Hey everyone. I’m going to give you a quick-hit Top 10, considering there’s not much more than the Briarcliff-Ossining game to work off of. I’ll elaborate more next week when everyone’s played.

1. Mount Vernon

2. Ursuline: I’ve heard good things off the Koalas’ scrimmages.

3. Our Lady of Lourdes

4. Albertus Magnus

5. North Rockland

6.. Beacon

7. Briarcliff: The most encouraging part out of yesterday’s win over Ossining is that the Bears saw their supporting cast win this game for them.

8. Ossining: Conversely, this was not an encouraging performance for Ossining. Still, I wouldn’t abandon them yet. They started last season miserably, then recovered in time to give Scarsdale a scare in the Class AA quarters.

9. Lakeland

10. Horace Greeley: Good day for the Quakers. Why? “Their school was one of U.S. News and World Report’s top 100.”: Greeley holds the very prestigious honor of being the only school included in that Top 100 and this Top 10. Something tells me one list is more important than the other.

_

Sorry I didn’t have any further thoughts on the game last night. It’s been a busy time of year for me.

Basically, Briarcliff won a game over a quality Class AA team, despite getting eight combined points from its stars, Maggie Blair and Shelby Coon, although Blair played an excellent floor game before leaving in the fourth quarter with leg cramps and Coon did a terrific job rebounding.

The freshman, Kasey Heyda, played an excellent game, running up and down the court for easy hoops. Heyda and Taylor Pescetti each scored a game-high 15 points, and Heyda had eight of those in the fourth quarter after Ossining had embarked on a 13-0 run to end the third quarter. Ossining played great defense to come back but that same defense got burned for 21 points in the fourth.

Not a great opener for Ossining,which basically returned six of its top seven players from last season, including the very productive Kelsey Vallach*and *Brittany Garrett combination. That combo wasn’t so productive last night, and  Vallach was clearly shaken up after banging her head on the court in the third quarter. Vallach returned later in the game but was never quite the same.

Ossining will have games where it shoots much better from 3. Also, there were a ton of fouls called yesterday and it took the O out of its helter-skelter rhythm. Still, the rhythm must’ve taken its toll on Briarcliff, which was able to overcome serious foul trouble to win.

Just so you know, I have a personal matter to attend to this weekend. We will have someone else at the Scarsdale game tonight and the championship tomorrow. I’ll try to have the reporters e-mail me thoughts on the game. Please play nice…

Briarcliff beat Ossining 57-48 today in the opening round of the Scarsdale tournament and will face the winner of tomorrow’s Scarsdale-Preston game in the championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The leading scorers were Briarcliff freshman Casey Heyda and junior Taylor Pescetti, who each had 15 points. What a varsity debut for Heyda…

I’ll have more on the game later. I have to write my story first.

It’s cold but there is golf to play this morning, so let’s jump right in:

1. Who will run the point for Mount Vernon? We start off with an epic question. (I thank myself, of course…) As you know, I’ve grown more and more enamored with the Knights, but my one worry is how they will distribute the ball when it matters. Sure, in most instances they’ll be able to survive with someone old and slow like myself running the show. But surviving against mediocre teams should not be the focus in MV. That team has too much potential to settle for anything but a Class AA championship and a deep state playoff run. Right now it looks like Taylor Palmer will start at PG, but the team would probably be better served with her at SG more often. She can really score, plus that alignment would allow Kwinnyata Mercer, a terrific rebounder, to shift to SF. The onus may fall to little Sade King, an eighth grader who is still in the process of developing as a varsity player. Between Palmer, Mercer and King, someone will have to prove she can get a good shot for a teammate in a key juncture. All recent championship teams (White Plains-Aguirre, Ossining-Awerdick, Lourdes-Viani, Barnum, Rye-Blumberg, Albertus Magnus-Byrne, Brauer) have had legit PG’s running the offense.

