Breaking Down The Boxscore - WEEKEND EDITION

Rainmen Record: 12W-7L
FROST HEAVES 107, RAINMEN 98
If Puerto Rico still had a team in the league, this would have been the game to decide whether Halifax held a playoff position.  But with both Vermont and Halifax locked into playoff spots, this game will play a part in this year's playoff seeding.  The Rainmen had a 12-point with 4:46 to play in regulation and then the Frost Heaves went off.  Vermont scored 18 straight points to take a 6-point lead with just 58 seconds to play.  Dwuan Rice scored 11 of his 20 points in that span as the Rainmen could not close out the Frost Heaves. 

2010 PBL All-Star, Dwuan Rice, led all scorers with 20 points.  Two Frost Heaves finished with double doubles, Jawan Bailey had 17 points and 16 rebounds, Ross DeMasi finished with 12 ponts, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and three steals.

On the Halifax side, Desmond Ferguson had 19 points while Eric Crookshank finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

RAINMEN 124, STAMPEDE 105
In the Rainmen's second road game in two nights, the Rainmen faced off one of the worst teams in the PBL, the Buffalo Stampede.  After a terrible loss from the previous night, the Rainmen had a chance to bounce back against the Stampede.  The Rainmen put out a balanced attack to defeat the Stampede 124-104 with seven Rainmen players in double figures.  Tony Bennett scored 20 points and dished out 13 assists.  Gregory Plummer had his best game of the season, dropping 19 points on the Stampede.

Buffalo had two players with 30+ points in the loss, Corey Herring scored 34 points while Mike Norwood finished with 33 points.

Next up, the Rainmen are back home to face off against the Quebec Kebs in their last regular season home game on Wednesday night, watch it live here on Haligonia.ca!

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

Rainmen-Frost Heaves Game Preview with Vermont Head Coach, Joe Salerno

When the Vermont Frost Heaves started the season off with the PBL season with a 0-3 record, the Frost Heaves organization decided to go with a new voice in the locker room and assigned assistant coach, Joe Salerno, into the head coach role.  Salerno, who is a Vermont native, was recently named the PBL's Coach of the Month.  Joe led the team to a winning record and now his Frost Heaves, along with the Halifax Rainmen, are locked into this season's playoffs.  The Vermont Frost Heaves currently hold a 10-7 record and are just on the tail of the 11-6 Halifax Rainmen.  The two teams face off in Vermont on Friday night and will now jockey for a position in this year's playoffs.  I had the chance to ask Joe about his team, Vermont's matchup with the Rainmen and how well his NCAA bracket did this year.
__________

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  The Frost Heaves had a rough opening schedule with a few road games to start the season but the second half of the schedule looked to be a bit more favourable and you guys are now gunning for a playoff spot. What has been the biggest improvement with this team?

Joe Salerno:  Having 8 of our first 9 games on the road was without question a challenge. I think we were the only team in the league that did not have a single home game in the month of January. So we knew coming in it was going to be difficult. I think we were able to use the schedule as motivation to prove to the league we were still capable of being competitive and making a run at a playoff spot. After going through some turmoil early on in the season, our greatest improvement has been coming together as a team, and buying in to playing "team basketball". As soon as we achieved this, the wins started coming.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  The season series between the Frost Heaves and the Halifax Rainmen is tied at one game a piece, what will you guys need to do to prepare for this upcoming matchup?

Joe Salerno:  Obviously, when you play a team for a third time in a season, both teams are pretty familiar with each other. Understanding their strengths, and weaknesses is crucial. Halifax in my mind has the most talented back court in the league. You could have a month to prepare, and I still wouldn't feel completely comfortable facing the Ervin, Bennett, Ferguson, and Gilchrese. But we will be ready to go. We will spend a lot of time in the film room this week, as well as putting in a couple of offensive wrinkles of our own.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):   What's the attitude like in the locker room? Are they prepared to finish the season off strong and nab a playoff spot?

