Saratoga Gets Its Own Pro Basketball Team
The logo for the Saratoga Racers, a new professional basketball team based in Saratoga Springs. Image provided by team co-owner Mike James.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Spa City will soon be adding a new attraction: a professional basketball team called the Saratoga Racers.
The Racers will be part of the American Basketball Association (ABA), a re-launched version of the legendary 1970s league that once featured stars such as “Dr. J” Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Saratoga will compete in the East Region’s White Division, which also includes the Albany 518 Ballers, Buffalo eXtreme, and Hudson Valley Rivermen.
The team plans to hold its regular season games at the Saratoga Central Catholic gym. The season will consist of around 20 to 25 games, beginning in late October and finishing at the end of February. Single elimination playoff games will follow in March.
The Racers are owned by Keith Harrington, a former Director of Communications and Media for the Glens Falls Dragons baseball team, and Mike James, a sports announcer and Saratoga Springs High School graduate.
“It’s a dream come true to be an owner of my own team,” Harrington said.
“We’re really pleased to [welcome] Mike and Keith as part of the ABA; they bring a lot of experience to the league and I have no doubt that they will be successful on and off the court,” ABA CEO Joe Newman said in a statement.
Saratoga was previously represented in the ABA by the Spa City Gamblers, which left the league in 2020, and the Saratoga Yankees, which went kaput at the end of the 1951-1952 season.
“I knew Saratoga used to have a team and then they folded,” James said. “I wanted to bring it back to Saratoga and make it fun again.”
Harrington and James have been steadily piecing together their new franchise, landing sponsors such as Greenwich Ford, D’Andrea’s Pizza, Pinnacle Roofing, and G&S Printing. They also found an experienced coach/general manager to build their roster: Bob Catherwood, a well-known fixture in the Capital Region basketball scene.
“I called up [Mike James] and I said, we have to hire this guy. This is the guy right here. So we’re excited to have him on board with us,” Harrington said.
Catherwood’s prior coaching experience includes stints with title-winning teams such as the Albany Legends and Albany Patroons. He’s also coached at the collegiate level with Schenectady Community College and Hudson Valley Community College.
“I count my blessings every day that I have the opportunity to coach the game that I love,” Catherwood said. “I’m not looking to make money. I’m looking to make these guys better by teaching them the right way to play the game.”
Catherwood is still assembling his roster, which will include a number of players with professional-level experience overseas.
“We have about 35 guys now that are looking to play for us and every day we get more calls,” Catherwood said.
The public can get its first glimpse of the Racers in an exhibition game against the Bennington Martens on Saturday, August 10 at 6 p.m. in the Gavin Park gym. Admission is free. Drinks and food will be available.