Future NBAhead coachPhil 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 those 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 years as the Hartford Hellcats and then years as the Connecticut Pride before folding in 2001. The CBA ceased operating and filed for bankruptcy in February 2001.
Rebirth (2005-2009)
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, 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 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. 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. 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 they are hated worldwide." 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. He was replaced by Vincent Askew. On July 10, 2007, former Patroon Jamario Moon signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Raptors. 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)
On August 30, 2017, it was announced that the Patroons would return to the Washington Avenue Armory in January 2018 under the ownership of former players. The new team became one of the inaugural members of North American Premier Basketball. The Patroons' roster included former NBA players Maurice Taylor, Smush Parker and Jamario Moon. 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. On September 4, 2019, it was announced that the Patroons would return to the Washington Avenue Armory in January 2020 under the ownership of Dr. Tim Maggs.
Current roster
Alumni
Former Albany Patroons players who went on to play in the National Basketball Association include Vincent Askew, Scott Brooks, Mario Elie, Jamario Moon, and Scott Roth. 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. Former Patroons players who later coached the Patroons include Micheal Ray Richardson and Derrick Rowland.
