NOVUS Clothing Company Partners With Historic Albany Patroons

The Albany Patroons are making their return this year and beginning a new partnership with NOVUS Clothing Company. The historic minor league basketball team returns to their home court at the Washington Avenue Armory for the 2022 season after the 2020 pandemic cancellation and shut down. The team played their last home game on Feb. 29, 2020.

From left to right: Nick Bernardo, Will Brown, Don Bassett, Julie McBride, Marc Rybczyk, Garrett Bernardo.

This new partnership is exciting for brothers and owners of NOVUS, Nick and Garrett Bernardo, because of their family’s personal history with the Albany-based team. 

“Our family’s history with the Albany Patroons basketball team goes back to our grandfather, Bill Bernardo, in 1982 when the team was first formed,” said COO Nick Bernardo. “He was asked to be on the board. He was one of the local businessmen who was plugged in at the time and had a passion for basketball.”

Bill Bernardo was a charter member of the team's board of directors, helping the Patroons bring on their first coach and eventually legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson in 1983. 

“It really meant a lot to him to see basketball played at a high level in Albany. He was so proud and loved Albany,” Nick said of his grandfather. “He came up from Brooklyn when he was a teenager to live with his brother who had a local diner downtown. Albany was really what made him a man and he was so proud of the Patroons.”

From left to right: Nick Bernardo, Will Brown, Don Bassett, Julie McBride, Marc Rybczyk, Garrett Bernardo.

The partnership means a lot to the Bernardo brothers with their family ties going back to the early 1980s. 

“There's a rich history of coaches and players behind the Patroons and the team is near to our hearts as our grandfather took a lot of pride not only in the city of Albany but the game of basketball,” CEO Garrett Bernardo said. “We feel like this partnership hits home as the Patroons have always been a part of our family, and now we get to do what we love by outfitting the staff and players with our very own NOVUS gear.”

The Albany Patroons home turf is in the historic Washington Avenue Armory, an armory originally built in 1890 for the Tenth Battalion of the New York National Guard. The Bernardo’s family history is intertwined with that of the building due to their grandfather's heavy involvement with the Patroons.

“Going into the Armory, you can feel the history, the nostalgia,” Nick said. “It’s awesome and it really reminds us of what our grandfather was so excited about. It brings us back to his heyday.”

Going into the 2022 season, NOVUS will be outfitting the Patroons coaching staff, and eventually players, in custom apparel.

“NOVUS has committed to outfitting the coaching staff and players in pullovers, polos, jackets, warm-ups, and loungers so it’s definitely exciting to see the staff rocking our gear,” Nick said. “We’re amazed by the coaching staff that the Patroons have put together. They’re high caliber and have been in the game for a long time.”

But this partnership goes beyond clothing.

“As a young and growing business, it’s really our hope to carry on the legacy of the Patroons and bring on a new, young, excitement for the organization,” Nick said. “We want to partner with staple programs that have impacted the local community and the Patroons are one of them. Being a business that’s in Albany and having the history of our grandfather, we want to carry that on and get the community together.”

The team at NOVUS hopes to help the basketball team share their history and make new memories moving forward. The clothing company is also proud to have helped create the team's 40th-anniversary logo.

“Ultimately, we are trying to support the Patroons in every way we can, from apparel to marketing and helping tell the story of an iconic team with a rich history and an exciting future,” Garrett said.

The Albany Patroons 40th anniversary season is sure to be one for the record books. To learn more visit albanypatroonsbasketball.com and follow NOVUS @novusclothingco on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep up with the partnership.