When most people hear about basketball in New York they think of New York City: The Mecca of Basketball. But two and half hours north of the city in Albany, Jimmy Hart's Albany City Rocks teams have been producing elite talent for over two decades. The program's alumni include Andray Blatche, Jimmer Fredette, Tobais Harris and hundreds of other Division I players. The 2015 City Rocks 16u is shaping up to be another of Hart's best squads.

This year's 16u is coached by Ralph Tucker. Five minutes into Tucker's practice on Saturday afternoon and it was easy to see why the team is headed in the right direction. Tucker broke the entire practice into segments in which he allowed his assistants the opportunity to grow as coaches and teach Tucker's talented group of young men. One of Tucker's assistants was responsible for running the offensive segment while the other ran the defensive segment, with Tucker stepping in during both to ensure everything was ran to perfection.

Tucker's squad was able to reach the number #1 spot in indihoops.com's rankings earlier in the season not only because of the outstanding coaching, but also because of his talented group of players who put in tremendous effort. The team's most sought after player is 6'8 forward Hameir Wright, who holds offers from Cincinnati and George Washington among a handful of others. Nahziah Carter, an ultra-athletic swingman, is likely to be hearing from coaches soon, especially given his standout performances at Boo Williams earlier in the season. Dominick Welch also had a good showing at Boo Williams according to ESPN's Adam Finkelstein.Ethan Gabert-Doyon, a crafty ball handler with a well put together frame, Maceo Jack, Jonathan Girard, Mike Wynn and Jalen Pickett are all also major components to the team as well.

Back in April, City Rocks was able to win the prestigious Boo Williams tournament, and they have already beaten some of the nation's best teams in the GA Stars, NJ Playaz, Southern Stampede and the PSA Cardinals. With the Boo Williams win, City Rocks has already qualified for the Sweet 16, where the top 16 Nike programs will travel to North Augusta, South Carolina to compete for a National Championship. If they are able to bring the title back to Upstate New York it certainly should not be a surprise to anyone.

x Paul Johnson