2. Someone has to win Class A. Who’s it going to be and when they win are they going to be state-playoff worthy? I consider myself a reasonably intelligent man who knows a remarkable amount of information about local sports in the area, particularly LoHud girls basketball. I cannot answer the question above…I simply cannot. Beacon’s probably the favorite right now, but Lakeland, Pearl River, Ardsley, and Spring Valley are probably all good enough to win it. … We just don’t have any idea one way or the other.

3. Who is the next White Plains? Wow, I am full of good questions today, but this one may be the most fun one to answer, simply because we don’t really know. That, of course, is what makes sports so great. Somewhere out there a new dynasty looms. A young team with enough talent to launch a sustained run at winning gold balls the next two, three, or four seasons. Ironically, I think Mount Vernon has the potential. The Knights have a pair of 6-foot-4 seventh graders in their system and will rotate an eighth grader, a freshman and two sophomores in their top seven this season. I also suspect Irvington to use last season’s disappointment at the County Center as a catalyst. The Bulldogs are loaded with talented underclassmen, like Riley Harrington and Tara Gableman. And watch out for Lakeland. The Hornets could take advantage of modest competition in Class A this season, then bring back a fierce front line for a run at three straight gold balls.

4. Will any of the new coaches have success early on? We’ll see, but I think it’s a strong possibility. The case of Kenny Haskins at Haldane is an interesting one. Here’s a man with great basketball pedigree, a disciple of someone who has done as much with his resources (school/players) than any coach in Section 1. Haskins told me recently his Blue Devils will run up and down the court more to create opportunities for players not named Brittany Shields. All and all, we’ll just have to see whether or not his approach works. Haskins may follow turmoil and turnover, but he also follows a bunch of guys who flat-out won. … I also like the situation at Mahopac, where faithful blog reader Jerry Fioretti takes over the once-proud and now possibly up-and-coming Indians, who are led by Gillian Felix and Jessie Kavanas. They front a strong junior class that gives Mahopac an opportunity to compete in League I-C. Fioretti has a strong rep among his fellow coaches, so he should only help the Indians mature.

5. Outside of Albertus Magnus, will we see Rockland County representin’ at the County Center? I’m not sure. There have been brighter preseasons west of the Hudson. Take our all-county team, which lost Brianna Peterson, Jen Canale, Theresa Dowling, Kerri Confrey, and Kaitlyn O’Keefe to graduation. Obviously, as you probably know, I like Albertus Magnus’ chances to compete for a gold ball in Class B. But without Confrey and O’Keefe, who knows what Pearl River will do to fill in its leadership void? Without Peterson and Alaina Walker, North Rockland still has terrific size, but who will handle the ball and who will score it? What will Clarkstown North do to replace Dowling, one of the best players in program history? And how will maturing Suffern adjust without Amanda Bender, who transfered after being 1/2 of the Mounties’ promising post tandem? … Lots of questions in Rockland but several months remain before they’ll be answered.

6. The catholic and private schools always provide their fair share of stories in boys basketball. Is this a year the girls do the same? I think this answer will prove to be a resounding ‘Yes.’ Maria Regina and Our Lady of Victory will resume one of The Sixth Man’s favorite rivalries. OLV lost just one senior from last season, while Maria Regina went 16-9 last season and also lost only one senior from that team. You want a shocker? I think these Tigers (the other Tigers) may be strong enough to win next week’s White Plains tournament. There’s a rivalry in Rye, too, between Fairchester League foes Holy Child and Rye Country Day, Sophia Aleksandravicius vs. Alexandra Osborn-Jones. They are two of the great catholic/private school players to watch out for. Others: Maria Regina’s Bianca Kowgios, OLV’s Natalie Detko, and Hackley’s Meghan McDermott, who leads a quintet of returning starters.

