| Halifax Rainmen | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| League | American Basketball Association 2007–2008 Premier Basketball League 2008–2011 National Basketball League of Canada[1] 2011-present |
| Team history | Halifax Rainmen 2007–present |
| Arena | Halifax Metro Centre 2007–present |
| Based in | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Team colours | Navy Blue, Sky Blue, White |
| Owner | Andre Levingston |
| Head coach | Josep Claros |
| Championships | None |
| Division titles | None |
| Dancers | The Weather Girls |
| Mascot | Thunder |
| Website | rainmenbasketball.ca |
The Halifax Rainmen are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball League of Canada[1] based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Rainmen were part of the Atlantic Division of the Premier Basketball League (PBL), and formerly played out of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team plays its home games at the 11,093-seat Halifax Metro Centre.
Andre Levingston is the team's majority owner and president. David Dobbin, president of Repechage Investments Ltd. and locally based women's university basketball star, Jadranka Crnogorac are minority owners of the club.[2]
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The American Basketball Association announced on August 23, 2006, that Halifax, Nova Scotia, had been granted an expansion franchise for the 2007-2008 season.[3] A local contest was later held among fans to help name the team, and on December 19, 2006, the organization unveiled that they would be known as the Halifax Rainmen.
The Rainmen hosted the 2007 ABA All-Star Game ten months before the team started play. Joe Newman, the league's chairman, figured it would be an excellent way to promote Canadian expansion.
On May 30, 2007, the team announced their home venue, the Halifax Metro Centre, and head coach, Kevin MaBone. Mabone later stepped down due to a family illness and was replaced as head coach by Rick Lewis. Shannon Hansen and Daniel Freiberg joined Lewis on the coaching staff as assistants.
The Rainmen's first two player signings were Peter Benoite and Chad Eichelberger. Benoite was a former CIS standout for the Memorial Sea-Hawks, and is currently the Sea-Hawks head coach.[4]
Days before their first game, the Rainmen announced the signing of star Canadian guard Jermaine Anderson, a veteran member of the Canadian National basketball team.
The Rainmen played their inaugural season in the Northeast Division of the Blue Conference in the American Basketball Association. The team won its first-ever game on November 15, 2007 at the Metro Center, against the Boston Blizzard by a score of 136-103, in front of 4,343 fans. Halifax went on to lose seven straight before their next win, against the Montreal Royal.[5] The Rainmen ended the season with a record of 12 wins and 20 losses.
Eric Crookshank led the Rainmen during the season, averaging 20.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He was also named to the All-ABA first team.[6] Crookshank and Brian Silverhorn were both chosen to represent the Rainmen at the 2008 ABA All-Star Weekend, in Vermont. Halifax lead the American Basketball Association in attendance during the year.
On March 19, 2008, the Rainmen withdrew from the ABA due to the ownership's dissatisfaction with the league's management. The team announced their intention to pursue membership in the NBA Development League.[7] D-League president, Dan Reed, visited Halifax and the Metro Centre. While he stated was impressed with the city, owner, and arena, he said that for travel costs and other reasons, 2008-2009 expansion would be unlikely, and a more likely expansion target would be the 2009-2010 season.[8] On June 23, the Rainmen joined the Premier Basketball League.[9]
The Rainmen kicked off their inaugural PBL season by placing former Rainmen Eric Crookshank, Kadiri Richard, Brian Silverhorn and Jimmy Twyman on their protected players list, giving them exclusive PBL negotiating rights to the four.[10] Halifax then received the second overall pick in the PBL Entry Draft, held in Chicago, Illinois.[11] With the pick the Rainmen selected former Acadia Axemen all-star Walter Moyse. With their second-round pick, Halifax selected David Bailey, formerly of the Maryland Nighthawks. Ultimately, Moyse could not come to terms with the team.
In early November, 2008, the Rainmen signed Bailey for the 2009 season, along with former ABA All-Stars Rob Sanders, a former Manchester Millrat, and Cordell Jeanty, formerly of the Montreal Royal. Jimmy Twyman and Brian Silverhorn returned to the team along with newcomers Kevin Hammack and Tyronne McNeal. Forward Kadiri Richard was granted a release and was signed by PBL rival the Wilmington Sea Dawgs.
On November 17, the Rainmen re-signed All-Star Eric Crookshank, who had turned down offers from the Vermont Frost Heaves and various overseas teams to sign with the Rainmen. Later that month, the Rainmen signed Jason McGriff, Rodney Mayes and Canadian Jabulah Murray. McGriff and Murray failed to report to the team. With training camp underway, the Rainmen signed shooting guard Glen Dandridge, a former three-year member of the University of Missouri basketball program, to fill the void left by their departures.
Halifax won in their Premier Basketball League opener 110-108 versus the hosting Quebec Kebs on January 2, 2009. Earlier in the day, the Rainmen signed guard Zach Ramey, formerly of the Rockford Fury.[12] The Rainmen played their home-opener seven days later against the Kebs, winning in front of over 4,000 fans.
