A three-day trip to the Caribbean is anything but a vacation for the Halifax Rainmen. Although they packed their flip-flops, shorts and shades, the team is there for business.
The Rainmen, riding a five-game winning streak, are about to face their toughest test of the season when they visit the unbeaten Puerto Rico Capitanes tonight at 7 p.m.
With a win, the Rainmen, 5-1, can tie the Capitanes (6-0) for first in the Premier Basketball League.
“It’ll be a little fun for the guys but they know what they’re going for, they know what’s at stake,” said Rainmen owner Andre Levingston.
“We can separate ourselves from a lot of teams if we can steal a win in their facility.”
The Capitanes, who joined the PBL this season, feature national team standouts Elias Ayuso and Angelo Reyes.
Ayuso is arguably the league’s deadliest three-point threat, already knocking down 28 of 59 attempts and averaging 22.2 points per game.
The six-foot-seven Reyes, meanwhile, is averaging 22.8 points and a league-best 17.2 rebounds.
“We know we’re going into a dogfight with a team that hasn’t lost before and a team playing good basketball,” Levingston said. “But they get to play against a team that’s playing good basketball, too. So it’s going to be a good game.”
Star Eric Crookshank isn’t on the trip because he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child. Marlowe Currie, Lonnell Shuler-Jones and Devon Norris also stayed home.