7. Can teams who lost their stars galvanize and prove they are just as good? I can think of a few candidates. First up, I like Scarsdale. The Raiders played great in stretches without Jackie Alemany last season, like the time Christine Yankou and Alison Menna led them to victory over Preston in the Maroon and White Tournament after Jackie fouled out in the third quarter. Now, I don’t exactly believe Scarsdale is a 15-5 team, but it may win games unexpectedly. I also like North Rockland to win a lot. The Red Raiders have a number of winnable games on their schedule, and I think Mary Abrams and Shanekwa Kellman will respond well to increased roles. Both certainly have the talent to help No-Rock survive without Peterson and Walker.

8. Are there injuries worth watching? Always, and some are important. Brittany Shields told me last week that she is still bothered by the ankle that cropped up against Dobbs Ferry at the County Center last year. Shields didn’t have surgery, but she will wear a brace to protect it. Obviously, she’ll look for a balance between staying healthy and performing. Also, I’ve heard rumors swirl about injuries that may effect teams in Classes AA and A (all of them unconfirmed) but one truth holds true: There’s not enough depth in Section 1 this year for a contender to survive a key injury.

9. Is the Slam Dunk any closer to gender equity? It sure doesn’t look like it. The girls will still have only half the number of teams in their field as the boys (8 to 4). It will include Mount Vernon and North Rockland (no qualms there), but their opponents are from upstate…and we’re not exactly talking Rush-Henrietta or Elmira-Notre Dame. The Briarcliff-Lourdes challenge game is solid, but why not include those schools in the regular draw? … Compare it to the boys,with Peekskill, White Plains, Stepinac and Braircliff all participating. Imagine a field with Mount Vernon, North Rockland, Lourdes, Briarcliff, White Plains, and Lakeland, along with two out-of-area teams. That’d draw interest and would prove great for the game locally. Maybe someone should create The Sixth Man Holiday Classic!…just need a venue…

10. And lastly, Whose named will be the first goofed first on TV? I’d say Sophia Aleksandravicius, but I’m pretty sure RNN sports anchor Ben Sosenko took care of that honor during the ESGs. (Not that anyone’s blaming him…) I think the odds-on-favorite is Ossining sophomore Hayley Awerdick. There’s an 84% chance she’s identified as Melissa before Christmas Eve.

I hope this helped you conceptualize the season that lies ahead. I will check in tonight after Briarcliff-Ossining, which should be fun. Hopefully, the fingers on my right hand (my non-glove hand) will be spared of frostbite.

Not quite sure if that’s how you’d spell yip-pie. Not quite sure that I care. I do know, however, that the basketball season starts tomorrow and it’s about darn time.

I enjoy football. I really do. But there just comes a point when the following two truths become too evident to ignore:

1) I prefer basketball in general. It’s a better game and it’s more competitive.

2) It’s no longer warm enough to go outside…unless it involves golf, which is worthwhile provided there’s no snow on the ground.

So tomorrow morning, at 8 a.m. sharp, I will probably be on the golf course. HOWEVER, at 6 a.m. I will post 10 key questions that will be answered during the season. If you can answer them, or you think you know what the answer will be, post it here.

We have a number of exciting additions to our coverage this season that you’ve never seen before. Primarily, I’ll be on RNN every week discussing girls hoops in the area. We’ll have features on teams and players, not to mention analysis of games and playoff matchups. There’s more to share on the future of LoHud basketball and TV, but we’ll leave that for another day.

I had been asked to provide a list of early-season tournaments in the area. Ask and I will provide…at least sometimes.

I’ll add to it whenever there’s a chance, but here’s what I have compiled so far:

NOTE: If you’re a coach and don’t see your tournament schedule below, please e-mail it to me at jthomson@lohud.com.