On January 14, the team suspended star Eric Crookshank for the season, with pay, following a series of conflicts with Coach Rick Lewis. The Rainmen did not comment on the cause.
On February 3, the team released Rick Lewis, the head coach and general manager, citing poor results in weekend games at Vermont and Manchester. The team's record was 6-5 at that point, dropping the Rainmen a game behind in a tight divisional race with Vermont and Manchester. Rodney Mayes, one of last of the players signed in late November, was also released. Assistant Shannon Hanson served briefly as interim head coach. Following Lewis' dismissal, Crookshank was reinstated.
On February 5, the Rainmen announced Halifax native Les Berry as the new head coach. Berry previously led Acadia University within one win of the national CIS Men's Basketball championship. The team was then bolstered by the signings of guard Tony Bennett who played his college ball at Bradley University and PBL leading scorer A.J. Millien. Although Berry lead the team to a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, the Rainmen failed to qualify for the PBL playoffs.
Following the season, Millien was named "PBL Newcomer of the Year" while Tony Bennett was named to the PBL All-Defensive team.
The Rainmen's first move of the 2009-2010 season was to re-sign coach Les Berry. Berry and team owner Andre Levingston began recruiting during the offseason and signed a number of players, including former NBA'er Desmond Ferguson. Tony Bennett, Eric Crookshank, and John Strickland were all re-signed for the 2009-2010 season.
At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, the Rainmen re-signed Head Coach Les Berry and welcomed back veteran players Eric Crookshank and Desmond Ferguson to the roster. The Rainmen also re-signed 6'1 point guard Taliek Brown, who joined the team during the 2009-2010 season but did not play due to a family emergency.
During the pre-season, the Rainmen added Kavon Jones, Josh Dollard, Tajuan Porter, Mike Mercer, Marshall Brown and Tommy Mitchell. On January 14, the organization added former NBA Development League Forward/Centre James "Boo" Jackson to their lineup.
On January 22, the Rainmen announced the addition of Kirk Snyder to their roster but after playing three games between the 23rd of January and the 30th of January, they waived him.
On January 23, Les Berry’s tenure as Head Coach of the Halifax Rainmen ended by mutual consent. While the Rainmen had been pleased with Berry’s performance, the decision for his resignation came after he was presented with an opportunity to build his career outside of the sports arena.
During the week of January 24, former NBA player, scout and coach Mike Evans was named as head coach of the Rainmen for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. Throughout his basketball career, Evans played at Kansas State University, where he remains the all-time leading points scorer with 2,115 points. In 1978, the Denver Nuggets selected Evans as the 21st overall pick in the NBA draft. Over the next nine years, Evans enjoyed a successful career playing for the San Antonio Spurs, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets. During his career, Evans was regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. After his retirement, Evans joined the Denver Nuggets’ coaching staff, where he later took on the role of Head Coach after the firing of Dan Issel. In 2006, Evans joined the Toronto Raptors organization where he worked as a scout, and was later promoted to the role of Assistant Coach.
The Rainmen ended their 2010-11 season as the fourth place team in the PBL after falling to the Lawton Fort Sill Cavalry in the final game of their series (1-2). In the first game of the series, the Cavalry beat the Rainmen in Halifax by one point in overtime. Four days later, the Rainmen beat the Cavalry by ten points in Oklahoma, where the Cavalry had not lost in three years.
After the controversy surrounding the Rochester Razorsharks's advancement through the PBL playoffs, the Rainmen joined the Saint John Mill Rats in disassociating themselves from the PBL within one hour after the playoffs ended. The decision to withdraw from the league was made upon the Rochester RazorSharks being crowned as PBL champions over the Lawton Fort-Sill Cavalry, with controversies over the officiating of games, as the RazorHawks and the league share a common owner. Rainmen owner Andre Levingston was quoted as saying, “I am appalled by the officiating that took place during the playoffs, and am ashamed of the PBL’s operations this season. I want nothing but the best for our city, our fans, our sponsors, and our players, and I can say with confidence that the best is no longer found in the PBL.” The Quebec Kebs followed suit one day later.
On 12 May 2011, the Rainmen, Mill Rats, and Kebs founded the National Basketball League of Canada.[1]
The Rainmen will be one of seven teams competing in NBL Canada's inaugural season, joining past PBL rivals the Quebec Kebs and Saint John Mill Rats along with new teams the London Lightning, Moncton Miracles Oshawa Power, and Summerside Storm.
On October 18, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed 6'0 guard Christian "T-Bear" Upshaw. Upshaw was the 3rd highest scorer in the Atlantic University Sport last year averaging 18.9 points a game for St. Francis Xavier University (St. FX). In 2009-2010 "T-Bear" was named MVP of the AUS and was a CIS All-Canadian.
On November 4, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen suspended centre DeAndre Thomas indefinitely and forward Eric Crookshank for 1 game due to a violation of league and club policies.
On November 4, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed 6'1 guard Joey Haywood. Haywood attended Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and went on the become the leading scorer for 3 straight years in the CIS. Last season he averaged 28.9 points a game and earned the title of MVP in the AUS.
