Searching for Troy's finest and McBride talking Turkey

With the second annual Capital Region Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies coming up Sunday night, we here at The Record have been chasing down some of the Collar City's finest cagers to illustrate Troy's illustrious basketball history.

Sunday, Record sports editor Kevin Moran caught up with former Catholic Central High School head coach Don Bassett, who won over 300 games and turned the CCHS program into a dynasty on the east coast. His team regularly played in front of capacity crowds in gyms such as the Washington Avenue Armory, as in the picture below. To read the story on Bassett, click here.
To read quips and anecdotes from some of his former players, click here.
In Thursday's paper, we looked at the 1964-65 Troy High team, which is widely regarded as being the top team ever to play in the Capital Region.

The Troy High 1964-65 basketball team finished 22-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. The team, to this day, is considered the best to ever compete in the Capital District.
Front Row: Perry Ashley, Joe Cohen, A. Wilson, Neil Dembo.
Second Row: Hubert Terry, R. Pompey, Jerry Guter, Luther Rackley, K. Holmstead, Roosevelt Phillips, Bobby Wood.

All these years later, however, the Hall of Fame committee has had a hard time tracking down former members of the team. Hence, they have yet to be inducted into the hall, although they're certainly deserving.

To read the whole story on the '64-65 team, click here.

New York City's Power Memorial team, which featured a young Lew Alcindor, also finished the '64-65 season 22-0. The teams were set to meet, but the New York State Athletic Association, which allowed just 22 games to be played, canceled the contest.

Luther Rackley, a 6-foot-10 center, went on to play at Xavier and later in the NBA. He turned down an invitation to be inducted into the hall last year.

The whereabouts of some of the other members of the team are still unknown.

Mechanicville native Julie McBride, who went on to star at Syracuse University and later in the WNBA, is now a star overseas in Turkey. Here, she posed for the cover of a Turkish basketball magazine. (Photos provided).

Our Chris Fitz Gerald caught up with Julie McBride for a story that also run in Thursday's paper. To read the whole piece, click here.

She has had her number retired at Catholic Central and in a poll by Sports Illustrated, was named Syracuse University's No. 9 all-time athlete.

Julie McBride pushes the ball up court to avoid a double team while competing in a pro league in Turkey.

She spends eight months of every year playing in Turkey, but returns home in the summers and runs a basketball camp at CCHS.

“I love going over there,” McBride said. “Basketball is who I am and that’s what I do and I love getting paid for it. I go over there for eight months (October to May) and then come home to my family. I love playing and I want to keep going.”

The 27-year old recently signed a two-year contract to continue playing in Turkey.

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Check back later this week as we'll have more on the hall class, including stories on former CCHS player Rod Owens and the Troy High trio of girls, Maureen Holohan, Nikki Hilton and Marcell Harrison.

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