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the NAIA Division II national tournament.
In addition, daughter Kara, played for USD. Son Colton played at
Minnesota before transferring to Colorado State for his senior year,
leading the Rams to the NCAA Division I tournament.
As MMC athletic director, Chuck guided the Lancers from a small
program with an independent schedule to conference memberships
and growth in the number of sports and athletes. MMC currently
belongs to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), considered
one of the toughest NAIA leagues in the nation.
“Back then (when I started), we had four sports and 45 athletes,”
Iverson said. “Today, we have 17 sports with 250 athletes, along with
two club sports.”
Iverson said he didn’t take a hard line as a coach or athletic director.
“I wanted people to feel comfortable around me,” he said. “As an AD, I
didn’t want people to fear me. If they had something on their mind, I
wanted them to talk to me about it.”
In recent years, Chuck has enjoyed a re-connection with
professional basketball.
Colton, a 7-foot center, was picked 53rd overall by the Boston
Celtics in the 2013 NBA draft. He played in the Celtics’ summer
league. He didn’t appear headed for a roster spot, but the Celtics
maintained their rights to him.
Since graduating from college, Colton has played professional
basketball in Turkey, Spain and Israel.
“We’ve made three trips overseas to see Colton play international
basketball,” Chuck said. “We were in Istanbul (Turkey), where you step
back in time. Istanbul is so crowded, with 14 million people, it takes
you a while to get through the city. It’s almost claustrophobic.”
Colton next played in a Spanish city of 250,000 residents as part of
the Euroleague, Chuck said. The smaller city had more of a wide-open
atmosphere compared to Istanbul’s hustle and bustle, he added.
Most recently, Colton played for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli
Basketball Premier League. Chuck said he was astounded by the mix of
Biblical and modern settings in the same nation.
“Tel Aviv is ultra-modern, like any U.S. city. Then you go 30 miles
out, and it’s like being back in Christ’s time,” he said. “You’re walking
the same steps that Jesus walked. You read the Bible, and you’re setting
foot in the same area. It’s mind blowing.”
The Iversons ran into another mixture of Biblical and modern life.
“Colton and I prayed at the Wailing Wall. The women were sent
to another area to pray, so Carla and Colton’s wife just waited for us,”
Chuck said. “After we were done praying, we started walking away.
People came up to us, mostly little kids, to get a picture with Colton. It
all seemed surreal.”
It’s so great to watch your son play. You get the chance to be
exposed to all sorts of culture.
Colton has returned to the United States, where he’s assessing his
future. In one respect, he’s followed his father’s footsteps.
Chuck lifted his legs, showing his large feet. “My shoe size is 16, but
Colton’s got me beat — he’s a size 18,” Chuck said with a laugh.
Fond Farewells
Chuck looks forward to his final year at MMC. He believes the
athletic department has been left in good hands with new athletic
director Chris Kassin and the rest of the staff, including new men’s
basketball coach Cody Schilling.
“Chris and Cody will be tremendous assets,” he said.
However, Iverson said he will miss the relationships he has
developed with the MMC staff, players and parents, and the
community in general.
“As for President Marc Long, I believe in his leadership and
direction. He has attracted quality people,” Iverson said. “I’m proud to
be part of this college. Great things are happening, and we have a really
exciting future.”
Iverson credits one other special group in his life.
“The (Benedictine) Sisters are great people to be around,” he said.
“We have tremendous hospitality here, and there isn’t anything the
Sisters won’t do for the college and community.”
Iverson remains forever grateful for the many gifts that basketball
has brought to his life.
“Basketball opened up a lot of possibilities. I was so fortunate how
things fell into place,” he said. “I met a lot of good people, and the sport
instilled a discipline that I use in everyday life.”
Iverson lives just a few miles from his boyhood farm near Meckling
and his college years at Vermillion. However, he has also come a long
way since then in terms of achievements.
“I’m very fortunate and blessed,” he said. “How can you not have a
good outlook on life?”
vBy Randy Dockendorf
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