An era is ending, but shouldn't

On Tuesday night, Troy High's women's basketball team avenged an earlier loss to Catholic Central on the latter's home court. I am not sure, however, that the players were aware that this would be the last time the two schools would play each other in a regular season game.

In today's edition of The Record, it was reported that, as had been speculated, Troy will play in the Suburban Council next season, while Catholic Central will be in the Colonial Council. Cross-town rival LaSalle joins the Crusaders in the Colonial, which now has 3 of Troy's 5 high schools, counting the women-only Emma Willard School, which plays in a different league. Troy will be joined in jumping into the Suburban by Christian Brothers Academy, Albany High, & Schenectady High.

This marks Friday's rematch in boys' basketball between Troy & LaSalle as the last meeting between those two schools as well. While Troy Athletic Director Paul Reinisch, a CBA graduate, talked about the Suburban being a geographical fit, it really isn't. The closest schools to Troy in the league would be Shaker (Latham), Averill Park, &  Columbia (East Greenbush). They would retain the long running league rivalries with CBA, Albany, & Schenectady, but for fans yearning for the continuance of games vs. LaSalle and/or Catholic Central, right now, they're S-O-L. The reports are that neither the Colonial nor the Suburban has enough wiggle room for non-league games that would allow for the traditional rivalries to continue unabated. With 4 new teams, the Suburban, already one of the biggest leagues around, expands to 16 teams, to be split into two or four divisions, which will be decided upon soon, perhaps as early as a league meeting later this month.

My personal feelings remain the same. While Troy vs. Shaker or Shenendehowa in the regular season has appeal the first time around, for novelty's sake, the Flying Horses will be the odd team out in the home town, with LaSalle, CCHS, & Lansingburgh all in the Colonial. All of those schools are accessible within city limits by bus. You'd need 2 buses to get to Albany High, for example, but for everyone else in the Suburban, you need a car.

Not that I'd need to do this again, but I feel even more strongly than before that the home town needs the revival of an in-city high school hoops tournament involving the 4 schools (with Emma Willard replacing LaSalle in a women's tournament). As the traditional rivalries between Troy and LaSalle and CCHS are fading away, it is time for the ADs at each school to consider the prospect of a pre-season, 2-night tournament. I don't think it'd be too much to ask Hudson Valley Community College, virtually a next-door neighbor to LaSalle (actually across the street), to host the event unless the high schools can rotate hosting duties. I personally think it's possible. The question is, do they?