CATTARAUGUS, NY — New York State is the state with the most franchises, with nearly a dozen of the country’s major sports leagues. But not every sport has a team in both the north and south of the state, including the National Basketball Association.

Nevertheless, the state is one of the best in basketball.

Dani Haskell is a sophomore basketball player for St. Bonaventure University, a D-1 school in Cattaraugus County.

She grew up in nearby Franklinville and remembers shooting baskets with her father in the driveway as a child.

“It’s come full circle from going to games here as a young boy to now being able to play here in front of my local community,” Haskell said. “It means a lot to me.”

This is also confirmed by the results of a recent survey by NBA analysts at Fadeaway World, in which New York was ranked the third best state for basketball after California and Texas.

Since the Knicks, Nets and Liberty play in the south of the state, there is no professional presence in the north. However, the survey did take into account the number of NCAA D-1 teams and championships.

“Personally, I really like college basketball and sometimes I prefer watching it over the pros,” she said. “So I just think it’s cool how important it still is, even though there isn’t that professional atmosphere here.”

Senior Melvin Council, a first-year player and transfer from Wagner, is training for the upcoming season.

He also started playing at a young age and says the survey results are a good recruiting tool.

“And we just want to do the best we can,” Council said. “You don’t have to travel far to find an athlete. You can just come to the north of the state. So the college coaches don’t have to travel far. They can just come to the north of the state to find a couple of players to play for their school.”

Coaches like his long-time director Mark Schmidt are looking forward to the start of the new season and point to the strength of university sports.

“So our pro teams are our college basketball teams and programs in the state,” Schmidt said. “Syracuse won a national title, St. John’s with coach Pitino. Look at Melvin Council, who went to Wagner last year and played in the NCAA tournament. Iona is really successful. We’ve been very successful, Buffalo.”

Haskell is confident that the new momentum in women’s basketball will encourage more little girls playing in the driveway to follow their dream.

“Basketball has always been my great love, my passion, my everything,” she said. “The people I’ve met, the places I’ve got to go. So if it’s something you love, of course do it.”

According to the survey, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Ohio make the top 10.

The results of the survey can be found below: