Rainmen-Mill Rats Game Preview with Saint John GM and President, Ian McCarthy

by Romy Aquino

For the first time in the National Basketball League of Canada season, the Halifax Rainmen (2-2) face off against their old Maritime rivals, the Saint John Mill Rats (2-3).  Led by NBL leading scorer, Anthony Anderson (20.0 ppg), the Mill Rats have strung together a couple of wins after starting off the season with three straight losses. The Rainmen and Mill Rats have a history dating back to the ABA days and will now face off again in the National Basketball League of Canada on Friday night in Halifax.

Ian McCarthy is the GM and President of the Mill Rats and has been a member of the team since its inception in Manchester.  The Saint John Mill Rats had a successful season last year in their inaugural season in Saint John, bringing a professional basketball team to New Brunswick.  I had a chance to talk to Ian about the Mill Rats, the new league and all the internet buzz about Matt Bonner playing for Saint John.

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Romy (Sportstream.ca): First off, you have been with the Mill Rats organization throughout three basketball leagues: the ABA, the PBL and now the National Basketball League of Canada. We're a few weeks into the season, what has been your impression of this new league? 


Ian McCarthy: This league has been great so far. Very competitive and some really exciting games only two weeks in. I believe we already had two overtime games. The response from fans and first time viewers has been a resounding 'thumbs up' on the product.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): What types of improvements have you seen with this league in comparison to the leagues the Mill Rats have been with before? 


Ian McCarthy: As far as ownership and management of the teams and league, it has been no comparison. Its light years ahead. We are all treating this like a major league because that is its potential. We don't even want the word 'minor' to be used when mentioning this level of basketball because of the negative connotations that the U.S. based minor leagues have caused.

We are enjoying the faster pace of the FIBA rules for one. Secondly the officiating, for the most part, has been really sound. In the prior leagues teams were spread out so much that due to cost, you almost always had hometown officials. In this league they are rotated around pretty well. And teams in this league take our league mandates very seriously. Everyone handles their business whether it's being a great host to a visiting team, or keeping a website up to date, we are all doing it.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): This Friday will mark the first matchup between one of the Mill Rats' arch rivals, the Halifax Rainmen. Based on your knowledge of this year's Rainmen roster, what will be some of the biggest challenges the Mill Rats will face on Friday? 


Ian McCarthy: Despite all of the early season changes, the Rainmen have assembled a formidable roster. Coach Salerno from Summerside texted me after their last game that 'Orien Greene is the best player in the League.' And that was after seeing him play just once. I was a fan of Greene's the year he played with the Celtics. Joey Haywood has been impressive earning Player of the Week honours so quickly. So we definitely have our work cut out for us.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): Your Mill Rats had a rocky start going 0-3, but are now on a two-game win streak including a win over the tough London Lightning, who have been some of the highlight players on this year's roster? 


Ian McCarthy: We did have a rocky start but it really feels like there is so much parity in this League that any team can win on any given night. So just like in the games there a series of runs each team will make, so too with the wins and losses. We were still a confident team after starting 0-3. Antoine Tisby's ability to dominate has been the biggest surprise. Our lineups have evolved to give him room to operate. Steve Deluca has materialized from walk on, to bench player, to starter, and is now bordering on playing at an all-star type level. And of course our starting backcourt has been amazing with Will Blalock and Anthony Anderson. For Anthony to have fully recovered from the achilles injury he suffered at the Metro Centre on Mar 31 so quickly is great to see.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): There has been a lot of buzz this week about Matt Bonner exploring other playing opportunities, including the Saint John Mill Rats. Briefly explain Matt Bonner's connection to the Mill Rats. 


Ian McCarthy: Matt grew up near Manchester, NH with David Cooper. He is, in fact, the only player from the Granite State to ever make the NBA. His brother, Luke, played briefly for us in 2010 and Matt's foundation was a team sponsor when we were in Manchester.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): Having Matt Bonner play in the NBL would provide such a positive impact to the reputation and notoriety of the league. In your opinion, is this playing opportunity a realistic option for Matt Bonner? 


Ian McCarthy: I can't speculate accurately about whether he will play in the NBL Canada yet. Its something that's been discussed. Two barriers had been insurance for his contract and his role with the NBA Players Association. With the dissolution of the union those may or may not still be barriers. But the door is certainly open.

Romy (Sportstream.ca): Finally, with the NBA season looking bleak, do you anticipate more highly-skilled players with NBA/NBA D-League-type talent exploring playing opportunities with the NBL? 