Scarsdale tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Ossining vs. Briarcliff
11/30-Scarsdale vs. Preston
12/1-consolation and championship

Pelham tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Maria Regina vs. Rye
11/30-Pleasantville vs. Pelham
12/1-consolation and championship

Irvington tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Dobbs Ferry vs. Blind Brook; Ardsley vs. Irvington
12/1-consolation and championship

Sleepy Hollow tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Monroe-Woodbury vs. Hackley; Sleepy Hollow vs. Our Lady of Victory
12/1-consolation and championship

Eastchester tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Ursuline B vs. Tuckahoe
11/30-Eastchester vs. Good Counsel
12/1-consolation and championship

Byram Hills tournament: 11/29-12/1
11/29-Port Chester vs. St. Barnabas; Fox Lane vs. Byram Hills
12/1-consolation and championship

White Plains tournament: 12/6-12/7
12/6-Rye vs. Greeley, 5; Maria Regina vs. White Plains, 7
12/7-consolation, 5, and championship, 7

Briarcliff tournament: 12/6-12/8
12/6-Our Lady of Victory vs. Hen Hud, 4:30 p.m.
12/7-Briarcliff vs. Dobbs Ferry, 5:30 p.m.
12/8-consolation, 3:30 p.m., and championship, 7:30 p.m.

Edgemont tournament: 12/6-12/8
12/6-Tuckahoe vs. Hastings
12/7-Edgemont vs. Bronxville
12/8-consolation and championship

Carmel tournament: 12/7-12/8
12/7-JFK vs. Mahopac, 5; Brewster vs. Carmel, 7
12/8-Mahopac vs. Brewster, 5; Carmel vs. JFK, 7

Beacon tournament: 12/13-12/15
12/13-John Jay-EF vs. John Jay, 5 p.m.; Beacon vs. Ketcham, 6:45 p.m.
12/15-consolation, 11:30 a.m., and championship, 2:45 p.m.

Greeley tournament: 12/14-12/15
12/14-Greeley, Yorktown, North Rockland, Spring Valley
12/15-consolation and championship

Rye tournament: 12/14-12/15
12/14-White Plains vs. Irvington, 5; Rye vs. Preston, 7
12/15-consolation, 5, and championship, 7

Slam Dunk Challenge: 12/27-12/29
12/27-Lourdes vs. Briarcliff (challenge game)
12/28-North Rockland vs. Jamestown; Jamesville-DeWitt vs. Mount Vernon
12/29-consolation and championship

Mahopac tournament: 1/25-1/26
1/25-John Jay vs. Scarsdale; Lakeland vs. Mahopac
1/26-consolation and championship

You’re probably wondering one of the following:

1. Josh is stuck under a Syracuse snowdrift and the blog has gone haywire, or…

2. The Sixth Man has disappeared when we need it most

Luckily for me I’m alive and well. Luckily for you The Sixth Man is still here, too.

My point is this: I understand the “errors” are tedious at best and infuriating at worst, but I implore you to stick with me. These technological hiccups are only temporary (I hope) and we do have a big week ahead. I will be in the house for Briarcliff-Ossining on Thursday for the first round of the Maroon and White tournament at Scarsdale HS, and a couple of my colleagues will handle the tournament through the weekend.

Beyond the simple game coverage I promise you we have a solid preview section ready to debut next Friday, replete with a couple stories, a preview capsule on every team in the Lower Hudson Valley, a few questions to consider for the season, and the list of our preseason Super 7 and the Next Five. It should be a good read. (In fact, it better be…I drove back from Syracuse this morning and have been at the office ever since.)

A few of you have asked who I feel are the top teams in each class. We debut our top 3 in each class in our preview section, so I will refrain until then before unveiling my selections. Until the drop date arrives, you’ll just have to settle to my ultra-inclusive Top 10.

I return to the office around high noon tomorrow. I’ll have more to share then, so please stick with me.

A guy drives to Syracuse for the weekend…then he goes for some dinner and to watch a little college football…and while he’s away for the evening chaos ensues….

