Breakers Sign Seven-Foot EuroLeague Giant for NBL21

The Sky Sport Breakers have recruited the tallest import in the club’s 17-year history to bolster its already impressive NBL21 roster.
American Colton Iverson was a second-round pick for the Indiana Pacers in the 2013 NBA Draft and stands at seven feet or 2.13metres tall.
The only other seven-footers to have previously played for the Breakers are Alex Pledger and Ben Pepper.
Iverson’s massive frame fills the second and final import spot available on the Breakers’ NBL21 roster after snapping up two-time NBL All-Star and former Atlanta Hawks Small Forward Lamar Patterson last month.
31-year-old Iverson brings a wealth of European experience to the Australian NBL, having played in Spain, Turkey, Israel and Russia.
The South Dakota native was averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 37 EuroLeague games for Zenit Saint Petersburg last season, but Head Coach Dan Shamir says it is what he does off the ball which makes him extremely valuable to the Breakers.
“He will make Tom Abercrombie, Corey Webster and Lamar Patterson better,” says Shamir.
“The offensive screens that he sets, the separation he gets for these guys, and his ability to respond to every type of defence is going to make a significant difference on the court.
“Colton’s a system guy, he’s not a one-on-one player, he’s not a guy who gets on any team and automatically drops 20 points, and that’s not what we are looking for, we are looking for a piece that can make our systems work.
“The Breakers now have an established way of playing that Colton’s familiar with having been part of similar systems in a few other teams during his career.
“Centre is a very critical position, it’s a position that’s changed a lot in the last few years, and we’ve picked up someone who I see is an outstanding player in the five-man role.
“Colton can pass, has the body and the skill to have a presence in the paint at both ends of the floor, and, therefore, I think he will be a great player for us.”
Breakers Owner Matt Walsh says the delay to the start of the season has worked in the club’s favour in signing quality players like Iverson.
After being statistically the best team in the NBL in the second half of last season with the team he inherited, Walsh says Coach Shamir now has a roster of hand-picked players.
“Dan, Mody and Chanel have had valuable time to go out and build a roster that fits their system and style of coaching, putting together players they believe can compete for a championship,” he said.
“Last season, Dan came to New Zealand in July, and we rushed with our entire pre-season.
“It’s exciting we’ve just got one more roster spot to fill, it’s going to be a Kiwi or an Australian.
“We were able to scout a lot of guys in the New Zealand NBL, and there’s a lot of exciting talent out there, right now we’re still evaluating a lot of our options.”
Walsh also says discussions are continuing with a Next Star to fill RJ Hampton’s spot for the new season. 
“One of the great things is that we’ve been able to build such a strong roster that we can be selective with who we choose.
“The season is expected to tip off on or around January 15.”