Men’s Basketball Signs Sarju Patel

6/22/2022 12:00:00 PM

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men’s basketball team has announced that Sarju “Juice” Patel, a 6-3 guard from Daleville, Va., will join the Great Danes in 2022-23. Patel spent the past three years at Cornell University.

We are so pleased to welcome Juice [Patel] to our program. His infectious energy, maturity, experience, and perimeter shooting will be a tremendous addition to our team. Our staff did a terrific job identifying him through the portal and we are so thrilled he will be pursuing a master’s degree through the UAlbany School of Business.

Head Coach Dwayne Killings

Patel joined the Big Red program ahead of the 2019-20 season, sitting a year due to NCAA transfer regulations before having his 2020-21 season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was named a team captain for Cornell this past year, where he averaged 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor in 26 starts. Patel also excelled in the classroom, being named to the Academic All-Ivy League Team as Cornell’s representative.

I chose UAlbany because the coaches are building a program rooted not only in winning, but also joy, passion, confidence, and camaraderie. Of course, winning is the ultimate goal, but their emphasis on the journey and experience was appealing to me. Beyond that, I saw the need for a player like myself, the ways I could fit in, add value, develop, and the potential to win a title. I’m super excited to get this thing rolling.

Sarju "Juice" Patel

Before transferring to Cornell, Patel spent two seasons at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). In his sophomore season, he averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range in 29 contests, 12 of which he started. Before attending VMI, he spent one postgraduate season at Hargrave Military Academy.

Stay up to date with UAlbany men’s basketball by following the team on Twitter (@UAlbanyMBB) and Instagram (@ualbany_mbb) for all of the latest news and highlights.

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