This, apparently, is the story of my evening in the New York hinterland. I just got back from a night out in Syracuse — a night that included Kevin and I engaged in various efforts to cling to our fading boyhood (pool, darts, air hockey) — to discover that I made one egregious mistake. The problem is that as much as I hate to admit it I was wrong. I mean, how could I possible forget Trish Liller, who, as someone noted, I long ago tabbed as one of my favorite players??? I don’t know how. It was a mistake on my part, so I have corrected it in the previous post. Most importantly, all apologies to Trish…please know I meant no harm…

Now, on to your questions. I’ll answer them rapid fire, which — at least for me — is not so rapid…

Class B fan asked for my top 5 or 10 in each class and who I think will come out on top in B… I think Magnus is a slight favorite, but that it’s basically a toss-up between them and Briarcliff. You’ll have to wait for my rankings of each class. I mean, the season starts next week. If I gave you all the candy now you’d get a stomach ache, ya know?

Bball Doug, Bball Junkie, OHS fan Don chastise me for my omission of Liller… As I said above, your critique is noted. She is an excellent team player, which I hope I did a fair job of noting in this forum last season.

mntaxi asked about the health of Beacon… Yes, that is the word, although I don’t have specifics about who is injured and what the severity of those injuries are. If I can find out more detail I will be sure to pass it along.

bball momof2 was curious what the classifications are for each school… I posted the enrollments for the 2007-08 school year back on January 28th. Looking for the post in the archives, I was quite impressed with my own diligence, I must say.

If you want to know where your school falls in this season’s playoff picture, please check out the old post here.

Remember, the numbers listed are students in grades 9 thru 11. That is how the state determines these enrollments. And obviously Lourdes and Ursuline will both play in Class AA for the playoffs.

Also, there’s a mistake. Both John Jays were listed together. They are in fact separate schools, however, both fall in Class AA. I think John Jay-EF is about the size as Carmel and Mahopac and John Jay-CR falls somewhere around the Ossining-Yorktown-Greeley group.

Now — I’m off to the Carrier Dome around 11 a.m. for football. I’ll be around, but my attention to your comments and e-mails may be interrupted. Either way, still let me know your thoughts or ask you questions, please just understand that I’m probably watching football. Basketball begins 24/7 on Monday morning…

Here we go folks, it’s time for us to continue our favorite Friday tradition.

As many of you probably know, The Sixth Man was the site where you could find a list of one not-so-humble man’s top 10 girls basketball teams in the Lower Hudson Valley. Well, I think this is the time for list No. 1.

To tell the truth, I’m still reeling a little bit from ingesting and digesting the bits and pieces of my Thanksgiving feast — chicken soup, turkey, Irish ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, bread…followed by a sampling of chocolate cream pie and apple pie, not to mention a brownie — but I hope to do my best. (Question: Is there another day in the year you can wake up full despite eating dinner at 3 p.m. quite like the day after Thanksgiving?)

So you know, I’m heading to Syracuse this weekend to cover Rye and Dobbs Ferry as they try to add to their collection of state football championships. I hope the next few days give you time to develop your own top 10s. I sure hope you do…and I sure hope you share them with us.

Now, without further ado…

(Note: all records from 2006-07)

10. HORACE GREELEY (12-10, lost to Lourdes in round of 16) —
Who’s back: The Jacksons, Taylor and Erin; the Millers, Courtney and Jaclyn; Kristin Graves
Who’s gone: Sara Mirable, the starting PG
What’s there to like: Six seniors and a lot of athleticism. The Quakers showed flashes of brilliance last season (vs. Ursuline and Lourdes) but they aren’t all year-round basketball players. Sometimes they lose games they shouldn’t.
What’s their ceiling: 15 wins and a spot in the Class AA final four

9. LAKELAND (27-1, won Class A state championship) —
Who’s back: 6-foot-2 Tori Jarosz and 6-foot Kerry Johnson…and…coach of the year Steve Fallo
Who’s gone: Five senior starters…Amy Voelkel, Sarah Benischek, Kelly Schneider, Rosemarie Fazio, Rebecca DiSisto
What’s there to like: Jarosz and Johnson should control the boards and make it difficult for opponents to score inside. The question is: Who will emerge to fill a huge leadership void?
Ceiling: 18 wins and a Class A title, thanks to a dominant frontcourt

