Albany Patroons
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| Albany Patroons | |
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| Founded | 1982 |
| League | CBA1982-1992, 2005-Present USBL 2006-Present |
| Team History | Albany Patroons 1982-1992 Capital Region Pontiacs 1992-1993 Albany Patroons 2005-present |
| Arena | Washington Avenue Armory |
|---|---|
| Based in | Albany, New York |
| Team Colors | Gold & Kelly Green |
| Head Coach | Micheal Ray Richardson |
| Championships | 2 1984, 1988 |
| Division Titles | 5 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 |
| Mascot | Lido the Panda |
The Albany Patroons are a basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and just recently in 2006 they have also joined the United States Basketball League (USBL). Originally entering the CBA as an expansion franchise in the 1982-83 season, the Patroons won league championships in 1984 and 1988, defeating the Wyoming Wildcatters in both instances.
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.
NBA head coach Phil Jackson won his first championship ring when he guided the Albany Patroons to the 1984 CBA championship. Jackson would later win 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 would later coach the Minnesota Timberwolves, and several Patroons from the 1987-88 championship year - including Scott Brooks, Tod Murphy, Tony Campbell and Sidney Lowe - played on those early Timberwolves squads.
Three years later, 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. Future NBA stars Mario Elie and Vincent Askew were part of that 50-6 squad.
During the Patroons' time in the CBA, they won two CBA championships and five Eastern Division regular season titles. 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.
Contents |
[edit] Year-by-year
| 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 |
[edit] Current Patroons
After a decade-long absence, the Patroons rejoined the CBA as an expansion team for 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, became the team's head coach, while the Patroons' career scoring leader, Derrick Rowland, was named his assistant coach. In the Patroons' first year back, they finished 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. The Patroons were led by T.J. Thompson, who averaged a league-high 25.4 pints per game, and local product James Thomas, who in two stints with the Patroons led the team in rebounds per game. On April 25, 2006, the CBA moved its league offices into the Patroon's home, the Washington Avenue Armory (News Brief). On June 14, 2006, the Patroons purchased the rights to a United States Basketball League team, which would also be called the Patroons, and would also play in the Washington Avenue Armory.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | CBA | 3rd, Eastern | 2nd in Eastern Round Robin |
[edit] External links
- CBA League Website
- USBL League Website
- Patroons Official Website
- Washington Avenue Armory Official Web Site
| Continental Basketball Association (current alignment) | |||||||||||||
| A M E R I C A N | Albany Patroons | Indiana Alley Cats | Minot SkyRockets | Pittsburgh Xplosion | |||||||||
| N A T I O N A L | Butte Daredevils | Great Falls Explorers | Utah Eagles | Yakama Sun Kings | |||||||||
| E X P A N S I O N | Atlanta Krunk Wolverines (2007) | Bend, Oregon (2007) | Hawaii Volcanoes (2007) | Lethbridge Canadians (2007) | Los Angeles Aftershock (2007) | Miami Majesty (2007) | SoCal Legends (2007) | Spokane, Washington (2007) | Vancouver Dragons (2007) | Seattle, Washington (2008) | |||
