The Halifax Rainmen are still looking for a league.
More than two months after dropping out of the American Basketball Association, the Rainmen are still trying to convince the NBA Development League to let them in.
Rainmen co-owners Andre Levingston and David Dobbin are scheduled to fly to New York City on June 17 to meet with D-League president Dan Reed, who visited Halifax last month to assess it as a possible expansion site.
Reed said at the time the NBADL was not interested in expansion for the 2008-09 season, instead focusing on 2009-10. He also said Halifax’s geographic location doesn’t fit well with the current configuration of the western U.S.-based league.
The Rainmen are exploring other options, and would join a lower profile league if the D-League bid falls short. They are basically waiting for an official decision from Reed.
“We are willing to do whatever it takes to become a D-League team and we will continue to negotiate as long as we have to,” Levingston said in a press release yesterday.
NBADL spokesman Larry Berger said there is “no official cutoff” date for ruling out expansion in 2008-09.
The Premier Basketball League is a likely backup plan, as it has already welcomed two other ABA dropouts — the Vermont Frost Heaves and Manchester Millrats.
The Rainmen went 12-20 in their inaugural season, averaging crowds of roughly 1,800 per game.