8. BRIARCLIFF (19-3, lost to Put Valley in Class B semis) —
Who’s back: Shelby Coon, Maggie Blair, Jaime Heyda and Taylor Pescetti, all of whom were starters
Who’s gone: Angela Pescetti, starting PG
What’s there to like: Four starters back, including an inside presence in Coon, a good shooter in Pescetti and ther very versatile Blair
Ceiling: 19-25 wins and Section 1 and state championships in Class B

7. BEACON (17-5, lost to Pearl River in Class A semis) —
Who’s back: Kara Tancredi, Allyson Biordi…two of the top six scorers from a year ago
Who’s gone: Only two seniors
What’s there to like: Experience that is much greater than any of their competitors for the gold ball (Beacon gave Pearl River an excellent game in the Class A semis)
Ceiling: 21 wins and the Class A gold ball

6. NORTH ROCKLAND (18-4, lost to Mount Vernon in the Class AA quarters) —
Who’s back: Mary Abrams, Shanekwa Kellman, and good depth and size, some of which was overshadowed last season
Who’s gone: Brianna Peterson and Alaina Walker
What’s there to like: If you’ve seen her play, you know Abrams is a sleeping giant. She is so talented inside and on the perimeter. Kellman is an excellent athlete, and in 5-11 Jamie Piperato and 5-10 Katie Kellner the Red Raiders will be one of the bigger teams in the section.
Ceiling: 17 wins and an appearance in the Class AA final

5. ALBERTUS MAGNUS (20-5, Class B championship; lost to Wyandanch in regional final) —
Who’s back: Starters Ashley Huber and Lauren Capul, plus 6-foot-3 JV callup Theresa Miller
Who’s gone: A trio that helped win two championships in three years…Jen Canale, Desheha Waring and Emily Brauer
What’s there to like: Two excellent role players who are ready to assume a bigger role, plus the addition of North Rockland transfer Alaina Walker, who is one of the best players in Section 1
Ceiling: 18-22 wins, plus Section 1 and state Class B championships

4. OUR LADY OF LOURDES (14-8, lost to Ursuline in Class AA quarters) —
Who’s back: Kim Dweck and a group of young players who rotated off the bench last season
Who’s gone: Jacinda Williams, Jasmine Schinella and Rebecca Bucci, who were probably the Warriors’ three best players last season
What’s there to like: The tradition of adding and developing young talent. You don’t have to know the names, you can trust Lourdes will field a highly competitive team every year. Case in point: the young PG from Poughkeepsie was rumored to have transferred to Lourdes
Ceiling: 20 wins and the start of a new streak of gold balls

3. OSSINING (14-8, lost to Scarsdale in Class AA quarters) —
Who’s back: Brittany Garrett, Kelsey Vallach, Kiki Shelton, Hayley Awerdick, and Alex Venuto, all of which started at one point last season
Who’s gone: Maureen Jones and Rebekah Rupp
What’s there to like: Chemistry and experience. This team has grown and should have enough experience under its belt to take that next step and compete for a championship. Plus, they have the classic pieces for a Dan Ricci-run offense…a pick-and-roll PG who can shoot (Vallach) and a post player who can finish (Garrett). They may not be Awerdick-to-McDonald, but this team may have better depth and balance overall.
Ceiling: 18 wins and an upset-win in the Class AA championship

