News & notes

 UAlbany's men's basketball team will get a national television spotlight on Saturday. That's the good news.

The bad? It's airing opposite the NFL playoffs.

The Great Danes' road game at St. Joseph's has been picked up by NBC Sports Network (Spectrum Cable digital channel 314), and the game will air at 6 pm. Where the game will air on local radio is a different story, depending on which, if any or all, of the NFL games will air on ESPN Radio.

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The Atlanta Hawks, after a hot start, have lost three of their last four after a loss to Charlotte on Wednesday. Kevin Huerter scored 19 points off the bench. With that kind of production, despite a nagging ankle issue, it might be in the Hawks' best interests to promote Huerter to the starting lineup, preferably ASAP.

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North Carolina has seen its share of players from the Empire State, not just the 518 (Monmouth coach King Rice is an ex-Tar Heel, and played his high school ball in Binghamton).

Guilderland's Andrew Platek, who took the prep route to the ACC, becomes the first Section II alumnus to play for North Carolina since, if memory serves, Sam Perkins (Shaker) back in the 80's. Perkins had the good fortune of playing for the legendary Dean Smith, and with a future Hall of Famer in Michael Jordan.

We bring this up because Platek had the game winner in a recent game for the Tar Heels. Now, you have to hope he follows Huerter to the NBA.......!

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A month ago, Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee asked Gregg Langbehn, newly retired as manager of the Washington Wild Wings, for a favor. He had Langbehn open a dialogue with his former boss with the Tri-City Valleycats, Rick Murphy.

Three weeks ago, Langbehn was interviewed by Mark Singelais of the Albany Times-Union, promoting the league as a possible destination for the Valleycats following the dissolution of the NY-Penn League.

Today, we can report that the 'Cats have joined the Frontier League.

The season will start sooner, in mid-May, and is longer than the NY-PL, 96 games as opposed to over 70, meaning a 48 game home schedule.

The only question that remains is who would be the 'Cats' manager? Wladimir Sutil was hired prior to the 2020 season, but the season was cancelled. If Sutil is still employed by the Astros instead of the Valleycats, then Tri-City would have to search for a new manager all over again.

Stay tuned.