Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Sports this 'n' that

The Kansas City Chiefs have decided that they'll go into training camp this summer with the idea of 2nd year pro Patrick Mahomes, Jr., son of a former Mets & Twins pitcher, possibly being their starting quarterback. They like that idea so much that they traded incumbent starter Alex Smith to the Washington Trumpets on Tuesday. Now, there's just the matter of the other shoe dropping, that is, where Kirk Cousins will end up when the regular season begins anew in September.

All that says is that in the final analysis, Trumpets owner Daniel Snyder didn't have enough faith in either of the quarterbacks he drafted in 2012, Cousins or Robert Griffin III, as he dismissed Griffin a couple of years back, and now Cousins is being shown the door. Not a good move on either front, in this writer's estimation.
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LaSalle's hockey team rebounded from a 4-4 draw with Bethlehem on Friday night by completing a season sweep of Niskayuna-Schenectady last night with a 2-1 win at Union College. The Cadets picked up a point and a 1/2-game in the standings on the idle Eagles, and continue their road trip this Friday with a return match vs. Saratoga. LaSalle beat the Blue Streaks earlier this month. If they run the table and win their remaining four games, they'll be assured of a 2 seed in the playoffs next month.
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It's clear that Glens Falls High tailors its offense around junior phenom Joe Girard III, who's been averaging 50 points a game. Last night, Girard broke the state scoring record, previously held by Lance Stephenson, Jr., currently with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, in leading Glens Falls to a win over Amsterdam in an important Foothills Council match. The Rugged Rams used a man-to-man defense for much of the night, sometimes employing double-teams on Girard, who finally exploded in the fourth quarter to lead a final charge to victory. Congratulations to Girard.

We should note that it's very, very rare for an athlete from this part of the state to make it to the NBA. Jimmer Fredette, now in China, was a rare exception. So was current Schenectady women's coach James Thomas. Both went to major colleges (Brigham Young & Texas, respectively), but it seems someone in the NBA hierarchy doesn't believe the talent pool in upstate NY is as deep or talented as it is downstate. Stephenson grew up in Brooklyn, and a lot of NBA players, past & present, have hailed from the Big Apple's five boroughs.

Perhaps the most successful player to make the jump from the upstate corridor to the NBA is Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley, for whom the Patriots' home gym in Schenectady is named. Riley, now the president of the Miami Heat, won multiple titles in the 80's with the Lakers.
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Back at home, the Troy High women's basketball team closed the home portion of the schedule on a sour note, losing 55-32 to Colonie as the Garnet Raiders collected a receipt from last year's sectionals. Erin Fouracre led all scorers with 14 points, as offense was at a premium. Jenalyse Alarcon, Alaina Holmes, and Juliana Valenti led Troy with 6 points each. The Lady Horses open a season-ending three game road trip Friday at Columbia.

Meanwhile, Colonie's boys team continued its mastery over Troy with a 61-55 win. The Flying Horses are now 0-3 on the boys' side of the ledger vs. the Garnet Raiders. Lateef Johnson led all scorers with a season high 26 points. Latyce Faison was held to a season low 2 points. Naziaire Merritt had 9 points, and Alonzo Alexander had 8. Isaiah Moll and Kyle Aybar led Colonie with 23 points each. Coach Greg Davis' club is now 9-6 on the season (9-4 in the Suburban Council), and trails CBA by two games with four to play in the league. Troy comes home to welcome back former star Curtis Sankey and the Columbia Blue Devils on Friday before heading off to Middletown on Saturday for their final non-league game of the season.

We should note that if you check the Albany Times-Union's web site, they have the league record wrong for Troy. They have Troy as 8-5 in league play, when it should be 9-4. Their proofreaders may have been trained by Mr. Magoo.

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