to Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, he averaged 23.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in his first season with the Zombies in 2022. Last spring, he was drafted by hoop legend Rick Barry to play in the 12-team BIG3, a professional 3-on-3 league founded in 2017 by hip hopper/actor Ice Cube.

Four returning guards are co-captains Marcel Brown and Robby Jones, Darric Myers and 2-time Mid-Atlantic Conference 3-point contest champion Terrance Thompson. Adding depth to the front line are Kevin McLaughlin and Noris Cuevas.

"We have nine or 10 guys who can start and win games against most teams," coach/general manager Brian Stasaitis said.

Opening day is Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m. against the DC Heat at the South End Community Center. Tickets are $10, and free for kids with an adult admission. Tickets may be ordered here.