Ian McCarthy: Like Andre, we are in talks with a number of current and former NBA players, to gauge their interest in playing. It has been surprising the number of really high-level players have reached out to our league already. Of course, Halifax seems to have the market cornered with former NBA players recently!

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Find out more about the Mill Rats at their official website. 


Thanks goes out to Ian McCarthy for taking part in our Rainmen-Mill Rats game preview, catch the Maritime rivals, Halifax Rainmen and Saint John Mill Rats at the Halifax Metro Centre on Friday night.  Catch the live feed here on Sportstream.ca!

Photo courtesy of the Saint John Mill Rats

Romy Aquino covers the pro basketball game (the National Basketball League of Canada including the Halifax Rainmen, the NBA/Toronto Raptors) from a fan's perspective.  He also can be found at NBA hoops blog, Hip Hoop Junkies and writing about the NBL/Rainmen at NorthPoleHoops.com.  Follow him on Twitter: @romyaquino

Rainmen-Mill Rats Game Preview with Saint John President and GM, Ian McCarthy

by Romy Aquino

Saturday night will mark the beginning of a professional basketball rivalry here in the Maritimes.  The Mill Rats PBL franchise moved from Manchester, New Hampshire to Saint John, New Brunswick during this past offseason and by location alone, the team is an ideal rival for the Halifax Rainmen.

The start of this rivalry will begin on Saturday evening when the Halifax Rainmen (4-2) take on the Saint John Mill Rats (2-3) at the Halifax Metro Centre (7:00 PM AST) and will be the first regular season matchup between the two Maritime teams.  A few notable players on the Mill Rats roster include former Halifax Rainmen guard, Eric Gilchrese, and Canadian talents: UNB alumni, Mike Anderson and Toronto native, Jeff Ferguson.

Ian McCarthy is the President and General Manager of the Saint John Mill Rats and has been with the team since its inception in 2007.  I had the chance to preview Saturday night's Rainmen-Mill Rats matchup with Ian, discussed the new additions to the Mill Rats roster and got his thoughts on the now defunct PBL franchise, the Vermont Frost Heaves.

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Romy (Haligonia.ca): First off, how has the move of the Mill Rats from Manchester to Saint John been so far? 


Ian McCarthy: The move has been an incredible experience. Harbour Station is an amazing venue, so the presentation to the fans, and the experience for the players is first class.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  What has the response been like in the Saint John community?

Ian McCarthy:  The fan response and the community response has been great. We have over 2,000 season tickets and have averaged 4,000 fans per game thus far, compared with 500 or less last season in Manchester.


Romy (Haligonia.ca): The weekend will be the beginning of a new rivalry between the Halifax Rainmen and the Saint John Mill Rats, what is the scoop with this new “Rogers Fan Cup” and also the friendly wager between the mayors of the two cities?


Ian McCarthy: The Fan Cup Challenge is basically a competition that Andre (Levingston) and I discussed doing and it has grown into a friendly wager between the Mayors. It's a way to allow the fans of each team to compete directly with each other, in addition to the teams playing each other.

We're looking forward to the Mayor Kelly wearing a Mill Rats jersey to a Council Meeting this spring!


Romy (Haligonia.ca): In your opinion, what will be the biggest challenge for the Mill Rats when they face off against Halifax on Saturday?


Ian McCarthy: The biggest challenge we will have Saturday is playing together with our roster changes. (Tyrelle) Blair is a new addition and (Marc) Egerson is probably not going to play due to a lower leg strain. If we can play our brand of basketball and get contributions from our new guys, we should be fine.


Romy (Haligonia.ca): Let’s hear the scouting report on some on the newest guys on the Mill Rats roster: Rob Diggs, Ross Demasi and Tyrelle Blair. What do they bring to the Mill Rats?


Ian McCarthy: Diggs had a great first game (23 points, 9 rebounds). He's athletic, runs the court, and has good post moves. Blair is a shot blocker and inside presence. We acquired the rights to Demasi but we have not signed him yet and he will not be in uniform on Saturday.


Romy (Haligonia.ca): In other PBL news, the Mill Rats former arch rivals (when they were back in Manchester), the Vermont Frost Heaves, folded this week. What was your initial reaction when you heard the news? 


Ian McCarthy: We were all aware as a league that Vermont was in a fragile condition financially and we decided to give them a chance to play this year due to their history and their value as a rival and as a travel partner. So it wasn't a huge surprise. I think in hindsight we could have provided them with more guidance as to how to manage the budget they did have and the pitfalls of minor league sports. They were fans after all and really wanted to win badly as well.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  How does this affect your team going forward?