Joe Salerno:  I think our attitude as a team is right about where it should be. We are playing loose, and playing with confidence. Coming into this game with Halifax on a six-game winning streak is a great thing for us, yet at the same time we have been on the other end of the stick earlier in the season. We understand we still have our work cut out for us, and this will be a war on Friday night.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  You came in to take over the head coaching duties partway through the season, how has your previous coaching background helped you to take on the Frost Heaves' head coach role?

Joe Salerno:  Being promoted from first assistant to head coach three games into the season can be a challenge anywhere, and at any level. Being put in this position with the majority of my previous experience being at the high school varsity level, it was important for me to gain the confidence, and respect from the players immediately. I think I was able to do this, by just being myself, coaching with confidence, and backing it up with hard work. It is vital for players to see that their coach is working as hard, if not harder then they are. These are the same guidelines I tried to live by as a high school coach, and has carried over to be successful at this level as well.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  Vermont has two players headed to this year's 2010 all-star game (which will be played here in Halifax), Dwuan Rice and Ross DeMasi. For those who don't know much about these guys, let's hear your breakdown on the two guys' games.

Joe Salerno:   I couldn't be happier with the selections. I think our fans hit the nail right on the head when voting for Ross and Dwuan. They are great players, with even better attitudes, and work ethics you wish all your players had.

Dwuan is a one of those PG's with sneaky quickness. He has great court awareness, and always seems to make the right decisions. He is a true "pass first" PG, who is always making players around him better. I believe he is second or third in the league in assists right now, a guy who will make some of the high flyers in the all-star game look pretty good!

Ross is the hardest working player I have seen in this league. From day one of this season he has been in the top 5 in the league in rebounding. Standing only 6'8" and 215lbs, he fights for every rebound he gets. He is a tough defender in the post, with a nose for the basketball. He is one of those blue collar players, that has become a fan favorite. He is also the only native Vermonter who has ever started for the Frost Heaves in our 4 year history.

I am happy for both those guys, and think they are great selections.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):  Will you be making the trip to Halifax to watch the festivities?

Joe Salerno:  You know I was hoping to get an invite from Coach Berry to join his staff for the weekend... but the date does fall on my wife's birthday, and we are actually expecting our first born the week before, so I may be a little busy. I'm not planning on making the trip....but I am still keeping my eye out for an invitation.

Romy (Haligonia.ca):   Last question, did you fill out a NCAA bracket this year? How does it look? Is it busted or is it still alive and well?

Joe Salerno:  I'm a Carolina guy, so it was tough for me to even look at a bracket with the Heels playing in the NIT. I did fill one out though, but believe me like many others this year, there's not much to talk about! I'm rooting for Michigan State now, I'm a HUGE Izzo fan....Go Sparty!
__________

Thanks again to Joe for participating in our game preview, be sure to find out more about his Vermont Frost Heaves at their official website: VermontFrostHeaves.com 

The Rainmen face off against the Vermont Frost Heaves on Friday night in Vermont (Gametime 8pm AST, 7pm EST).  Congrats to Joe and his Coach of the Month honours!

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

Breaking Down The Boxscore - FROST HEAVES 111, RAINMEN 105 (OT)

FROST HEAVES 111, RAINMEN 105 (OT)
Rainmen Record:  9W-3L
Oh, those free throws.  The Rainmen free throw struggles continued as the Rainmen came up short on their first game of a three-game road trip.  Halifax was 41.2% from the FT line making only 14 of their 34 free throw attempts in their 111-105 overtime loss to the Vermont Frost Heaves.  The Rainmen came up big in the second half after only scoring 16 points in the second quarter.  Halifax outscored Vermont 54-45 in the second half to force overtime after trailing to Vermont at halftime.  But the missed free throws looked to be one of the biggest decisive factors in this game, with Halifax going 0-9 from the charity stripe in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  Vermont's Matt Hall made two clutch free throws with only seconds left to play to tie the game at 93 and forced an overtime period where Vermont came out with the win.

