Albany Patroons History
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Albany Patroons are a basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The Patroons originally entered the CBA as an expansion franchise in the 1982-83 season, and later became one of the CBA's most popular franchises.
In only the Patroons' second season of operation, the team defeated the Wyoming Wildcatters to win the 1984 CBA championship. Phil Jackson, who would later win NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, was the Patroons' head coach in that championship season.
In 1988, the Patroons won a second championship, this time under head coach Bill Musselman. In the 1990-91 season, the Patroons completed a 50-6 regular season, including winning all 28 of their home games; at that time, George Karl was the Patroons' head coach. During the Patroons' time in the CBA, they won two CBA championships and five Eastern Division regular season titles.
Other NBA coaches and players who previously played for the Albany Patroons include Rick Carlisle, Mario Elie, Vince Askew and Michael Curry.
The Patroons' home arena was the 3,500-seat Washington Avenue Armory, a former military depot with a castle-like exterior. The Patroons eventually exceeded capacity, and moved into the newly-built Knickerbocker Arena (today the Pepsi Arena) in 1990.
For the 1992-93 season, the Patroons were renamed the Capital Region Pontiacs, as the team received sponsorship from the local car dealerships. After that season, the franchise was relocated to Connecticut, where it played for 1 1/2 years as the Hartford Hellcats.
The Patroons rejoined the CBA in the 2005-06 season, with their original name, original colors (gold and kelly green), and a return to the old Washington Avenue Armory. Former NBA star Micheal Ray Richardson, who played for the Patroons in the 1987-88 season, coached the Pats for two seasons, and guided the Pats to the 2007 CBA Finals.
For the 2007-08 campaign, another former Patroons player, two-time CBA Most Valuable Player Vincent Askew, signed on as Albany's newest head coach.
Albany Patroons Greatest Games
The following are a series of game-by-game results of some of the Patroons' greatest matches ever. The series was originally written by Chuck Miller for the 1992-93 Capital Region Pontiacs season, and were inserted in game programs.
Albany Patroons All-Time Regular Season
Records as of October 1, 2007
NOTE: Players in blue played for the Patroons between 1982 and 1992. Players in red played for the Capital Region Pontiacs (the renamed Patroons) in the 1992-93 season. Players in green are currently on the Patroons' roster.
MOST POINTS SCORED, PATROONS CAREER:- Derrick Rowland, 4681
- Vincent Askew, 3202
- Lowes Moore, 2532
- Frankie J. Sanders, 2398
- Kenny Natt, 2180
- Ralph McPherson, 2048
- Mario Elie, 2024
- Clinton Wheeler, 1943
- Clinton Smith, 1937
- T.J. Thompson, 1932
- Derrick Rowland, 1233
- Vincent Askew, 1196
- Ralph McPherson, 1050
- Clinton Smith, 896
- Willie McDuffie, 728
- John Stroeder, 658
- Greg Grissom, 648
- Michael Brooks, 609
- Jeff Sanders, 570
- Frankie J. Sanders, 522
- Lowes Moore, 989
- Clinton Smith, 721
- Clinton Wheeler, 603
- Derrick Rowland, 556
- Vincent Askew, 548
- Sidney Lowe, 437
- T.J. Thompson, 392
- Mario Elie, 390
- Reggie Jessie, 291
- Frankie J. Sanders, 267
- Derrick Rowland, 281
- Lowes Moore, 188
- Clinton Smith, 156
- Vincent Askew, 138
- Greg Grissom, 135
- Ralph McPherson, 127
- Frankie J. Sanders, 119
- Willie McDuffie, 113
- Kenny Natt, 111
- Mario Elie, 97
- Derrick Rowland, 360
- Clinton Wheeler, 281
- Lowes Moore, 247
- Clinton Smith, 251
- Vincent Askew, 164
- Kenny Natt, 164
- Frankie J. Sanders, 160
- Ralph McPherson, 151
- Jamario Moon, 149
- Mario Elie, 148
- Derrick Rowland, 196
- Ralph McPherson, 168
- Jamario Moon, 161
- Curtis Kitchen, 141
- Willie McDuffie, 134
- Cedric Lewis, 120
- Greg Grissom, 109
- Chuck Nevitt, 109
- Vincent Askew, 103
- Kevin Springman, 103