2. URUSLINE (15-8, lost to Mount Vernon in Class AA semis) —
Who’s back: Rosie Crean, Shannon Ray, Shelby Sferra, Tricia Liller
Who’s gone: Molly McGlynn, Taylor Palmer (to Mount Vernon), Lauren Thomas (to Rye Country Day)
What’s there to like: Crean is good enough to be the leading lady, while Ray, who had a great summer and is a true PG, should be one of the better points in the section, teaming with returning starter and defensive stopper, Trish Liller. Also, the 6-foot Sferra leads another deep frontline. To wit: freshmen Caroline Spillane and Stephanie Gaspari are both 5-foot-11 and junior Elissa Goldner (a transfer from Somers) is 6-foot-1
Ceiling: 22 wins, a Class AA gold ball and a state final four appearance

1. MOUNT VERNON (16-8, lost to White Plains in the Class AA final) —
Who’s back: Nadia Duncan and Kwinnyata Mercer, plus the energetic Carece Moore
Who’s gone: Starting PG Lynasia Frazier, defensive specialist Candiese Williams, and rebounders Shante White and Shanice Wilcox
What’s there to like: A lot, but I told you all that Wednesday. Mostly it’s based on what is probably the section’s best duo, the addition of Taylor Palmer and 6-foot-1 Shaunyce Stewart, and improved depth
Ceiling: 23 or 24 wins, a Class AA gold ball and a serious run at the state championship

My final word… It’s tough to have this top 10 without White Plains and Pearl River included. I know I said this back in the spring, but it’s tough to knock them too far down the rankings. If you asked me to bet a soda on it, I’d say it’s more likely than not that both are in the top 10 by season’s end. However, I don’t have much to base it on right now, so they are left out. Same goes for Scarsdale, too.

If you look at the list above, you realize two things:
1. There will be an insane amount of parity this season.
2. I am long-winded.

Enjoy the weekend.

OK, it’s time to start the hype machine. I spent a few minutes on the phone last night with Patrice Wallace-Moore and it sounds like she’s going to have a very good team.
Maybe even better than very good.

Obviously, Mount Vernon has one of — if not the — best duos in Section 1 in Nadia Duncan and Kwinnyata Mercer. But it’s not just that. And I think it’s the players beyond Duncan and Mercer who may be the reason the Knights are the favorite to win the championship in Class AA.

First off, this is a homecoming for Taylor Palmer. She played in Mount Vernon growing up and it sounds like she’s very happy to have returned. Palmer was good last year but she should be even better now that she’s more comfortable.

But Palmer isn’t the only addition who will round out the Knights’ supporting cast. There’s also 6-foot-1 sophomore Shaunyce Stewart, who played at Monsignor Scanlon in the Bronx last season but will be a big presence now for Mount Vernon. The Knights didn’t have a player 6-foot or taller on their roster in 2006-07, so Stewart should prove a major addition.

There’s also news of an even bigger presence: 6-foot-4 Lubirdia Gordon. The most amazing fact isn’t her height…it’s that she’s in seventh grade.

In case you missed that…seventh grade.

Gordon may not quite be ready to contribute but she has come along, according to Wallace-Moore. If they get anything out of her in the paint, even some rebounding and shot-blocking, it will be key.

I first heard about Gordon last year when she was a 6-foot-3 sixth grader. Wallace-Moore thought she’d need one season on the JV but Gordon recently passed her maturity test, which enabled her to join the varsity. Apparently, there’s another seventh grader of similar size who is a little more raw. … Basketball players surface every day in Mount Venron. Wallace-Moore said it started a few years ago when players like Palmer, Stewart, and other began to play against the boys during summer camp as grade schoolers. Not only did it make them better, it made them into basketball players.

Looking at it now — before one ball bounces — I think Mount Vernon is the favorite in Class AA. Ursuline, Ossining, Lourdes, White Plains, North Rockland, New Rochelle, Mahopac, John Jay-East Fishkill…they have a lot of catching up to do.

LIU.

The North Rockland senior has accepted a scholarship to play ball close to home, at the Brooklyn-based school. LIU, for those who don’t know, is a member of the Northeast Conference, along with Monmouth, Quinnipiac, FDU, etc.

I haven’t talked to Mary yet, but I’ll pass along any additional info after I do.