For the Rainmen, Tony Bennett led Halifax with 28 points and Eric Crookshank finished with 23 points.  Gary Ervin finished with 20 points but was also 5/13 at the FT line.  Desmond Ferguson had an off night, making only one field goal and finished with a season-low 2 pts.

Vermont had six players in double figures with Jawan Bailey and Dwuan Rice chipping in with 19 pts a piece.  Jared Carter had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Key Notes:

• Glaring Stat of the Night:  Free throw shooting proved to be the deciding factor, Halifax struggled from the line, making only 14 of the 34 attempts. 
• Worst in the PBL:  Halifax is the worst free throw shooting team in the PBL with their 63.2% free throw percentage
• Workin' Overtime:  Vermont outscored the Rainmen 18-12 in the overtime period
• Off night for Moneyball:  This was a season-low scoring night for Ferguson, who scored only 2 points
• Rebounds: Vermont outrebounded the Rainmen 46-44
• Turnovers:  Halifax turned the ball over 16 times compared to the Frost Heaves' 13 
• In other PBL action, the LFS Cavs defeated Puerto Rico and have moved into second place 
• Newest Face:  The newest member of the Rainmen, Taliek Brown was a DNP for the game
• Canadian Watch:  Garry Gallimore - 9 pts, 2 rebounds, Jevohn Shepherd was 0/1 in 3 minutes of play

Post-Game Links:
Our Sports Central

"The Vermont Frost Heaves defeated the Halifax Rainmen 111 - 105 thus afternoon in Overtime. Matt Hall's 2 free throws with 3.7 seconds left tied the game at 93 and Halifax's 3 point attempt at the buzzer came up short."

Next up, the Rainmen face off against the Quebec Kebs on Friday...

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

Big Buckets in the Final Minutes Lead to Halifax Win - RAINMEN 119, FROST HEAVES 109

RAINMEN 119, FROST HEAVES 109

Rainmen Record: 3W-1L

A big bucket from Gary "G Smooth" Ervin last night helped seal the tight game between the Halifax Rainmen and the Vermont Frost Heaves at the Halifax Metro Centre.  The arch rivals went bucket for bucket up until the last few minutes in regulation when leading scorer Tony Bennett and Gary Ervin made some clutch baskets.  Saturday was also the debut of Rainmen's newest faces, Marc Mazur, DeAndre Thomas and Antwan "Antifreeze" Dobie.  Marc Mazur got the start at centre and put up 14 pts and 5 rebounds in 32 minutes of play.

Both teams shot the ball well, shooting 55+% from the field.  Vermont's Troy Jackson and Jawan Bailey helped keep the game competitive and combined for 42 of Vermont's 109 points.

For the Rainmen, Tony Bennett had an impressive night, slashing to the basket at every opportunity he could.  Tony Bennett finished with 28 points on 10 of 20 shooting.  Desmond "Moneyball" Ferguson was money with the three ball as well, nailing six threes.

The Halifax Rainmen and Rogers (sponsor of the Halifax Rainmen) helped raise $23,800 for Haiti disaster relief efforts as the communications company donated $200 for each Rainmen point scored last night.

Shaun "Mavs" Gillis and Ryan Dickison's Player of the Game

Desmond Ferguson - 23 pts, 6 threes, 5 rebounds and 4 steals

Romy Aquino's Player of the Game

Eric Crookshank - 22 pts, 15 rebounds, 4 assists

Hat-tip to the Frost Heaves

Jawan Bailey - 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal

Key Notes:

• Halifax shot an impressive 61.8% from the field
• Balanced scoring effort from the Frost Heaves as they had six players in double figures
• How the New Faces Performed: Mazur - 14 pts, Dobie - 2 pts, Thomas - 2 pts
• Vermont shot well from the FT line, shooting 82.8%
• The Bench: Vermont outscored the Halifax bench 53-17
• Vermont turned the ball over 16 times to Halifax's 12 turnovers
• New Nicknames: The Halifax crowd came up with a few nicknames for the new faces, there were chants of  "New White Guy" for Marc Mazur and "Baby Strick" for DeAndre Thomas
• The Halifax crowd also donned the nickname "Encino Man" to Ross DeMassi of Vermont due to his resemblance to Pauly Shore
• Canadian Watch:  Garry Gallimore was the only Canuck in action, he finished with 1 pt and 2 rebounds.

