Will former Bishop Maginn star Taran Buie return to Albany for a college basketball game next season? (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Our Ed Weaver was snooping around at the Times Union Center today at the NCAA Hockey regional and uncovered the following scoop of major interest to local high school basketball fans. I've pasted it below.

Ed Weaver
The Record

ALBANY -- Brigham Young University and Penn State University - Jimmer Fredette vs. Talor Battle - will play at the Times Union Center on Dec. 18 - maybe.

A local TV report and items on both schools' websites that refer to the game on Friday were "way too premature," says TU Center General Manager Bob Belber.

"(Former Bishop Maginn High School boys basketball head coach) Rich Hurley called me and asked about playing the game here," Belber said. "He said Dec. 18 was the only date they had. I told him I was holding that date for another group, but that I would try to clear the date."

Hurley was the Bishop Maginn coach when Battle was competing for the Griffins. Battle averaged a team-best 18.5 points per game for the Nittany Lions, who finished 11-20.

His younger brother, Taran Buie, who starred on Maginn’s 2008 New York State Class AA championship team, is set to join the Penn State team this fall.

Fredette is a Glens Falls High School graduate who averaged a team-best 22.1 points per game for BYU, which finished 30-6 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Belber explained that another production is booked in the TU Center on that date - he declined to identify it - and said the facility is attempting to "flip-flop dates" with another venue to open Dec. 18 for the Penn State-BYU game.

"That was (Thursday)," Belber said. "Today, it's (on local TV) and on both schools’ websites. I called Rich and said, ‘what are you doing?’

"It would be a really big event," Belber said. "Both kids grew up here, went to school here, they have a big following. We're trying to clear that date, but we probably won't know anything until Tuesday."