The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won CBA championships in 1984 and 1988[1] as well as a TBL championship in 2019.[2] The team's name derives from patroon, the term for a large landholders in New Netherland, the Dutch colony that once included the Albany region.
| Albany Patroons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | Continental Basketball Association 1982–1992, 2005–2009 United States Basketball League 2006–2007 The Basketball League 2018–present |
| Founded | 1982 |
| History | Albany Patroons 1982–1992 Capital Region Pontiacs 1992–1993 Albany Patroons 2005–2009 Albany Patroons 2018–present |
| Arena | Washington Avenue Armory |
| Location | Albany, New York |
| Team colors | gold, green |
| Vice-president(s) | Michael Corts, Rocco Ricchiuti |
| Head coach | Derrick Rowland |
| Ownership | Ben Fernandez |
| Championships | 3 (1984, 1988, 2019) |
| Website | Official website |
Formed in 1982,[1] the Patroons' original home arena was the Washington Avenue Armory,[3] a former New York National Guard armory.[4] The team later moved from this location to MVP Arena, then known as the Knickerbocker Arena.[5][6] The franchise was renamed the Capital Region Pontiacs in 1992[7] and was relocated to Connecticut in 1993.[6]
The Patroons rejoined the CBA in 2005.[8] When the CBA ceased its operations in 2009, the team went defunct.[9]
The Patroons became a member of North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) in the 2018 season, once again playing at the Washington Avenue Armory.[9][8] The league was later renamed to The Basketball League prior to the 2019 season.[10]
History
editEarly years (1982–1993)
editFuture NBA head coach Phil Jackson won his first championship ring as a coach when he guided the Patroons to the 1984 CBA championship. Andre Gaddy was named MVP of the series. Jackson later won NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
In 1988, the Patroons won a second championship, this time under head coach Bill Musselman. Musselman later coached the Minnesota Timberwolves, and several Patroons from the 1987–88 championship year, including Scott Brooks, Tod Murphy, Tony Campbell, and Sidney Lowe, played on early Timberwolves squads.
In the 1990–91 season, the Patroons completed a 50–6 regular season, winning all 28 home games, with George Karl as head coach. Future NBA players Mario Elie and Vincent Askew were part of that squad.
The Patroons won two CBA championships and five Eastern Division regular season titles. For the 1992–93 season, they were renamed the Capital Region Pontiacs, as the team received sponsorship from local car dealerships. After that season, the franchise was relocated to Connecticut, where it played for 1+1⁄2 years as the Hartford Hellcats and then 6+1⁄2 years as the Connecticut Pride before folding in 2001.
The CBA ceased operating and filed for bankruptcy in February 2001.[11]
Rebirth (2005–2009)
editAfter a decade-long absence, a new Patroons joined the CBA as an expansion team for the 2005–06 season with the original name and colors (gold and kelly green), as well as returning to the old Washington Avenue Armory. Former NBA star Micheal Ray Richardson, who played for the Patroons in the 1987–88 season, became the head coach, while the Patroons' career scoring leader, Derrick Rowland, was named assistant coach. The Patroons finished the season with a 20–28 record, good for third place in the CBA Eastern Conference. Albany qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the first round of the CBA round-robin style playoffs.[12]
On June 14, 2006, the Patroons purchased the rights to a United States Basketball League team, also to be called the Patroons, and play in the Washington Avenue Armory. The team replaced the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs. After only two years of very low attendance at their home games, the Patroons ended their USBL affiliation on June 19, 2007.[13]
In the 2006–07 season, the Patroons won the CBA American Conference championship and advanced to the best-of-five CBA Finals against the Yakima SunKings. The Patroons lost game one at the Armory. The next day, Coach Richardson was suspended for the rest of the season for firing expletives at hecklers during games and saying in an interview with the Albany Times Union newspaper that Jews are "crafty [because] they are hated worldwide."[14][15] Without Richardson, the Patroons dropped the next two games of the finals, as the Sun Kings won their second consecutive championship. Three days after the conclusion of the series, it was announced that Richardson would not return.[16] He was replaced by Vincent Askew.[17]
On July 10, 2007, former Patroon Jamario Moon signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Raptors.[18] Moon had a strong rookie campaign, averaging 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Both the Patroons and the CBA folded after the 2009 season, citing the economic recession.
North American Premier Basketball/The Basketball League (2018–present)
editOn August 30, 2017, it was announced that the Patroons would return to the Washington Avenue Armory in January 2018. The new team became one of the inaugural members of North American Premier Basketball (NAPB).[19]
The Patroons' roster included former NBA players Maurice Taylor, Smush Parker, and Jamario Moon. After the first season, the NAPB rebranded as The Basketball League (TBL).
On May 3, 2019, the Patroons defeated the Yakima SunKings in the third game of a best-of-three series to win the TBL championship.[20]
On September 4, 2019, the ownership of the Patroons was transferred to Dr. Tim Maggs for the 2020 season.[21] They started the 2020 season at 6-3 before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patroons opted to sit out the 2021 season as well. The Washington Avenue Armory was being used as a vaccination site, and the team would have had to play the season without fans in attendance in any case. Maggs considered temporarily moving to the Times Union Center, but decided against it after recalling how the CBA Patroons saw their attendance figures fall through the floor when they played there.[22]
Former UAlbany Basketball Coach and Albany Legend Will Brown was named the Head Coach and General Manager of the Patroons. He led UAlbany to 5 America East Championships and is a former America East Coach of the Year. On December 7, 2021, Will Brown announced his coaching staff of Brian Beaury, Julie McBride and Marc Rybczyk for the 2022 season.[23][24]
In the 2022 season, the Patroons finished with a league best 21-3 record in the regular season. Albany would clinch the TBL's East Region, but would ultimately lose the Championship to the Shreveport Mavericks in a best-of-three series. [25]
Current roster
edit| Albany Patroons roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: April 3, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alumni
editFormer Albany Patroons players who went on to play in the National Basketball Association include Vincent Askew,[26] Scott Brooks,[26] Mario Elie,[26] Jamario Moon,[27] Scott Roth.[26] and [26] Xavier Moon.