Next up, the Rainmen take on the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry this Friday evening, tune in to Haligonia.ca for live online coverage!

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

Rainmen-Frost Heaves Preview with Vermont Head Coach, Jeff Strohm

The 3-1 Halifax Rainmen face off against the 0-2 Vermont Frost Heaves this Saturday evening at the Metro Centre. The Frost Heaves are under the new head coach guidance of Jeff Strohm, who has replaced last year's head coach Will Voigt.   Strohm, who has a remarkable coaching resume has been an assistant at a few great NCAA schools including Northern Illinois, Utah, Marquette and Western Kentucky. 

Jeff's Frost Heaves squad have started their regular season schedule on the road and will not have their home opener until February 2nd when they face off against Manchester.  I had the opportunity to ask Jeff about his game plan for Saturday, his thoughts on his predecessor Will Voigt and his experience of coaching one of today's NBA All-Stars.
_____________________________________________

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Vermont had the opportunity to play Halifax in the preseason back in December. Based on what you have seen from Halifax, what will be your game plan be for Saturday's matchup?

Jeff Strohm: They [Halifax] are really talented and deep at every position. We are currently putting together our game plan. The biggest thing is we hope we can slow down their tremendous transition.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Who on your Vermont team is going to cause the most problems for Halifax?

Jeff Strohm: Not really sure, due to the fact injuries have caused us to make many changes to our roster. Due to injuries, we had only 30 minutes of practice with our entire team present.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): Let's hear a little about the new faces on your team, Benson Callier and Josh Dollard. How are they going to help Vermont this season?

Jeff Strohm: Benson we hope provides experience and leadership. Josh we hope provides strength, rebounding and athletic play.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): You replaced former Frost Heaves coach, Will Voigt, who made the move up to a coaching position with the NBA D-League. With Voigt's move up from the PBL to the D-League, in your opinion, how much of a positive impact will this have on the PBL?

Jeff Strohm: Anytime there is growth and progress it has to be great for the league. Knowing coach Voigt as a personal friend, I know he was and will continue to be a great ambassador for the league.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): You have had the opportunity to coach at some great NCAA Division I schools including Marquette, what was it like having worked with NBA all-star, Dwyane Wade?

Jeff Strohm: "DWade" as we called him was fun to coach, like the other 10+ guys I have coached who have or are currently playing in the NBA. He wanted to be coached and taught everyday and had a great love for the game.

Romy (Haligonia.ca): First impressions on the city of Halifax?

Jeff Strohm: We were only in town for a few hours so all we saw was the hotel and the gym but have heard it is a very good place.
_____________________________________________
A huge thanks goes out to Jeff Strohm for taking the time to respond to our questions. He also encourages readers to check out http://www.nucdf.org/ which is a foundation for the National Urea Cycle Disorder. His two daughters suffer from the rare, life altering disorder.

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

Rainmen Blow Out the Ice Cold Frost Heaves - RAINMEN 128, FROST HEAVES 83

RAINMEN 128, FROST HEAVES 83
This wasn't a pretty game by any means for the Vermont Frost Heaves.  Vermont struggled from the get-go as they could only manage to put up 13 points in the opening quarter and weren't able to make a run to get back into it.  Vermont shot poorly in the first half (15 for 46) and by halftime, had a 29-point deficit to the Rainmen.  Halifax on the other hand, had their offense rolling with their 57% shooting which helped them land their third straight preseason win.