Ian McCarthy:  It really hasn't affected us other than rescheduling one home and one road game, and we get to play Quebec and Halifax in the additional games.


Romy (Haligonia.ca): Will there be a friendly wager between you and Andre Levingston in this new Maritime rivalry?


Ian McCarthy: Good question! Its not something we've discussed because we've both been tending to our team's business everyday, but perhaps we can think of something!

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Thanks goes out to Ian McCarthy for taking part in the Rainmen-Mill Rats game preview, catch the Maritime rivals, Halifax Rainmen and Saint John Mill Rats at the Halifax Metro Centre on Saturday night.  Catch it live online here on Haligonia.ca!

Photo courtesy of the Saint John Mill Rats

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 blog, Hip Hoop Junkies (A Member of TheScore.com's Sports Federation) and writing about the PBL/Rainmen at NorthPoleHoops.com.  Follow him on Twitter: @romyaquino

Millrats-Rainmen Game Preview with Ian McCarthy, Manchester GM

The Halifax Rainmen (7-2) will celebrate Valentine's Day with a matchup against the Manchester Millrats (2-6) here in Halifax.  Like the Buffalo Stampede's schedule last weekend, Manchester has back to back games in Canada facing off the Quebec Kebs on Saturday afternoon and then heads to Halifax for a Sunday afternoon matchup.  The Millrats have made numerous roster changes since their 107-99 loss to the Halifax Rainmen back on January 24th and will roll into the Metro Centre with a new-look roster. 


I had the chance to to ask Ian McCarthy, Manchester's GM a little about the roster changes, the scouting report on Charles "The Beast" Easterling and his thoughts on the upcoming Rainmen-Millrats matchup.
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Romy (Haligonia.ca):  How has the roster changed since the last time the Rainmen and Millrats faced off?

Ian McCarthy:  Since we last played on the 24th, which seems like 3 months ago but it's only been 3 weeks, we've had a lot of changes. In fact only six players remain on our roster from that game.

Replacing Anthony Anderson, Al Stewart, Alexus Foyle, and Jose Guitian has been Charles Easterling, Charles Mason, Charles Bronson, and Julian Allen.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): What’s the scouting report on the new guy, Charles “The Beast” Easterling? What does he bring to Manchester?

Ian McCarthy:  The Beast is a power combo guard. He played for Manchester and Boston back in the ABA in 2007-2008, so I think your fans may remember him. He is very crafty with the ball and strong getting to the basket.

After Anderson left for Venezuela, we played a game against Vermont (a double OT loss), and we only had two ball handlers on our roster, which hurt us. So we have stayed in touch with Charles since our tryout camps and felt he could help be that additional ball handler.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Minor league basketball is known for constant roster changes and you’ve seen it first hand with a few faces leaving the team to pursue other playing opportunities. What’s the rundown on these guys and where did they head to?

Ian McCarthy: It's one of our three missions in what we do. Obviously we want to win a championship, we want to be successful off the court, and thirdly we want to be a place that helps players further their professional basketball career.

This year we have been more successful in the latter two, but we have been competitive every game, and at the end of the day, that's all a coach can ask. Despite helping five players move on in their careers in five weeks, we've been leading in the second half or even the final minute in all of our 7 losses. So yes that can be frustrating on one hand, but to win close games you need to have cohesiveness and veteran leadership, and that has been a challenge this season. I chose to look on the bright side and point out that we have our opponents respect. Also, the season is still young and there are a lot more games to be played.

As for the players who have left, Anthony Anderson went to Venezuela but may be returning next week. Alexus Foyle was named the MVP in Taiwan his first week there. PJ Young has gone to the Dominican Republic, and Jose Guitian to Puerto Rico. Luke Bonner, who left just prior to our last game vs. Halifax, will be suiting up for the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): What will Manchester have to do to prepare for this upcoming matchup with Halifax?

Ian McCarthy:  This is another tough weekend for us due to the travel. We are playing Quebec Saturday afternoon, then driving through the night to Halifax.

On the court, we need to play together, run our sets, and give maximum effort. If we do that we will be fine. Halifax is a great team (with two former Millrats I might add), and they seem to be gelling at the right time.
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The Manchester Millrats head to the Halifax Metro Centre this Sunday to face off against the Halifax Rainmen at 4:00pm (watch the game live here on Haligonia.ca!).  A huge thanks goes out Ian McCarthy for taking the time again to answer our questions, be sure to check out more about the Manchester Millrats at their official website.  Also, check out the last game preview with Ian McCarthy here.

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