Hempfield grad Kason Harrell shines in Irish league, hopes for G League opportunity

Adjusting to the time change in Ireland was a challenge, and not drawing a whistle when he attacked the rim like Michael Jordan used to against the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons also took some getting used to.

Kason Harrell learned the Irish eat large quantities of potatoes, night life in Dublin is a lot like it is in Pittsburgh and that foreign basketball players beam with curiosity when it comes to how the game is played in the states.

But more importantly, the 23-year-old discovered a sense of belonging during his first season of professional basketball, playing in a league some 3,400 miles away from home.

“I think it hit me after the first week over there,” Harrell said. “I’m the farthest I have ever been from home, and I am going to be here for five months. But I am doing what I love.”

A former Hempfield star who played collegiately at Fort Wayne, Harrell adapted quickly to playing for the Killester Basketball Club, Team Pyrobel, in Dublin. With Pyrobel already 10 games into the season by the time he signed and made the trip overseas, he immediately joined the starting five and ended up leading the team in scoring at 22.3 points a game — the third-best scoring average in the Super League.

Another moment of clarity hit Harrell on the court, in his first of 11 games.

“After my first bucket, I looked around and realized I am doing what I want to do. I am a pro player now,” Harrell said. “I made two free throws, and that kind of hit me.”

A 6-foot-2 point guard and the only American on his team, Harrell and Pyrobel (10-11) had their season cut short when covid-19 reared its head.

“We had one more game left before the playoffs,” Harrell said. “If we’d have won, we could have got in. The game was on a Saturday, but the Wednesday before, we got an email saying they postponed the rest of the season. It was crazy because we were playing our best basketball up to that point.”

A mad scramble ensued for those who lived outside of the country to get out. Harrell had to quickly find a flight out before the travel ban kicked in.

About 12 hours from the time he boarded a plane in Dublin — and missed his connector in New Jersey — he made it back to Westmoreland County.

“I was excited to come home to see my family again,” Harrell said. “Five months can take a toll. I have mixed emotions about what happened.”

Harrell’s parents, Louis and Terri, came to visit him just before New Year’s Day. Harrell then was able to share some of his experiences as a rookie in the country known for its shamrocks and suds.

Crowds are small but packed along the sidelines of tight gyms.

One of his first observations, though, was the way the game is played.

The lane closes very quickly in the Super League. Harrell, though, knows something about flying elbows. He once had a tooth knocked out during a game in college.

“I had to get used to the physicality,” he said. “When you go hard to the hoop and get hammered and don’t get the call, it’s an adjustment. I worked on my game to try and initiate contact more.”

Super League teams play just one game a week — on Saturdays or Sundays — during a 22-game regular season (and playoffs) that run from October to April. Harrell netted a season-high 30 points, including seven 3-pointers, in an 83-70 win over Keanes Supervalu Killorglin.

“You see a lot more passing and less isolation,” said Harrell, who scored 1,905 career points at Hempfield and 1,349 in college. “I told my teammates I am used to getting 10 or 11 free throws a game.”

As for the culture, Harrell likened downtown Dublin to the Steel City.

“It’s a smaller version of Pittsburgh,” he said. “There are a lot of bars, places to eat and cool things to look at. “The people here eat an insane amount of potatoes.”

The slate-grey skies and dreary weather in Ireland had an effect on Harrell early during his stay.

“There was a lot of rain,” he said. “The first few weeks I had trouble sleeping. My body wasn’t adjusted. I’d call my mom to talk at like 3 or 4 in the morning. She’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ ”

With his one-year deal finished, Harrell is unsure if he will try to return to the Super League next season.

He is hoping for another shot at the NBA G League. He had a brief stint with the league’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers’ affiliate, but was released last November and did not make the regular-season roster.

For now, he is a free agent with a taste for pro hoops, a sharper focus and faith in another opportunity.

“My name is out there with some G League teams,” he said. “Everything is on hold right now everywhere. No one can do anything. God has helped me through everything. I am praying another opportunity comes along with the G League. I want to be able to make a living playing the game I love.”