Holy Cross' Landesberg adds bulk to his game

Sylven Landesberg has been working on his game while adding muscle to his sinewy build this summer. Kelly Kline

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- He is tall, standing above most his age at 6-foot-6, with an additional inch or so if you take into account his mini-Afro.

His skill set is that of a scorer, replete with a sound first step and unsettling quick release. His crossover is crisp, his jumper smooth. Still, the adjective most commonly associated with 17-year-old Sylven Landesberg is sinewy. Though not intended to be a slight, it has become synonymous with his name.

"You can add string bean to that, too," says Landesberg, a top-ranked shooting guard who led the New York City team to a gold medal at the Empire State Games with a game-high 38 points on Sunday afternoon at Iona College. "I hear it all the time about my weight. That's why I am working hard to put more on."

Even with the additional weight of a gold medal hanging from his neck on Sunday, Landesberg says he weighs 195 pounds. In his mind, a future goal is 215, but realistically he should tip the scales around 205 by the time he takes the floor with Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.) next winter. "It's been difficult getting all of the workouts in with the July schedule of travel, but I'm working out 3-4 times a day, getting weight training as well as basketball stuff," says Landesberg, who played in the NBA's Players Association camp in Charlottesville, Va., the LeBron James Skills Academy and a few days in Las Vegas with the Long Island Panthers. "It's not an issue for me. I just have to work at it."

From protein shakes to professional trainers, Landesberg is treating this summer as an opportunity to sharpen his game as well as to fill in his frame. But that ability to add mass faced its own issues with July's travel schedule. While trying pack on pounds, Landesberg was also racking up frequent flier miles and more five-on-five AAU runs, which, he says, did not make adding the weight any easier. "I'm putting in the time in the weight room, doing some boxing and getting the strength even if the weight isn't necessarily there yet," said Landesberg.

This month he will make college visits. His list of potential schools has been whittled down to a final five of Virginia, St. John's, Texas, Kentucky and Georgia Tech, but more are still calling. In attendance at Iona for Landesburg's games last week, there was Virginia's Dave Leito for a day, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt and assistant Pete Zaharis for a combined three days and St. John's Norm Roberts. "What people saw this weekend was a tough kid who played the last 13:30 against Long Island's team with three fouls. He has it all from the shot to the desire," says Msgr. McClancy coach Don Kent, who coached Landesberg last week.

To be sure, weight is not meant to be the measure of a basketball player. During the NBA draft week in June, when Kevin Durant's own strength issues were being bandied about, Landesberg and his father, Steve, took an unofficial visit to Austin, Texas. Having been awed by the facilities and met with strength coach Todd Wright, he said he was impressed. "Kids mature at different ages, some grow mustaches in seventh grade, others don't grow anything until they're 22 years old," says Steve Landesberg. "We recognize Sylven's growth process, and he's going to fill in as much as he can. We need to find the right program to help him do that."

While at the NBA camp, Landesberg also visited Virginia's campus, and plans to play pick-up games with the St. John's team in open gyms while home in Queens. But before he commits to a school he intends on taking all five official visits. "I don't read the letters or answer the calls. I let my dad deal with that," says Landsberg, who plans on ending his recruitment with a final choice by the end of August or early September.

Though noticeably limping throughout Sunday's game, Landesberg says the summer months have not worn him down. The limp came from a knee to the left thigh that he received in a recent game .Landesberg maintains that he is getting stronger and his body is still maturing. "This is what I want to do, and I'm putting in the necessary work," says Landesberg. "This is just the summer. I want to be ready for the winter."