Albany Patroons win big this weekend … and Coach Rowland reaches a milestone!

Let’s already make sure you know this. During his playing career, Derrick Rowland scored over 5,000 points – most of them with the Albany Patroons. After his playing career ended, he transitioned into coaching – first as an assistant coach to Albany’s Micheal Ray Richardson, and then coaching the Patroons (and other teams) to victories.

And this weekend, after the Patroons made rabbit stew out of the Connecticut Crusaders, and deep-fried the Rhode Island Kraken, Coach Derrick Rowland reached a professional coaching milestone.

See, counting his wins as an Albany Patroons head coach – as well as his time coaching the Rio Grande Valley Silverados of the CBA in the 2007-08 season, and coaching the Potawatomi Fire in the 2020-21 campaign, Derrick Rowland has now achieved 150 professional head coaching victories.

And he even did the classic Wilt Chamberlain hoops selfie to prove it.

Now those wins also include two championships – he coached the Albany Legends of the International Basketball League to a championship over the Bellingham (Wash.) Slam. I was there. I saw it. And yes, I blogged about it.

Photos from the 2010 IBL Championship Game

Coach Rowland would later win his second coaching title – and this time as the head coach of the team for whom he played (and won two championships as a player). This was back in 2019. And yes, I was there. And yes, I blogged about it.

Game Day

Let’s see … two players’ championships, two coaching championships, at least four other appearances in championship rounds as a coach … give the man all the flowers in the florist shop.

And last night, after the Patroons decimated Rhode Island 109-74 in a game that wasn’t even THAT close, the team made sure everyone in the Armory knew that Derrick Rowland had achieved a career coaching milestone.

Next up … oh, I don’t know … 200 wins? 250?

Heck, I’ll settle for another championship.

Because of course I will. 😀