Arkansas star Coke’s big little man

A former Arkansas Razorback who had stints with the Harlem Globetrotters and with the New Jersey Nets and the Atlanta Hawks in NBA summer leagues is Donald Copeland’s replacement as Coca-Cola import going into the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference playoffs.

Brandon Dean, a 5-foot-11 guard who starred for Ouachita Parish in high school basketball before playing for Arkansas in college, arrived Tuesday and has had two practice sessions with the Tigers who are slugging it out with the Magnolia Beverage Masters in a best-of-three quarterfinals showdown beginning tomorrow at the Astrodome.

Copeland, who’s already the Tigers’ third small import after Calvin Cage and Gee Gervin, had to cut short his stint in the local pro league to attend a custody case back home in the US.

Going into the playoffs, the Coca-Cola management also decided to relegate Kenneth Duremdes and Manuel Caceres in the reserve roster in consideration of the salary cap restrictions.

Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis said Duremdes, the 1998 MVP awardee, is not in shape, slowed  down by the wear and tear of a long pro career starting in 1995. Duremdes is still guaranteed, though, of a rich pay up to December this year.

On Dean, Favis said he likes what he’s seen with the well-built backcourt man.

“So far, so good. But you can never tell. Practice is different from actual games,” Favis said.

Dean finished his collegiate career as the 21st all-time leading scorer in Arkansas history with 1,130 points. Starting in 62 of 127 career games, Dean also ranked sixth in the three-point field goals made with 149.

Dean averaged 12.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 25.9 minutes a contest in his senior year at Arkansas in 2001-02. He ranked second on the team in scoring and blocked shots, while placing third in assists. He scored in double figures 17 times, and topped the 20-point mark in four games.

After college in 2002, he joined the touring Harlem Globetrotters for two years before playing for the Chicago Soldiers and the Arkansas Rim Rockers in the ABA. He played briefly for the Carabobo team in Venezuela in 2004-05.