The Halifax Rainmen want to learn how to win, and Taliek Brown hopes he can show them how.
The 28-year-old is a champion at one of basketball’s highest levels, having claimed an NCAA Division I crown as a starting point guard with the Connecticut Huskies in 2004.
Since then, Brown has gone on to capture championships in Croatia, Bulgaria and Macedonia during a six-year professional career that has taken him across the globe.
“Every team I go to now, I just try to be a winner,” says Brown, who is expected to fill the shoes of departed all-star Gary Ervin.
The Rainmen are entering their fourth season and made their first playoff appearance last April when they were swept in the Premier Basketball League semifinals. Brown’s winning mentality can only help a team that is looking to take the next step and challenge perennial contenders such as the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry and the Rochester Razorsharks.
“I try to keep everybody together as a team,” Brown said. “We have the weapons, but the only way we’re going to win is if everyone’s on the same page.”
The six-foot-one native of Queens, N.Y., averaged 7.8 points and 6.7 assists during his four-year career at Connecticut, gaining valuable experience feeding the ball to future NBA stars Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafur.
Although Brown isn’t expected to be as prolific a scorer as Ervin, who averaged 14.6 points per game, Rainmen owner Andre Levingston has described him as a “better overall point guard” and a “guy who runs your basketball club.”
“I like to push the tempo of the game, try to get everybody involved, and just run the team out there,” Brown said. “Do what I’ve got to do to get the team wins.”
Rainmen lock up Dollard
The Halifax Rainmen have another player under contract after signing six-foot-eight forward Josh Dollard on Thursday.
Dollard spent two NCAA Division I seasons at Auburn, averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 2006-07 before being “dismissed” in 2008 for violating the school’s athletic policy. He played at the Division II level in 2008-09 at South Carolina Aiken.
Owner Andre Levingston said Dollard adds “toughness” and “scoring” in the paint.
The Rainmen, who also signed forward Kavon Jones, have six players under contract and 15 players at training camp.
