As we eagerly await this coming Sunday's star-studded annual gala from New Orleans, we ponder what to do to pass the time till that early evening kickoff.

The buzz around Manhasset these past few weeks has centered around the impending basketball game to take place at noon Sunday, Feb. 3, at St. Mary's Marist Hall. The two St. Mary's eighth-grade CYO basketball teams will square off for bragging rights and the mythical mayor's trophy.

On the one hand you have an aggressive, efficient, performance oriented machine under the watchful eye of coaches John Papa and the venerable Mark Sauvigne. They are led by the triumvirate of Thomas McDonnell, J.T. Milone, and Scott Madison (aka "the 3Ms"), who have sacrificed personal accomplishments for the sake of team accomplishment. The cerebral play of John Avanzino and the intimidating physical play of Greg Boukas have helped to mold the starters into what has been dubbed the "Fabulous Five."

The team presents a daunting task for Coach Bobby Anastasia's team. Undersized and not as athletic as Coach Sauvigne and Papa's team, their margin of error is small. Co-captain Tommy Dodge said, "We relish the perceived role of the underdog and hope that we will do our best to stay competitive with Coach Sauvigne and Coach Papa's finely tuned machine." Said key reserve Terrence Molinari, "We, as a team, realize that on paper this seems to be a classic David and Goliath scenario; we're just hopeful that we can stay with them and play to our potential this coming Sunday."

Guard Frank Coughlin said, "This is what you play all year for; it's High Noon with Gary Cooper; Gunfight at the OK Corral with Burt Lancaster; you can't find this kind of drama just anywhere."

Key reserve Mike Powers chimed in, "At times we have been inconsistent in our performance; at times I feel that the only difference between our team and the Titanic is that the Titanic had a band, and at times I feel that we are just a bunch of young student-athletes that love to play this game. I tip my hat to Mr. Papa and Mr. Sauvigne; obviously their dedication and knowledge is shown in their team's style of play and intestinal fortitude. However, we feel that we are ready to compete and step up our effort. And if I'm wrong well...there is always the pizza party for both teams after the game."

Summing it all up was guard Jack "Jackson Browne" Conway, "Super Bowl Sunday, friends playing against each other in an environment that is both gregarious yet competitive, it all makes for a wonderful Sunday int he Hamlet we call Manhasset. This is why we young student-athletes get involved in youth sports. I hope everyone comes out to support us."

Recently, some of the members of St. Mary's eighth grade boys CYO basketball team participated in Bethpage High School's annual Ho-Ho-Ho 5K run. Proceeds from the race were used to provide assistance to Long Islanders in need during the holiday season.