On November 10, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed ex NBA players Orien Greene and Richard Delk.
On November 14, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen made their first trade of the season, trading former NBA player, Rodney Buford, to the London Lightning in exchange for 6'6" forward, Tyrone Levett.
On November 14, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed 6'9 centre Stevy Worah-Ozimo.
On November 27, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen released Stevy Worah-Ozimo and activated 6'9 centre and former NBA player Eddie Robinson.
On December 3, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed 5'9 guard Chris Hagan and released Richard Delk.
On December 7, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen released the 6'4 canadian Papa Oppong and the ex NBA player Orien Greene.
On December 13, 2011 the Halifax Rainmen signed 6'9 canadian Troy Gottselig and placed Abdullahi Kuso on injury reserved.
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In the following table of results, green rows denote Rainmen victories and red rows denote defeats. The Rainmen's score is given first, followed by that of the opponents.
| Date | Opponent | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3 | at London Lightning | 110-118 | Wright (29) | Wright (9) | Brown/Hawkins/Johnson/Crookshank/Dorsey (2) | John Labatt Centre | 0-1 |
| November 5 | London Lightning | 90-109 | Brown (21) | Kuso (11) | Brown (5) | Halifax Metro Centre | 0-2 |
| November 10 | Moncton Miracles | 121-95 | Wright(26) | Crookshank (11) | Brown (10) | Halifax Metro Centre | 1-2 |
| November 13 | Summerside Storm | 100-93 | Greene (18) | Crookshank (13) | Brown (7) | Halifax Metro Centre | 2-2 |
| November 18 | Saint John Mill Rats | 122-104 | Haywood (26) | Kuso (8) | Brown (11) | Halifax Metro Centre | 3-2 |
| November 27 | at Oshawa Power | 111-115 | Haywood (20) | Kuso/Levett (5) | Haywood/Greene (4) | General Motors Centre | 3-3 |
| December 2 | at Saint John Mill Rats | 92-97 | Haywood (18) | Levett (10) | Johnson (7) | Harbour Station | 3-4 |
| December 4 | Moncton Miracles | 104-95 | Wright (26) | Kuso (11) | Haywood/Brown (8) | Halifax Metro Centre | 4-4 |
| December 8 | at Summerside Storm | 97-96 | Wright (18) | Crookshank (10) | Hagan (5) | Consolidated Credit Union Place | 5-4 |
| December 10 | Quebec Kebs | 97-83 | Crookshank (17) | Kuso (6) | Brown (7) | Halifax Metro Centre | 6-4 |
| December 15 | at Summerside Storm | 122-107 | Wright (19) | Crookshank (10) | Brown (11) | Consolidated Credit Union Place | 7-4 |
| December 18 | Oshawa Power | 109-108 | Wright (23) | Levett (8) | Brown (4) | Halifax Metro Centre | 8-4 |
| December 23 | at Quebec Kebs | 93-92 | Levett (19) | Levett (9) | Brown (6) | PEPS | 9-4 |
| December 24 | at Oshawa Power | 125-99 | Brown/Wright (18) | Gottselig (9) | Brown (8) | General Motors Centre | 10-4 |
| January 1 | Oshawa Power | 133-99 | Wright (28) | Johnson (7) | Dorsey (6) | Halifax Metro Centre | 11-4 |
| January 5 | Oshawa Power | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 7 | at London Lightning | John Labatt Centre | |||||
| January 10 | at Moncton Miracles | Moncton Coliseum | |||||
| January 14 | Saint John Mill Rats | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 19 | at London Lightning | John Labatt Centre | |||||
| January 21 | Quebec Kebs | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 22 | Summerside Storm | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 26 | at Summerside Storm | Consolidated Credit Union Place | |||||
| January 27 | London Lightning | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 28 | Summerside Storm | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| January 30 | at Moncton Miracles | Moncton Coliseum | |||||
| February 3 | at Quebec Kebs | PEPS | |||||
| February 5 | at Moncton Miracles | Moncton Coliseum | |||||
| February 10 | at Oshawa Power | General Motors Centre | |||||
| February 19 | London Lightning | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| February 20 | at Saint John Mill Rats | Harbour Station | |||||
| February 23 | Quebec Kebs | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| February 24 | Saint John Mill Rats | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| February 26 | at Quebec Kebs | Colisée Pepsi | |||||
| March 1 | Moncton Miracles | Halifax Metro Centre | |||||
| March 4 | at Saint John Mill Rats | Harbour Station |
| Halifax Rainmen season-by-season record | ||||||||||||||
| Season | League | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Winning Percentage | Play-offs | ||||||||
| 2007–2008 | ABA | 32 | 12 | 20 | .375 | Withdrew from ABA before play-offs | ||||||||
| 2009 | PBL | 20 | 12 | 8 | .600 | Did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2010 | PBL | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | Lost in Semi-Finals to Lawton-Fort Sill | ||||||||
| 2011 | PBL | 20 | 10 | 10 | .500 | Lost in Semi-Finals to Lawton-Fort Sill | ||||||||
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