BY JACKSON WANG ALBANY/CAPITAL REGION
PUBLISHED 7:45 PM ET APR. 20, 2023
For Albany Patroons’ head coach Derrick Rowland, there’s no place like home.
“I feel like I never left to be honest with you,” he said. “I’ve been here for so many years, and to go somewhere for one season, it didn’t change anything for me.”
Also known as Mr. Patroon, Rowland has returned to the Washington Avenue Armory. His history there dates back 40 years, winning championships first as a player, then as a coach.
“This group has been great,” he said. “We have a lot of high-character players, and we got some talent.”
As Rowland begins to write a new chapter, a new character has joined the Patroons’ story: his son. Derrick Rowland Jr., is one of the nine new players signed for this season.
“He has basically always been my coach that’s not on the floor, from a distance, through the phone, whatever it may be,” said Derrick Rowland Jr.
He played basketball at nearby Green Tech before spending the next six seasons at New Haven. After graduating from college, Derrick Rowland Jr. spent time playing overseas in Montenegro. When he returned home, everything fell into place.
“Once he got the job, I was like, ‘why not?’ It’s written. Why not? You might as well, so here we are,” Derrick Rowland Jr. said.
“It was just like divine intervention for me to have a chance to coach the Patroons again and have a chance for him to play for me. It’s something that every dad would probably want to experience,” Derrick Rowland said.
The father and son are back on the same team as coach and player for the first time since Derrick Rowland Jr. was competing in AAU basketball in middle school. The pair are picking up right where they left off.
“He doesn’t treat me any differently. He doesn’t give me anything. Everything I have to do is earned,” Derrick Rowland Jr. said. “It’s been fun because I know how he coaches, he knows how I play.”
Albany is off to a hot start in the TBL season with Derrick Rowland Jr. coming off the bench and averaging about 10 points a game. He’s handling the pressure of being Mr. Patroon’s son just fine.
“It’s been totally the opposite,” Derrick Rowland said. “He has great teammates that stay positive, keep him motivated, pick him up, and he’s just one of the guys on the team right now.”
“I think everybody on the team has pressure,” Derrick Rowland Jr. said. “Obviously, it’s a little added pressure but there’s always pressure into playing well and being on a good team.”
They know there’s still a lot of work ahead in order to end this chapter on a high note. For the Rowlands, that would be bringing another championship back to Albany.
“I had some great years as a player and had some great years as a coach, and to have your son come up through that is just something that I’m very proud of. And I hope he is too,” Derrick Rowland said. “And he’s working hard at it, and we’re having fun with it.”
