ALBANY – In his postseason debut with the Albany Patroons, forward Arsenio Arrington did his part to add to the franchise’s legacy.
He had 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting as the Patroons overwhelmed the Reading Rebels 111-96 on Tuesday in a The Basketball League opening-round game at Washington Avenue Armory.
Arrington signed with the franchise less than three weeks ago after being granted his release from the Kalamazoo Galaxy, who didn’t qualify for the TBL playoffs.
“It’s an honor,” Arrington said. “I’ve been telling people since the day I got here, just coming here as you see all these great NBA players and coaches and championships back here, I’m hearing they just won a (TBL) championship in 2019 and were in the finals last year. It’s just a blessing for me to come here and have this opportunity.”
Arrington spoke as he stood in front of a row of signs with names of former Patroons greats such as Micheal Richardson, Vince Askew, and Mario Elie, Hall of Fame coaches Phil Jackson and George Karl, and the team’s 1984, 1988 and 2019 title trophies behind one basket at the Armory.
This year’s Patroons (21-4) move on to the TBL’s Northeast Division finals, where they’ll face the Atlantic City Gambits in a best-of-3 series. Game 1 is at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Armory, followed by Game 2 on Saturday and Game 3 on Sunday, if necessary, at Atlantic City.
The Gambits (22-3), who beat Syracuse in another opening-round game on Tuesday, won the Northeast Division regular-season title and have homecourt advantage.
On Saturday, the Patroons built a 51-36 halftime lead and 78-59 advantage after three quarters against a Reading team that entered the evening scoring 113 points per game with seven players averaging in double figures.
“We were just active,” said Patroons guard Trevis Wyche, who added 23 points. “We were flying around. We were just getting stops. That was one of the keys to the game was just getting some stops, get out in transition, just make them work for everything.”
The Patroons lost at home to Reading 113-111 on May 12 in Arrington’s debut with the Patroons. He played 15 minutes and scored four points in this game.
It was a different feeling on Tuesday, Arrington said, starting with the morning shootaround.
“We came in super focused, super loose,” Arrington said. “It was just a different kind of vibe at shootaround today. You could tell that we were focused. Last time we were on this court with this (Reading) team, we had a 20-point lead and they came back in the fourth quarter and took it from us. So today in shootaround, coaches made sure, we know we’re going to go up, we know we’re going to make a run, but they’re a good team, so they’re going to make a run. We have to keep our foot on the pedal, and that’s going to be the thing for the rest of the playoffs.”
Rowland said Arrington has been a “perfect fit” for the Patroons.
“His work ethic is great,” Rowland said. “He gets along with all the players. He was a perfect pickup for us and can’t be happier for him after the game he played tonight.”