Troy High sports, then & now, part 2

With football season having ended on Saturday, I felt it was time to get to the second part of our Troy High then & now series. The conclusion will be up in March.
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Troy's basketball teams have always been a study of contrasts.

While the women's 1980-1 record wasn't made clear in the 1981 yearbook, one gets the feeling they had a sub-.500 season, which is what today's Lady Horses have experienced in recent years since entering the Suburban Council in 2015. Last year's club, under first year coach Ryan Meikle, showed a great deal of fire and enthusiasm, but a key injury to Jenalyse Alarcon, who missed five games at the end of the season, proved costly, as Troy got to the 2nd round of the sectionals and no further.

The men's team was a middle of the road team in the Big 10 back in the day, as in stuck in the middle of the league standings. Physical education teacher Jack Moser was given his first coaching job at Troy, succeeding the legendary Joe Geiger, and directed Troy to a 9-9 overall record in 1980-1. The season, sadly, ended with a sectional loss to Shaker for the second straight season. The Blue Bison, under another coaching legend in Julius Grimindl, featured future North Carolina and NBA star Sam Perkins. At last check, Moser is no longer coaching, but rather is working as an athletic trainer, with a resume that includes stints with the Albany Patroons, Firebirds, & Conquest, and, as of last season, was working at Lansingburgh.

Interestingly, Francisco Rivera's son, also named Francisco, opted to play football at Troy, and won a state title a couple of years ago.

Last year's club, with coach Greg Davis in his 2nd season at the helm, won their 2nd Suburban Council Gray division title in 4 years, and figure to be players again this year.

A highlight of basketball season back then was the Uncle Sam tournament, played during Thanksgiving weekend. In those days, Homecoming was the centerpiece of the pre-season tournament weekend. As previously documented, Homecoming now takes place during football season, and has since 1982.

In recent years, Troy has had the Holiday Classic, played during Christmas break. It's not an annual event, the last having taken place in 2016, with the Troy men not faring so well. Neither did the women when they hosted the tournament during the winter of 2015-16. The Classic returns this year, and save for Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, which, like Troy, took part in last year's inaugural Rich Gilooly Memorial at Catholic Central, the field resembles the old Uncle Sam tournaments, as LaSalle & Lansingburgh round out the field. For LaSalle, it'll be their first appearance at Zotto Gym since 2014. Way longer than that for Lansingburgh. The Classic takes place on December 27-28. By then, we'll know how good the Troy boys will be.

The Troy women will be out of town at a tournament in Amsterdam that same weekend, while the junior varsity women will be in Ballston Spa.

Troy's indoor track teams, just like their outdoor squads, cross country included, haven't had much success in recent times, but in 1980-1, the women's indoor team won their 3rd straight Big 10 title, while the men finished in 4th.

Troy no longer has a hockey program, as it was dissolved after a short-lived merger with Columbia circa 1982. The 1980-1 team finished 9-7, but, as we documented in part 1, it wasn't enough to save coach Steve Forman's job, although Forman was let go more because of the football team's struggles, as documented in part 1.

Today, Tim Flanigan is the head coach at LaSalle, and twin brother Todd joined him in 2017, after the Cadets won the 2016-7 Section II title.

As we also documented, the swimming & diving team has been split into two units, just like the tennis team. This year's women's team failed to win a meet, finishing 0-9. In 1980-1, the men's team fared well, but the exact record is not known. As previously documented, the men's team merged with CBA due to declining interest at one of the schools, but did not fare very well last season.

The bowling team had one of its best seasons since entering the Suburban Council last season, and adding a female player might've had something to do with it. The keglers begin their season right before Thanksgiving, opening a three match homestand at what will be a very crowded Uncle Sam Lanes this season. Olivia DeCitise may be the next bowling star at Troy, the first since the days of Steve Horton & Jeremy Yando in the 90's. The 1980-1 team didn't merit a mention in the yearbook, which suggests after-school intramurals rather than league play.

We'll keep our eyes on the winter teams as best as able. Stay tuned.