St. John's head coach Norm Roberts and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt stood side by side this evening at Holy Cross High School in Flushing, New York. Roberts and Hewitt, normally very close friends, each eyed each other and smirked. They had reason to react this way. Both talented head coaches were there to recruit Holy Cross scoring sensation Sylven Landesberg.
Landesberg, a rising senior who is likely to make a decision next month, scored 12 points and added five assists to lead Holy Cross past Mount Saint Michael, 64-37. The teams played two 20-minute halves with the clock running until the final minute of play.
Sylven dazzled the coaches in attendance with his razor sharp passes and is ability to score with either hand on drives to the basket. "I have been working on my strength this summer," Landesberg said. "I try to work out a lot during the day."
Sylven, who lists St. John's, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Kentucky and Texas as his top schools, works out sometimes four times a day. "I am lifting weights more trying to add more muscle," he said. "By working out so much I have a great deal of endurance."
The endurance showed during this game in a very fast pace, especially in the second half. While many were struggling to stay with the sprinting in the heated Flushing gym, Sylven seemed calm when running in transition.
Landesberg was helped out by teammates Tim Beinert (10 points), Blaise Ffrench (seven points) and Ernest Freeman (12 points) in the victory.