Joe White's team of seven battled their hearts out on the playground courts in Harlem to earn the respect from the US's most experienced streetball players. They recently arrived back home to Hackney, exhausted from their hectic schedule; we caught up with Coach Joe White for a recap of their trip.

The team was excited to visit the mecca of basketball -- New York City.

Joe's chief memory from the trip was that the team were extremely excited to have visited N.Y the mecca of basketball and especially to have taken part in Rucker, which has the reputation for producing some of the best players and entertainers that playground basketball has to offer. One of the highlights of the trip was the chance for the team to see the unique free-flowing style of basketball, which makes streetball tournaments like Rucker so special.

The unstructured, showboat style that allowed players to do dazzling tricks that foiled their opponents left a lasting impression on the Hackney crew.

"It was amazing to see them doing these tricks, whilst still having so much control. There was one player called Circus, with that name you expected some great things...and he delivered...the game in the UK is more structured and you don't get to see these types of tricks."

Joe was delighted that some of his lads picked up nicknames during their hard fought game against Motown/Blackhand. He told us that "they (Hackney) liked the nicknames and that they will probably keep them." Overall he was very proud of their performance as they faced some tough competition and had the added pressure of showing their friends across the Atlantic that basketball was a sport in the UK too.

"...at one stage we were only two points down which is a fantastic achievement...and is certainly encouraging for UK basketball."

Joe was impressed with the way basketball players in the US are nurtured from a young age through little leagues and provided with opportunities to participate in the sport in local, public, courts. He would like to see similar practices echoed in the UK.

Joe acknowledged that the greatest difference between US and UK basketball is in the older game. "UK youngsters are almost at the level of their colleagues from across the Atlantic...they would be very successful contestants in the little leagues&but in the older game we have a bridge to gap."

Overall Joe felt that he and his team have brought a great deal back from the trip.

"It's great for English guys go out to New York and see what they can do and bring it all back and try to develop the game over here. The close score-line in Hackney's game shows we are going in the right direction...and I am very proud of them. The entire trip which also included days out at the NBA Studios and NBA Store was a fantastic experience which I hope to do again...it has certainly left its mark on the team."