Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Talkin' Hoops with Halifax Rainmen Assistant Coach, Shannon Hansen

With the Halifax Rainmen coming off one of its most successful season to date, Halifax Rainmen assistant coach, Shannon Hansen, was there from the beginning.  Shannon started with the Rainmen in their inaugural season and now is one of Les Berry's assistant coaches.  Even though the PBL is in its offseason, it has been  a busy period.  First of all, the Manchester Millrats have relocated to Saint John, New Brunswick and will be one of the Rainmen's rivals next season.  Also, Andre Levingston was named the new president of the PBL while maintaining his role of owner and CEO of the Halifax Rainmen.  I asked Shannon his thoughts on Andre's recent promotion, his coaching background and what his thoughts were with the NBA free agent frenzy.
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Romy (Haligonia.ca): First of all, what are your thoughts on Andre Levingston's promotion to the role of President of the PBL? What changes do you anticipate next season with the Andre running the league?

Shannon Hansen: First off, Andre's promotion is a great thing for the PBL. His fire for the sport is unrivaled and he will definitely propel the league. With him at the helm, I definitely expect more stable teams in the PBL over the next few years as well as a longer season sooner than later.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): So let's hear a bit about your background....break down your coaching career and how you got involved with the Rainmen.

Shannon Hansen: I have been in basketball my whole life but I have been serious about coaching for the last several years and one of the things that drives me is seeing players learn to thrive as they improve their game which has driven me to training as well. I really love to teach the game. I was one of the first year staff and have been here since.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): We're in the PBL offseason, what's the next order of business for the Rainmen during the summer?

Shannon Hansen: Next for the Rainmen, is to find talented and skilled guys who can fit into the system to add to the team. Whoever we bring in must compliment the system and be ready to produce if we are going to reach the elite level in the PBL. We just have to resign the key guys, decide which role players to bring back and add one or two key guys. Then it's time to compete for the championship

Romy (Haligonia.ca): What was your favourite moment of the past Halifax Rainmen season?

Shannon Hansen: One of my fav moments of this past year was the Jevohn Shepherd dunk. Crazy!

Romy (Haligonia.ca): You were recently at the Provincial Black Basketball tourney, what have been your impressions of Halifax as a basketball city?

Shannon Hansen: Halifax is a great basketball city. The love and enthusiasm are off the charts here, so is the talent, it's just a matter of developing it. The tourney is a great example of that.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Ok, let's talk NBA. On July 1st, who's going where? Does Lebron/Wade/Bosh stay put? Or are they on the move?

Shannon Hansen: The new big three could all end up in Chicago or Miami but don’t count out New Jersey. They may jump in and steal a guy. As a young squad, they are one key guy away from being a real threat in the East. Unless Cleveland makes some major trades, LBJ and Bosh are gone.
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 A big thanks goes out to Shannon for taking the time to answer our questions, be sure to catch more about Shannon and the Halifax Rainmen at the Halifax Rainmen official website, Rainmenbasketball.ca

Check out previous Rainmen-related Q and A's:

Romy Aquino covers the pro basketball game (the Canadian Flavour of the NBA, the PBL's Halifax Rainmen) from a fan's perspective.  He also can be found at NBA hoops blogs, Hip Hoop Junkies (A Member of TheScore.com's Sports Federation) and Hoop Heads North.  Follow him on Twitter: @romyaquino

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