Column by Chris Graham
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Sylven Learning Center It’s all speculation, but the speculation is that second-team All-ACC forward Sylven Landesberg may have played his last game for Virginia.
The idea that Landesberg is at all ready for the NBA is almost laughable. The 6-6 swingman is a solid college player, but I don’t know that he’s NBA-caliber now or a year or two years from now.
I say that because I don’t want to be one of those fans/alums that gets self-righteous about how my team’s star player ought to stay another year so he can improve his pro stock. I’m being honest; I don’t see a lot of pro stock there with Landesberg, as much as I think he could have another solid year or two in him at the college level.
I don’t see Landesberg as being nearly athletic enough to play in the NBA, and you can’t teach athleticism, or work hard to make yourself athletic. Either you have athleticism, or you don’t.
Now, could Landesberg work on his jumper to make it more consistent and add to his range? Certainly. He could just as easily do that in the D-League or in Europe or Asia, which is where he’s likely headed if he is indeed done at UVa. after the ’09-’10 season.
The UVa. fan in me isn’t all that concerned. As talented a player as Landesberg is, his skills don’t fit well in the system that first-year ‘Hoos coach Tony Bennett favors. Landesberg is a liability defensively, and on offense he needs to have the ball in his hands to have any level of effectiveness, which stifles the Bennett read-and-react motion offense.
Are the Hokies really on the bubble? The short answer: You have to be kidding!
I get it. Virginia Tech’s nonconference schedule was just a tad better than what C. Jay Dewitt put together for Waynesboro High School this winter. But WHS didn’t win 10 ACC games.
I’d recommend to Charles Steger that he file for a court injunction if Tech is left out of the Big Dance with a 10-6 ACC record.
That said, the bracketologists, experts that they all are, have it so that Tech had better win on Friday in Greensboro just to be sure.
Makes no sense to me, but …
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