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Schenectady Legends

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Schenectady Legends
Founded2010
LeagueIBA
Team historyAlbany Legends (2010-14)
Schenectady Legends (2014-2017)
Based inSchenectady, New York
ArenaSchenectady YMCA
ColorsBlue & Yellow
PresidentSteve Miller and Bob Hord
Head coachScott Knapp
Championships2 (2010, 2014)

Formed in 2010, the Schenectady Legends were a semi-professional basketball team in the Independent Basketball Association (IBA). The franchise was originally known as the Albany Legends, changing their name in 2014 with a move to Schenectady. They folded in 2017 with the end of the Independent Basketball Association.

As a result of experiences gained while playing with the Legends, more than 80% of alumni and current players, including former NBAers have been promoted to top professional leagues on five continents, including: the NBA D-League (Kyle Cuffe, Springfield Armor 2010), Japan, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Thailand, Canada, England, Italy, Chile, France and Germany.

Some local capital region players playing abroad include Lloyd Johnson (Lucera, Italy), EJ Gallup (TBB Trier), Evan Lane (Tunisia, Africa), Will Harris (Denmark) and Scotty McRae (Chile and Italy) and Prince Jackson (Italy).

History

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The team was established in April 2010 by an independent and locally owned organization, a year after the demise of the Albany Patroons. The team were part of the International Basketball League. The Legends finished off their inaugural season 19-3 and went on to win the IBL 2010 championship.

Albany finished with a 15–7 record in 2011, losing in the IBL semifinals to the Edmonton Energy.

After two seasons in the IBL, the Legends joined the Independent Basketball Association. Albany finished 12–5 in the 2012 spring season, coming up short in the IBA championship game.

In March 2014 the team announced they would be moving to Schenectady County,[1] and compete in the 2014-15 IBA Fall season. The Schenectady Legends played their home games in multiple venues throughout the Mohawk Valley, as a means to increase their local brand and recognition, while raising money for local charities. The team finished a perfect 11–0 in the IBA regular season.[2]

On September 4, 2014, the club announced the hiring of former Siena College player Scott Knapp,[3] as its head coach.

On December 14, 2014, the Legends completed a perfect 13–0 season by defeating the Kenosha Ballers 154–137 in the IBA championship game.[4] Legends player Lloyd Johnson was named the IBA Finals MVP after scoring 61 points in the championship game.[5][6]

Current roster

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Head Coach: Scott Knapp

# Pos. Ht. Player Acquired College
3 United States G 6'0" Lloyd Johnson 2010 Schenectady County Community College
5 United States G 6'4" EJ Gallup 2011 Coastal Carolina
8 United States G 6'0" Shea Bromirski 2010 St. Rose College
10 United States G 6'2" T.J. Czeski 2012 Wagner College
11 United States G 6'1" Brian Ledbetter 2014 St. Rose College
15 United States G 6'1" Kareem Thomas 2014 St. Rose College
20 United States G 6'2" Andy Robinson 2014 University of Buffalo
21 United States F 6'7" Tyrone Butler 2014 Schenectady High School
23 United States F 6'5" Zach Bye 2012 St. Rose College
24 United States F 6'5" Sheldon Griffin 2012 St. Rose College
32 United States C 6'7" Anthony Bruin 2014 Iona College
33 United States F 6'8" Clayton Longmire 2014 St. Rose College
42 United States F 7'0" Brad Sheehan 2014 Georgia Tech

Notable former players

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Kenny Satterfield

Rashaun Freeman

Season results

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Season Wins Losses Winning Percentage Finish Playoff Wins Playoff Losses Playoff Results
2010 19 3 (.864) 1st 2 0 IBL Champion
2011 15 7 (.682) 2nd (tie) 1 1 IBL Semifinals
2012 Spring 12 5 (.706) 2nd 2 1 IBA Runner-up
2014 Spring 1 1 (.500) N/A DNP DNP DNP
2014 Fall 11 0 (1.000) 1st 2 0 IBA Champion
All-time 58 16 (.784) -- 7 2 2 championships

Coaches

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# Name Term[b] GC W L Win% GC W L Win% Achievements
Regular season Playoffs
1 Derek Rowland 2010 22 19 3 .864 2 2 0 .1000 IBL Championship
2 Ben Smith 2011-2012,2014 26 18 8 .692 2 1 1 .500
3 John Coffino 2012 12 7 5 .583 3 2 1 .667
4 Nick Dean 2012 3 3 0 .1000 0 0 0 .000
5 Scott Knapp 2014 11 11 0 .1000 2 2 0 .1000 IBA Championship
All-Time 2010-2014 74 58 16 .784 9 7 2 .778 2 Championships

References

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  1. ^ "Legends Announce 2014 Spring Showcase" (PDF). Schenectady Legends. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Legends close home schedule with win". The Leader-Herald. 7 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Scott Knapp named head coach of the Schenectady Legends". USbasket. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Schenectady Legends". Twitter. 14 December 2014.
  5. ^ "IBA Basketball". Twitter. 14 December 2014.
  6. ^ "Knapp goes undefeated in first season as coach". The Daily Gazette. 17 December 2014.
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