Hey everyone. Just found out earlier today that the rosters for the Metro Classic benefit all-star game have been finalized, with Holy Child’s Sophia Aleksandravicius and Mount Vernon’s Nadia Duncan as the only two local players to make the final 12.

There were a few other people with local ties. Burke Catholic’s Emily Stallings and Minisink Valley’s Stefanie Dolson both made the team as well. You know them from various state playoff games and the ESGs. Also, John Jay-EF’s Caitlynn Moran was named as one of three alternates.

I haven’t spoken to any of the coaches yet, but I’ll update this post when I do. Frankly, I was surprised with some of the omissions, although I know some of the players from Long Island are very good.

If you want to check out the complete rosters, go to “www.metroclassic.org.”:http://www.metroclassic.org

Hey everyone. I just got a copy of the list of girls who were invited to tryout for the 4th annual Metro Classic, an Oct. 21st benefit all-star game that pits players from “The ‘Burbs” vs. “The ‘Boros,” a.k.a. the Hudson Valley and Long Island vs. the City. “You can find more info, including how to get tickets, here.”:http://www.metroclassic.org/

Only three players from the LoHud made the team last year — Somers Jaki Goldner, Scarsdale’s Jackie Alemany, and White Plains’ Liz Flooks, — but Debbie Brajevich, who organizes the event, told me last year was the first time players from here were involved. Why? Because the game is run by the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation, and they aren’t necessarily basketball people.

Brajevich has begun to reach out here, and not only are more players likely to be involved, but Ossining’s Dan Ricci and Lady Knicks coach John Reilly will help coach the girls, and Peekskill’s Lou Panzanaro will help coach the boys.

Like I said, the game is Sunday, October 21st at Christ the King High School in Queens. The tryouts are this Friday, Sept. 21st, at the “Island Garden”:http://islandgarden.com/ in West Hempstead. Here’s the list of players invited, with the locals all highlighted:

LONG ISLAND/HUDSON VALLEY GIRLS —

Alaina Walker, Albertus HS
Maggie Blair, Briarcliff HS
Samantha Prahalis, Commack HS
Laura Rivera, Elmont HS
Jackie McKenna, Elwood/John Glenn HS
Brittany Shields, Haldane HS
Michelle Kurowski, Hicksville HS
Caitlin Costello, Holy Trinity HS
Terry Green, Holy Trinity HS
Tara Gableman, Irvington HS
Caitlynn Moran, John Jay-EF HS
Emma O’Connor, Kellenberg Memorial HS
Bianca Kowgios, Maria Regina HS
Jeaninne Aldridge, Massapequa HS
Nadia Duncan, Mount Vernon HS
Bria Hartley, North Babylon HS
Eugeneia McPherson, North Babylon HS
Brittany Garrett, Ossining HS
Alexandra Osborne-Jones, Rye Country Day (right, in blue)
Kristen Dougherty, Sachem HS – East
Megan Vazquez, Sanford H. Calhoun HS
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Holy Child (right, in white)
Shneeka Center, Smithtown HS – West
Sarah English, Smithtown HS – West
Tara Lonergan, South Side HS
Kristine Best, St. Anthony’s HS
Taylor Flynn, St. Anthony’s HS
Christine Huber, St. John the Baptist DHS
Danielle Iervolino, St. John the Baptist DHS
Gabrielle Gibson, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague HS
Ieasia Walker, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague HS
Kelly Cavallo, Westhampton HS
Angelei Aquirre, White Plains HS
Dominique Johnson, William Floyd HS
Porsha Postell, Woodlands HS

Here is the highly anticipated (by me) first-ever video blog:

Download:

Scary, huh? But true.

There have been a couple of changes here at “The Sixth Man,”:http://sixthman.lohudblogs.com and most of them — for better or worse — deal with me. (But seriously, isn’t that the way it should always be???)

As you can see, we’ve updated the look of the blog slightly:

1) There’s a new header on top that incorporates a basketball.

2) You can see a portion of the most recent comments in the right margin.

3) Most importantly, at long last I have changed that very angry picture of myself. Why? In part, because dozens of you told me it was a bad picture, but also because my fiancee, the lovely Sarah, really hated that picture and…well…she’s the boss.

Seriously, though, the most noticeable change here will be the advent of video blogging. I now have the capability of taping a quick video and posting it here, which will give both you and I the opportunity to take a break from writing every once in a while.

The videos will add a great touch to this site. I don’t know exactly how I’ll use it quite yet, but you can expect a video post at some point later in the day and quite often throughout the season. I can promise you that.

The video later this afternoon will touch on news regarding the Somers coaching situation and a couple recent transfers. I’m working on the Haldane situation as I speak, and will pass along any news I can gather.

You can now get The Sixth Man on your mobile phone browser, which means you can all keep me informed of what’s going on during the upcoming season.

For more info on how to make it possible, “click here.”:http://www.barkleyus.com/wap/?model=motorola_slvrfull&test=http://sixthman.lohudblogs.com

When the 2007-08 season finally arrives it will have an entirely different look — and not just because Lakeland and White Plains’ highly successful senior classes are gone.

I just received word that Haldane will not retain coach Rich Desiderio (above), making it the latest major change to occur this summer.

Here’s what we know from the offseason so far:

1. New coaches… at Haldane (TBA), Dobbs Ferry (former boys varsity coach Eric Bartel takes over for Ed Feller), Somers (TBA) and Mahopac (former Briarcliff assistant Jerry Fioretti takes over for Michael Hunt).

My take: Section 1 girls hoops will miss Feller, one of the most underappreciated coaches around and a stand-up guy. He left to spend more time with his young family. … Sure, Desiderio was probably the most exciteable coach around, but he really worked hard at his job and cared deeply about his team. Haldane will miss that for sure. … Fioretti will be a great hire at Mahopac. Don Hamlin and his players always had great things to say about him, and Mahopac will be well-served with him in charge of the program. … Jury is still out at Somers, who has yet to hire a replacement for John Murphy.

2. Major transfers… Three of them. Alaina Walker to Albertus Magnus from North Rockland; Lauren Thomas to Rye Country Day from Ursuline; Elissa Goldner, Jaki Goldner’s sister, to Ursuline from Somers.

My take: Walker is one of, if not the, most talented players in Section 1. She will be missed at North Rockland and will instantly make Albertus the favorite in B. (Sorry Briarcliff and Irvington, she is that good.) … Thomas, who had knee surgery this offseason, will make a nice tandem with Alexandra Osborn-Jones at RCDS, but I can’t help but think she’d be better served at Ursuline, which plays much stiffer competition. … Goldner will slide into Ursuline’s frontcourt rotation, which will be formidable yet again, albeit without Thomas and Molly McGlynn.

3. One question… What is this, boys basketball?

Discuss among yourselves…

I spent three days this week covering the U.S. Open in Queens and I had a revelation walking the grounds of the National Tennis Center: Women’s tennis players would be great at basketball.

Don’t believe me? Just go to Wikipedia and check out just how tall they are. “Maria Sharapova (right)”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sharapova is 6-foot-2. “Venus Williams”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Williams is 6-foot-1. “Ana Ivanovic”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Ivanovi%C4%87 is 6-foot-1. And I’ve seen them in person, each one of them is every inch of their listed height.

Of course, not to mention the fact that they are by nature very athletic and aggressive. Those things would be of service, too.

So I guess my point is that team USA is lucky. Russia and Serbia could be nasty at basketball.