The City School District of Albany Board of Education has appointed Jamil Hood Sr. – an Albany High School graduate and highly regarded local coach and mentor – to lead his alma mater back to prominence on the basketball court.
A 1991 Albany High graduate, Hood will coach the Falcons’ boys’ basketball team beginning next school year. He succeeds Sean Brown, who led the program for the previous 13 seasons.
“I am humbled and thrilled for this incredible opportunity,” Hood said. “I remember watching Albany High’s great teams in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when I was in school, and how exciting and uniting that was for this whole community.
“We will be focused on restoring that pride and preparing Albany High’s young men for success in every aspect of their lives – in the classroom, on the court and for their future.”
As a coach, Hood is best known for his highly successful tenure at Albany’s Green Tech Charter School, where he led the Eagles to the 2014 Class AA state championship. Green Tech also advanced to the Section 2 championship game in 2013 and 2016 during Hood’s 11 seasons.
Hood most recently led the boys’ basketball program at Troy High for the past two seasons, reaching the Class AA final in 2025 and the semifinals this past winter.
He is also well-known in Albany and regionally as the proprietor of Hood’s House of Hoops since 2010. Located in the city’s West Hill neighborhood, the program engages young people in literacy programs, academic tutoring, mentoring, youth and peer leadership, athletic training, fitness – and, of course, basketball.
While the girls’ basketball program at Albany High has flourished for the past two decades, Hood takes over a boys’ program that once dominated Section 2 but has failed to win a championship this century.
The Falcons won six Section 2 titles and reached the championship game 12 times in total from 1982-99 under the late Paul Lyons, who retired in 2002 as one of the winningest coaches in New York history with 515 victories over 31 seasons.
Since then, they have made it to the title game just once – losing to CBA in double overtime in 2006 – and have reached the semifinals just two other times, the last in 2022.
“Albany High boys’ basketball has such a proud history, and we are enthusiastic about restoring that tradition,” said Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics Kim Pilla.
“We believe that coach Hood has the experience, the expertise, the relationships and the respect in our community to lead our boys’ basketball program in that direction starting next winter.”