Last-minute schedule changes were supposed to be a thing of the past for the Halifax Rainmen.
Not so.
The Rainmen have changed their weekend itinerary, and will now play a road game against the Buffalo Stampede on Saturday at 7 p.m. instead of against the Detroit Panthers.
Their Sunday home game against the Stampede at 2 p.m. at the Metro Centre is still going ahead as planned.
The Rainmen hoped to be rid of such scheduling changes after quitting the American Basketball Association and joining the Premier Basketball League, but owner Andre Levingston said it’s not the same old story in a new league.
“It doesn’t compare,” he said. “Last year was an issue of a team not showing or trying to get another team in here for one reason or another. It’s not that Detroit has organizational issues. Nor do we. It was just a flight issue, that’s all.”
The Rainmen couldn’t get a flight back from Detroit in time for Sunday’s game. Buffalo had earlier flights, so the PBL flipped the schedule and sent the August Groove to Detroit.
• Vermont Frost Heaves general manager Michael Healey said Monday he won’t be extending an offer to suspended Rainmen forward Eric Crookshank. The Frost Heaves made a big push to sign Crookshank in the off-season.
“As of right now, coach (Will Voigt) is happy with the team chemistry we have,” Healey said.
On the Crookshank front, Levingston confirmed the suspension has nothing to do with the law or the public. He said despite receiving many calls and e-mails from fans, the exact reason for the suspension will remain internal.
He did add this: “Every organization has let him get away with anything he wants because he’s a basketball player. He has a false sense of, ‘I can do what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, and I if can’t, I can say what I want without consequences.’ That’s not the real world. Am I going to be as bad as the other people and use this kid, as long as I get the results I want, to win a championship? That ain’t right.”
• Here’s a statistical plus for the Rainmen: Rob Sanders leads the PBL with 48 rebounds.
Here’s a miss: Glen Dandridge has more three-point attempts (49) and misses (35) than anyone else in the PBL. He also has a league-high 30 turnovers.
