BSpa names HOF inductees
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. >> Five individuals and two teams will be inducted to the Ballston Spa Hall of Fame, the school said in a release Wednesday.
The Ballston Spa Athletics Hall of Fame Committee announced that the 2017 induction ceremony will take place on from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 6 at the Ballston Spa High school auditorium.
The inductees this year will be coach Ed Banovic, coach Harry Lomansey, Mark Carey, Gerry King, Dan Vergine, the 1958 football team and the 1981 wrestling team. The Ballston Spa Athletic Hall of Fame Committee recognizes Ballston Spa Alumni who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the field of athletics.
NCAA Basketball
UALBANY HOSTS CIT OPENER TONIGHT >> The UAlbany men’s basketball team will play in its sixth consecutive postseason, hosting Saint Peter’s for the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Thursday, March 16th.
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to play in the post season and be a part of the CIT, our guys have worked extremely hard all season long and we continued to get better and better as the season progressed,” said UAlbany head coach Will Brown. “I am happy we are being rewarded for our efforts and success this season. The CIT will give our young core a chance to play in the postseason in a championship tournament format.”
UAlbany is playing in the CIT for the first time since the 2012 season. That year, UAlbany hosted Manhattan in the first round, falling 89-79 to the Jaspers. PATSOS JOINS BROADCAST BOOTH >> Siena Basketball Head Coach Jimmy Patsos has been selected to serve as a guest studio analyst for Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ Saturday and Sunday coverage of the NCAA Tournament. Patsos will join the Atlanta studio team of host Casey Stern and analysts Brendan Haywood and Seth Davis for the networks’ coverage which airs on TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and via NCAA March Madness Live.
Patsos will be live in the Atlanta studio throughout the weekend to break down Saturday and Sunday’s Second Round games. Patsos will join the Atlanta studio team in providing pregame, halftime and postgame coverage as well as in-game updates.
College football
UALBANY RELEASES HOME SCHEUDULE >> UAlbany is set to play five home games at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in 2017, including four games against Colonial Athletic Association opponents. The home opener is scheduled for September 16 against Monmouth.
“We are very excited about the upcoming 2017 UAlbany football home season,” said UAlbany director of athletics Mark Benson. “Coach (Greg) Gattuso and his staff have done a great job building this program to be a strong competitor in the CAA, and we hope our fans continue to support the Great Danes by enjoying a fun game day experience at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.”
The Great Danes are coming off their best season under Gattuso, finishing 7-4 overall including road victories over FBS-opponent Buffalo and NCAA Tournament participant New Hampshire. UAlbany earned a No. 16 national ranking during the year, its highest as a CAA member.
UAlbany begins conference play against Villanova at home on September 23.
UAlbany returns home for two games in a row at the confines of Casey Stadium, starting with Maine, which went 6-5 last season, on October 21 and October 28 against Rhode Island. The Great Danes have won three straight against the Rams, including a 35-7 victory in Kingston in last year’s CAA opener for UAlbany. UAlbany is 3-1 against URI all-time.
November 18 sees UAlbany play its regular season home finale against 2016 NCAA participant New Hampshire, which finished last year at 8-5. UAlbany earned its first win in five meetings with a 36-25 comeback win at Durham last year.
UAlbany football season tickets are now on sale for the 2017 season. Prices start as low as $75. For more information, visit ualbanysports.com/tickets or call the UAlbany ticket office directly at 518-442-DANE.