Albany Legends Season Wrap

My first season of playing semi-pro basketball for the Albany Legends has come to an end. Trying to sum up an entire season in a blog post is near impossible, but I can safely start by saying it was one of the most positive experiences I've ever had relating to the game of basketball. It's hard for me not to think back to what a journey the season has been. Originally I wasn't sure if there was even an open spot on the Legends roster for me, and by the end of the season I was giving significant contributions to one of the top teams in the International Basketball Association (IBA). Although changes to the roster were made throughout the spring, I was one of only five players that remained a constant from the very first tryout to our last loss of the season. And while we did lose to Kankakee in the IBA championship held in Gary, Indiana, the entire organization from us players and coaches to the owner himself walked out with our head held high. Truthfully nobody ever expected a serious run out of Albany. We weren't the most talented or athletic team in the IBA, but each guy on our team understood his role and what he needed to bring to the table for us to win. Going into our final Midwest road trip to Michigan and Indiana you could feel the energy and chemistry of our group was at an all-time high. We drove 11 hours on a Monday morning to play in Lansing, Michigan that night, and proceeded to play 6 games in the next 7 days. If nothing else will test the resolve of a team, that will. The innocuous travel along with starting the road trip 0-2 to Lansing and Battle Creek could have killed our spirits but they didn't. By the time we wound up in Indiana for the playoffs our team seemed to rally around our circumstances and use it as motivation. In the first round of the tournament we matched up again with Lansing who had just whooped us a few days before. Unfortunately for them they saw a completely different team as we blew them out and ended their season. This first round playoff game was probably my best individual outing as I posted 14 points and 12 rebounds in the win. The next game we played against the Kenosha Ballers who had picked up an upset win over the top ranked L.A. Lightning in the first round. The Ballers started hot, but we finished strong in a 15-point second half comeback to steal the semifinal matchup. That game started late and didn't get done until about midnight that Saturday (6/23/12) with the schedule saying the championship was the following day at 4:00pm. We didn't use the quick turnaround as an excuse, but playing 14 hours after such a emotional game combined with the fact that it was our sixth game in seven nights certainly played a role in our guys running out of gas. That being said, Kankakee was a better team that day. But as I said we didn't hang our heads. Nobody expected us to make it to the championship. Through the successes and failures our group endured, we now have a bond moving forward. My teammates EJ Gallup, Loyd Johnson, Shea Bromirski, Brian Hanashack, Josh Jones, Kenny Tribett, and Kyle Downey will be long remembered for the wins we had on the court and how much fun we had off of it during those seven days. Nothing will replace high school basketball, AAU trips, or college seasons, but I'd have the spring of 2012 with the Albany Legends in that same breath. Thanks again to the owner, Steve Miller, and the coach John Coffino for believing in me and giving me a shot at being successful at the next level! Go Legends!