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 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, 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.
On September 4, 2014, the club announced the hiring of former Siena College player Scott Knapp, 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. Legends player Lloyd Johnson was named the IBA Finals MVP after scoring 61 points in the championship game.
Current roster
Head Coach: Scott Knapp
#Pos.Ht.PlayerAcquiredCollege3 G6'0" Lloyd Johnson2010Schenectady County Community College5 G6'4" EJ Gallup2011Coastal Carolina8 G6'0" Shea Bromirski2010St. Rose College10 G6'2" T.J. Czeski2012Wagner College11 G6'1" Brian Ledbetter2014St. Rose College15 G6'1" Kareem Thomas2014St. Rose College20 G6'2" Andy Robinson2014University of Buffalo21 F6'7" Tyrone Butler2014Schenectady High School23 F6'5" Zach Bye2012St. Rose College24 F6'5" Sheldon Griffin2012St. Rose College32 C6'7" Anthony Bruin2014Iona College33 F6'8" Clayton Longmire2014St. Rose College42 F7'0" Brad Sheehan2014Georgia Tech
Notable former players
Kenny Satterfield
Rashaun Freeman
Season results Season Wins Losses Winning Percentage Finish Playoff Wins Playoff Losses Playoff Results 2010 19 3 () 1st 2 0 IBL Champion 2011 15 7 () 2nd (tie) 1 1 IBL Semifinals 2012 Spring 12 5 () 2nd 2 1 IBA Runner-up 2014 Spring 1 1 () N/A DNP DNP DNP 2014 Fall 11 0 () 1st 2 0 IBA Champion All-time 58 16 (.784) -- 7 2 2 championships
Coaches
# Name Term GC W L Win% GC W L Win% AchievementsRegular seasonPlayoffs1Derek Rowland201022193.864220.1000 IBL Championship2Ben Smith2011-2012,201426188.692211.5003John Coffino20121275.583321.6674Nick Dean2012330.1000000.0005Scott Knapp201411110.1000220.1000 IBA ChampionshipAll-Time 2010-2014745816.784972.778 2 Championships
References
External links Legends website Schenectady Legends on USbasket