Former Patroons players and/or coaches who went on to coach in the National Basketball Association include Scott Brooks, Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson, George Karl, Derrick Rowland, Sidney Lowe, Bill Musselman, Kenny Natt, Scott Roth, and Terry Stotts.[28]
Former Patroons players who later coached the Patroons include Micheal Ray Richardson[29] and Derrick Rowland.[30]
Season-by-season history
edit| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982/83 | CBA | 4th, Eastern | did not qualify |
| 1983/84 | CBA | 2nd, Eastern | Champions |
| 1984/85 | CBA | 1st, Eastern | Eastern Division Finals |
| 1985/86 | CBA | 4th, Eastern | Eastern Division Semifinals |
| 1986/87 | CBA | 2nd, Eastern | Eastern Division Finals |
| 1987/88 | CBA | 1st, Eastern | Champions |
| 1988/89 | CBA | 1st, Eastern | Eastern Division Semifinals |
| 1989/90 | CBA | 1st, American Eastern | American Conference Finals |
| 1990/91 | CBA | 1st, National Eastern | National Conference Finals |
| 1991/92 | CBA | 3rd, American Eastern | American Conference 1st Round Shootout |
| 1992/93 | CBA | 2nd, American Eastern | did not qualify |
| 2005/06 | CBA | 3rd, Eastern | 2nd in Eastern Round Robin |
| 2006 | USBL | 4th, Eastern | Lost First Round |
| 2006/07 | CBA | 1st, American Eastern | Lost CBA Finals |
| 2007 | USBL | 2nd | Withdrew from league |
| 2008 | CBA | 4th, Eastern | did not qualify |
| 2009 | CBA | 2nd | Lost CBA Finals |
| 2018 | NAPBL | 2nd | Lost NAPBL Finals |
| 2019 | TBL | 4th | Champions |
| 2020 | TBL | 5th | No playoffs held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | TBL | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2022 | TBL | 1st | Eastern Regional Champions, Eastern Conference Champions, Northeast Division Champions |
| 2023 | TBL | 5th | Eastern Conference Champions, Northeast Division Champions |
References
edit- ^ a b Bouyea, Brien (November 24, 2004). "Patroons to be resurrected". The Record. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Martin, Sean (May 4, 2019). "Albany Patroons win TBL championship". Times Union. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ Awareness, Relentless (August 30, 2017). "Washington Avenue Armory, Albany Patroons announce return of professional basketball in Albany". Medium. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Hallisey, Michael (July 25, 2018). "Mirk set to release new album complete with unique visual experience". Spotlight News. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ MacAdam, Mike (September 19, 2018). "Documentary captures fun, spirit of 1982-92 Albany Patroons - The Daily Gazette". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Stashenko, Joel (April 4, 2005). "Former county executive seeks to revive Armory and Albany Patroons". Albany Business Review. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Chuck (November 16, 2016). "The Trading Cards of the Albany Patroons". Chuck Miller. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Lucas, Dave (April 29, 2018). "Fail: Albany Patroons Reboot". WAMC. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Redick, Geoff (August 30, 2017). "Basketball rebounds in Albany as Patroons return to Armory". Spectrum News. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Island Storm believes it has found a hidden gem in Dominic Shuler". The Guardian. August 7, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "C.B.A.; League Files For Bankruptcy". Associated Press. February 26, 2001. Retrieved February 8, 2021 – via The New York Times.
- ^ http://www.cbahoopsonline.com/news_detail.html?newsid=768News Brief Archived June 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Patroons will not return to USBL, June 20, 2007 Archived February 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "CBA coach Richardson suspended for remarks". ESPN. March 28, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Ettkin, Brian. Time for this coach to sit out Archived February 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, March 28, 2007
- ^ Patroons, Richardson part Archived February 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, April 3, 2007
- ^ "Albany Patroons Announce 2007-8 Head Coach". OurSports Central. August 2, 2007.
- ^ "Raptors Sign Jamario Moon". Toronto Raptors. July 10, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
- ^ "Washington Avenue Armory, Albany Patroons announce return of professional basketball in Albany". Medium. August 30, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Singelais, Mark (September 4, 2019). "Albany Patroons win TBL championship". Times Union. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Singelais, Mark (September 4, 2019). "Maggs introduced as Albany Patroons owner". Times Union. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ "Albany Patroons cancel 2021 season". Times Union. March 1, 2021.
- ^ "Will Brown announces experienced Patroons coaching staff with local ties". WNYT. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Albany Patroons hire husband, wife restarting basketball careers". Times Union. December 8, 2021.
- ^ "Shreveport breaks through Patroons' Armory streak for TBL championship". July 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Dyer, Mike (November 23, 2004). "CBA could return to Capital Region". The Troy Record. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Wilkin, Tim (December 29, 2017). "Jamario Moon says "great chance" he returns to Patroons". Times Union. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Dougherty, Pete (May 25, 2011). "NBA's Patroons alumni". Times Union. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Finley, Bill (February 6, 2007). "Richardson on Course for Long-Awaited Return to N.B.A." Retrieved February 9, 2021 – via The New York Times.
- ^ Sports, WRGB (February 1, 2017). "Beyond the Games: Derrick Rowland". WRGB. Retrieved February 2, 2017.