It’s good to be an Albany Patroons fan this week, as Albany’s top professional sports team climbed to the top of their division in the 2025 TBL basketball season with three statement victories.
And I mean STATEMENT victories.
We start off last week, when the Rochester Kingz came to the Armory for their first appearance against their Empire State rivals. And let me say this – the Kingz got crowned. The Patroons committed regicide. Albany started the game with an 18-0 run, and Rochester got dumped like Kodak chemicals in the Genesee River. The final score was Albany 138 Rochester 98, and the game wasn’t even THAT close. Heck, take a look at the boxscore, it’s linked here.
Philip Flory led the Patroons in scoring with 22 points, while center Mike Parks had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ja’Quaye James, Trahson Burrell and Derrick Rowland Jr. each notched 14 points apiece. Eight of the Patroons’ 11 roster members finished the game in double figure scoring. Thanks for coming, Rochester.
But that game was a big tune-up to Friday night’s second edition of the “Route 5 Rivalry,” when the Patroons made their second trip to Schenectady for a packed-house battle with the New York Phoenix. And let’s put it this way. That game was epic. Neither team gave an inch, neither team took an inch. At no time was the lead for one team greater than eight points in the entire match. It was a nip-and-tuck battle all the way to the final seconds before the Patroons pulled off a 109-104 triumph, evening both squads with 8-1 records for the year. Here’s the sweet box score.
The Phoenix garnered key points from former Patroons Mustapha Traore (22 pts), Shadell Millinghaus (19 pts) and AJ Mosby (14 pts), while Quadir Welton came off the bench to put 20 on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Ja’Quaye James rang up 33 points for the Patroons on 14-26 shooting, including draining 5 three-pointers. Trahson Burrell had a team-high 18 rebounds to give him an 18-board, 14-point double-double. And let’s give credit to Elijah “Boogie” Ford, who came off the bench and played his way to 24 points on the tally.
Hey, would you like to see a super-slow-mo of Boogie Ford from the game’s third quarter? OF COURSE YOU DO!
No rest for the Patroons, though … we now head to last night, when the visiting Tri-City Tide (Moncton, NB) made their first appearance in the Armory.
And let’s put it this way. The Tide got washed away, as the Patroons Oxi-Cleaned them up, 135-110. There was no Bounce to Tri-City. They could not Gain on the Patroons. And that’s All. 😀
The box score shows six Patroons in double figures in the game, led by 23 from Ja’Quaye James, 22 from Philip Flory and 22 from Trahson Burrell.
Oh yeah, and one more milestone reached.
Because in that 135-110 victory over the Tide, Albany Patroons head coach and former player Derrick Rowland garnered his 100th Patroons regular season victory, making him only the second Patroons coach to claim this mark. He is now only 16 victories away from tying the all-time Patroons regular season head coaching victory record, held by Phil Jackson. Yes, the man with more NBA coaching chiampionships than he has fingers for the rings.
That now brings the Patroons to a 9-1 record, tops in the TBL’s North Atlantic Division. And the season’s not over yet.
And next Friday, the Rochester Kingz come back for more punishment.
This is fun. Really fun. And I’m totally digging all of this. 😀
Chuck The Writer 
I’m sure the Tide have head their fair share of laundry detergent jokes already this season. And they have to play the Phoenix this afternoon.
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