State hoops statistician is all about 100 percent accuracy

   The string of cars heading this Saturday from the village of Hammond to the girls state basketball championships will resemble a scene out of Hoosiers. Lock all the doors; last family out of town turns off the lights.

   When the Red Devils reach the floor of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, they’ll greeted by a familiar face – Fred Pidgeon of Morristown.

   The retired science teacher leads the statistical crew that will preserve each shot, each rebound, each assist in a courtside computer, rendering an historical record that will last for years until the Red Devils tell their children’s children about their second consecutive trip to the Class D Final Four.

    Pidgeon has been preserving these statistical packages for about 25 years. He was a member of the Section II basketball committee when he started compiling stats for sectional playoff games.

  “That was before computer programs, so we did it by hand,’’ Pidgeon said. “The state chair was impressed with the work so I have been at this since early 2000s.’’

    You’ll find Pidgeon and his crew sitting at a table across the floor from the scorer’s table. One person, usually Pidgeon or his pal Mark Hitchcock, mans a laptop computer loaded with special software.

   “As one person enters data, the other two feed such as ‘White 23 2-point shot, miss. The computer will say rebound? The other feeder might say, ‘Blue 45.’ Then, if a shot is made it will say, ‘Assist?’ The numbers that we say are entered, but we have already entered the names of the players. When the stats are printed out, the names come with it.’’

  The detailed box score includes makes and attempts for shots, 3-pointers and free throws, offensive and defensive rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, fouls, turnovers and minutes played.

  At times, when the action gets frenetic, Pidgeon and his crew can be tested.

  “When the action is crazy like miss, same team rebound, pass, another shot, another miss, then rebound and then made shot, you get tied up.’’ Pidgeon said. “After you finish, you may have to catch up on the next basket. We’ve been at this for a few years, so we usually get it right. If not, when a time out occurs, we can go back and make corrections.’’

   Pidgeon will be dialed in by 6 p.m. Thursday when the referee tosses the opening jump ball between Duanesburg and Frewsburg in the Class C semifinals. The stats crews will work through 18 games, concluding with the Class D title game at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. Defending state champion Hammond meets Section IV’s Cherry Valley-Springfield in a 2:15 p.m. Saturday semifinal, right after Northville of Section II and Elba of Section VI meet on the other side of the bracket.

  Pidgeon’s crew will handle 2 games Thursday, 7 each on Friday and Saturday, and 2 on Sunday.

  “We need breaks, so I have a great crew,’’ Pidgeon said.  “Mark Hitchcock and I do the computer entering and we alternate games. Crickett O’Dell and Kevin Schultes have been with me from the start,  and we all were hoop officials, although Crickett is still at it. We will have at least five people feeding, but at the end of Friday and Saturday we are toast.’’

   So how did a lifelong Albany guy end up in St. Lawrence County?

   Pidgeon, 75, played football, basketball and baseball at Guilderland Central School before accepting a football scholarship to the University of Bridgeport (Conn.) on Long Island Sound. Playing for a share of the national title, his Purple Knights lost 47-28 to Randolph-Macon in the Knute Rockne Bowl.

    He spent a couple of years teaching science in Cohoes, but most of his career was spent at Rensselaer City High School, teaching physics, chemistry and earth science. He also spent eight years as an adjunct at SUNY Cobleskill, adding biology, astronomy and geology to his repertoire.

   Through all the tests and lesson preps, Pidgeon could never divorce himself from sports. He spent 40 seasons refereeing high school girls basketball until 2018, and worked Division II and III women’s games for several years. For 20 years, he coached football, basketball and baseball at Rensselaer, and two seasons of softball at Siena College.

  In the summer months, he was a devoted baseball player in the Albany Twilight League. For his work there, he was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.

  He still umpires baseball and softball, and has added swimming. He was a man for all seasons.

   Pidgeon had been coming to the shores of the St. Lawrence River since 1978 when he married a Morristown graduate, Colleen Moore, who was working in the Albany area. When she retired from running a food cupboard for Albany Catholic Charities a few years ago, the parents of three and grandparents of two decided to move back to Morristown. Now each morning, they wake up to a spectacular view of the river.

   His view this week will be of two benches and 18 games. Perhaps he’ll see the Hammond girls win another state title.

   His most memorable moment remains watching Breanna Stewart win the Class AA state championship for Cicero-North Syracuse in 2011 and ’12.

    “Stewart was amazing and I remember looking up into the stands at HVCC and seeing (UConn coach) Geno Auriemma mouthing ‘Wow!’ ”

     “I love being back to see everyone each year,’’ Pidgeon said. “The gang keeps in touch all year, but the coaches and the section chairs and the media are always glad we are keeping them informed.’’

     He won’t see the WNBA star, but settling for the Hammond girls wouldn’t be a bad tradeoff.

   Morristown native Jim Holleran is a retired teacher and sports editor from Rochester. Reach him at jimholleran29@gmail.com or view past columns under “Reflections of River Rat’’ at https://hollerangetsitwrite.com/blog/