Final Report Card: Halifax Hurricanes
For the first time in a long while, attention in the Atlantic Division was not on the Halifax Hurricanes. With the focus more on the surging Moncton Magic and the unprecedented results of the Cape Breton Highlanders, the Hurricanes were under the radar for much of the season – which left them open for a surprise attack at the business end.
Despite that, Halifax found it hard to find their winning rhythm early on in the season, where almost every win of theirs was followed by a loss. They were able to overcome this in February, when they recorded two winning streaks of seven and six games respectively, and their end to the regular season saw them secure second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Hurricanes found themselves busy in the playoffs, taken to deciding games in both the first round and division finals series. In the first instance they were able to see off the Highlanders, but missed out on a final spot to the eventual champions Moncton Magic.
What They Did Right: Halifax were one of the top field shooting teams in the league – largely down to Terry Thomas, who finished in the top ten shooters – as well as among the best rebounders – thanks in no small part to Rhamel Brown, who was voted Defensive Player of the Year. They also saw great results from newcomers Joel Kindred and Bryce Washington.
What They Could Have Done Better: Not going in hard enough. While the work they did got them the wins they needed, they weren’t aggressive enough on either end of the court (they were middling teams in both offence and defence), which prevented them from seeing more success in the season.
MVP: Though Thomas finished top of the stat sheet, Mike Poole played in every game for the Hurricanes in 2018-19, posting averages of 16.9 points and 7.0 rebounds, and finishing the season as the second-overall top scorer and stealer, as well as in the top ten for rebounds.
Final Thoughts: The Hurricanes did well in the 2018-19 season, but they didn’t really impress. Their efforts in finishing with the record they did should be lauded, but if they applied themselves a bit more they could have gone further, as they really had the talent and the potential to do so.
