At first glance, I didn't think much of the boys basketball teams coming out of the city of Troy this winter.

Troy HS had lost All-American James Young, now at Rochester, to a transfer and Troy Athens had graduated college players like Marcarious Oakley and Caleb McIntosh off last season's stellar squad.

Now a couple weeks into the season, I believe I was wrong.

Head coach Gary Fralick and his Troy Colts will be better than expected minus Young. Fralick is coaching the heck out of this group and showing why he's a master tactician and motivator on the sidelines with a clipboard in his hand. The senior backcourt of point guard Zak Noor and shooting guard Joe Leonard are intent on making the Colts one of this season's darkhorses - let us not forget, Troy HAS claimed two OAA White league championships in a row!!. Last Thursday night, Troy pulled an upset of OAA Red foe Southfield-Lathrup, possibly giving a look at what is to come in the next couple of months. Behind a super overall effort by Noor of 12 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, the Colts beat Lathrup - a squad many pundits ranked in the top of their state-rankings to open the campaign - by an impressive double-digit margin of victory.

Athens will be good, too. In the years to come, the Red Hawks could be great. A slamming seven sterling sophomores dot the Athens roster this season and they are quite a class. I've seen them in person and came away wowed.

Sparkplug guards Timmy Shayoka and Devin Terry and forwards John Van Noef and Corbin Vrinj headline the Red Hawks sizzling sophomore contingent.

Noef is a 6-foot-5 grinder in the post and Vrinj a long, athletic 6-foot-7 wing with a sweet touch inside and out.

Shayoka, a heady floor general in his second year on varsity, pumped in a career-high 20 points in a win over Roseville last week.

When Troy and Athens matched-up on the hardwood earlier this month, the Red Hawks came away victorious for the second straight year.