Monday, May 21, 2012: BCANY launches innovative Hall of Fame

   Leading off today: The BCANY launched a Hall of an idea today, revealing the creation of its Virtual Hall of Fame. NYBasketballHallOfFame.com will celebrate all aspects of New York State basketball, BCANY Executive Director David Archer said.

   In addition to a "virtual" representation of all Hall of Fame members, the site also recognizes outstanding media, referees, players, teams and moments. Online visitors can nominate future Hall of Fame inductees, and the website will be updated frequently by BCANY staff.

   "This site will completely change the way our fans and supporters view our Hall of Fame," Archer said in a statement announcing the Virtual Hall. "This unique fusing of history and current technology is allowing BCANY to remain current and will offer a great way for us to share everything that is great about New York State Basketball with people all over the country."

   As an extension of the initiative, the BCANY is helping promote a MaxPreps.com feature that allows schools to post historical information about their basketball (and other) teams.

   Milestone alert: Sauquoit Valley softball coach John Lindberg won his 300th game earlier this month and stands at 302-125 heading into the Section 3 tournament. The Indians are seeded fifth in Class C-1 as Lindberg goes after his third sectional title.

   Mohonasen legend dies: Bill Baker, a former coach and AD at Mohonasen, died Wednesday at the age of 79.

   Baker, also a soccer referee, retired in 1988 but remained close to the school.

   Baker, a Mont Pleasant graduate who joined the school district when it centralized in 1957, coached 26 seasons of boys basketball and won 248 games.

   He coached baseball, volleyball, golf and girls’ soccer during his career, at one point serving as athletic director while also coaching three sports and teaching four gym classes per day.

   Going for a double-triple: Brothers Mike and Matt Tamburri, a senior and a junior respectively, are trying to complete a unique triple crown this month as they chase their third Section 9 title of the 2011-12 school year.

   They were key contributors in the fall to Marlboro's football team, which won Class B for its first crown in the sport. In the winter, they helped the Dukes go on a 13-game winning streak late in the season en route to a Class A basketball championship -- the school's first since 1989.

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   Now they're on the baseball team, one title away from matching Cornwall's football/basketball/baseball triple from three years ago.

   Another look: The Times Union took a look at the discussion of ending NYSPHSAA meets and tournaments, a hot topic for roughly 48 hours ago a couple of months ago after the disclosure that Section 11 officials had floated just such an idea.

   The story focused on how important tournaments are to the players and communities, more or less concluding they're too important to terminate. The NYSPHSAA executive committee discussed the future of state tournaments at its recent meeting and no motions were made or votes taken, the paper reported.

   Financial concerns remain, however, and they are very real going forward. That's why one idea noted in the story caught my eye. The Times Union reported Section 11 wants to hire a former athletic administrator to focus on sponsorship opportunities with local businesses.

   One concept involves lining up companies to sponsor teams that advance to state semifinals or finals.

   The story didn't speculate, but is that the first step toward sponsor logos showing up on uniforms for the weekend? Just asking.