Well, they did it. With a shoestring budget and against all odds the Albany Patroons have punched their ticket to the North American Premier Basketball Championship. This team had an uphill battle for 32 games, traveled all around the nation and even took a team bus out to Kansas City that was almost 40 hours round trip. There’s something to be said about that.

They aren’t the talk of the town, but they should be. The Patroons barely had any media coverage and bolster talent on the court that is unrivaled for miles. It just doesn’t make sense. It might not be the NBA, but there are a lot of parallels you can draw to the association.

Starting forward Jamario Moon spent six seasons in the NBA and even finished third in the Dunk Contest behind Dwight Howard and Gerald Green. He flashes those skills on a nightly basis down at the Armory, but still there are numerous empty seats in the arena. Moon has been the definition of a journeyman and plays for the love of the game. Since 2001 Jamario has played for over 20 teams and is in his third stint with the Patroons.

Head coach Derrick Rowland, a former Patroon player who won a couple championships for Albany, embodies the grit and toughness that this team has and has led the charge in this inaugural season. Back in the 80s Rowland made the Armory his home and the fans would pack the building to watch he and a team coached by Phil Jackson. Yeah Phil Jackson. You know the guy that has 11 NBA titles. The one that coached sir Micheal Jordan and Koby Bryant. Yeah well before all of that Phil was driving team vans and busses for these same Albany Patroons.

Former Siena standout Edwin Ubiles is also a shining star for the Patroons. Ubiles was named the NAPB player of the year. Eddy is also considered a journeyman by most standards. He’s played overseas for nine different clubs and was named the 2012 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year. After being all over the globe he’s happy to be back in the Capital Region playing basketball.

Xavier Moon, nephew of Jamario, also received league wide accolades. Moon was named the NAPB Rookie of the Year and he’s been a force running the point for the Patroons. The 6’2″ guard made a living knifing his way to the hoop and getting to the free throw line.

This is a special team that has been getting the short end of the stick. There are a lot a great story lines that have been overlooked. Maybe if they win the championship they will show this town that they are for real and maybe the fans will show up, but for now there are still some games left to be played.

The Patroons started the season 11-1 and were never lower than second place in the NAPB standings. They will square off with the Yakima SunKings in the NAPB Championship. It’s a best of three series that will take place out in Yakima, Washington. Game one tips off at 10:11 pm eastern time tomorrow and game two will tip at the same time on Saturday. You can watch the livestream on the NAPB website.

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