The Conaree village basketball star last played in the SKABA League just 4 years ago for his community team the Conaree Fireballs. He was a SKABA Junior League superstar with the Bird Rock Uprisers back in 2005-2007 before gaining a scholarship to Missouri Baptist University where he spent two years before transferring to the University of Tampa.

The 6’-6” guard has been described by many local basketball pundits as easily the best player out of SKABA in recent years and his presence on the current roster of the ABA’s Tampa Bay Rain is testament to the credence of that notion.

Rawlins will be coached by former NBA Center Tree Rollins and is expected to be an integral part of the Rain line-up.

“We are proud of the progress and success of our SKABA players on the US College and now Pro scene, said a SKABA Official

In the last year we have heard of the success of a number of our players including Shamile Jeffers , Othniel Heyliger, Nashorn Maynard, Maliesha Ceasar and now Dane Rawlins who have all excelled at their various levels of basketball from the colleged division 1 and 2 levels to the semi-pro or pro level. We are extremely proud of their success’and we will continue to work hard to ensure that this exodus of players to US Colleges and Pro teams continues and thus enhance the development of SKABA Basketball and basketball in the federation,” the official continued.

In 2011 there were a record 11 SKABA players at various US Colleges on basketball scholarships .