Saratoga Team Gets New Owner, New Home, New Future

The Saratoga Racers burst into existence last year, finishing their inaugural American Basketball Association (ABA) season with a 13-7 record and an appearance in the league’s playoff semifinals. But the team could reach even greater heights in its forthcoming sophomore season, which will be hosted at a new home court in Mechanicville.

The venue change is the result of new ownership. Earlier this summer, the Racers were sold by Keith Harrington to an ownership group led by Frank Polsinello, a Mechanicville native with big plans for both the team and his home city.

The structure at 10 North Main Street includes a basketball court originally built in the 1950s that can seat up to 2,800 spectators. It’s a much larger site than the Saratoga Central Catholic gym on Broadway, which hosted the Racers last season. And there are plans already in place to beautify the Racers’ new home.

“I’ve loved this gym since I was 12 years old,” said Polsinello. “We’re redeveloping it… We’re hoping it’ll be the center of a new, revitalized Mechanicville community.”

Tentative plans for the building include adding a fitness club, pickleball court, cornhole league, brewpub and cafe, apartments, and theater events. If all comes to fruition, it’ll be a new era for the historic gym, which has hosted games played by local notables like pro basketball player Barry Kramer and future State Senator Jim Tedisco.

The court’s storied past is not lost on current members of the Saratoga Racers, who said they appreciated the venue’s legacy and have been practicing there almost every night.

“It’s a game changer,” said Racers’ star Tobias Holmes. “Now we can prepare a lot earlier than last year and it’s helping us already tremendously.”

A number of Saratoga’s standouts are set to return for year two, including Holmes and RJ Rosa, both of whom practiced with the team on Tuesday night.

“We can really get in here whenever we want,” Rosa said. “That’s a night and day difference from last year. I’m seeing guys take advantage of it almost every night, which is huge.”

Rosa credited the ownership and venue change with attracting more talent to the team. “We’re seeing new guys that we didn’t see last year come out,” he said. “I think it’s a combination of us performing well last year but also them seeing that we’re doing things the right way.”

Three Racers players said that a combination of added talent and improved chemistry among returning players would likely result in a better team taking the court this season. The goal for the players was the same: to advance as far as possible in the ABA postseason, perhaps all the way to a national championship.

Head Coach Bob Catherwood pointed out that the Racers fell in last year’s playoffs by only 8 points to a team that advanced to the final four. “We’ve got the capability to have a great year,” said the veteran coach, who helped lead both the Albany Patroons and Albany Legends to title victories. 

Catherwood has a career record of 370-154 for a 72% winning percentage. At 73 years old (he’ll be 74 this November), he seemed to have no regrets about coming out of retirement to coach the Racers. He cited one game last season, in which Saratoga went on a 31-0 scoring run, as one of the most extraordinary things he’s ever seen on a basketball court. “I’ve got a couple rings, a couple championships, but I never had a game like that,” Catherwood said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

The fun is set to continue in early November, when the Racers will play their first games of the 2025-26 regular season.

Story courtesy: https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/saratoga-team-gets-new-owner-new-home-new-future/