Lacing Up Jordans and Louboutins at The Allegria

Some guests will mingle in footwear ranging from sneakers to stilettos.

The event is the inaugural “Mo Cassara’s Coaches vs. Cancer Sneakers & Stilettos Basket Ball” at the Allegria Hotel, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The host, Mo Cassara, the head coach of men’s basketball at Hofstra and a Point Lookout resident, has joined with the hotel in Long Beach to hold the dinner-dance event to raise funds for cancer research through the American Cancer Society.

"Cancer is something that has affected so many lives and being part of this cause has inspired me to try and help find a cure,” Cassara told Patch. “I hope our event this Thursday brings even more awareness to fight this dreaded disease. Coaches vs. Cancer is something I believe strongly in and I look forward to assisting as much as possible in the future as well.”

The night of dinner and dancing will feature the music of The Mystic, dubbed as one of tri-state area’s most popular live bands, and some unnamed professional athletes and coaches, according to an Allegria-generate flyer. Auction items include a designer shopping spree from Americana Manhasset — with stores that included Louis Vuitton, Gucci and London Jewelers — and a chance to win stilettos from Saks Fifth Avenue. 

Hired as Hofstra men's basketball head coach prior to the 2010/11 season, after previously serving four years as an assistant coach at Boston College, Cassara coached All-American Charles Jenkins, who now plays in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, and he led the Pride to a second place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association. 

The Allegria did not return a request for comment on Thursday’s event.