Landesberg rebounds from Rocky start; Ebanks shines

The way his week began at Reebok's ABCD Camp in Teaneck, New Jersey, Sylven Landesberg wasn't likely to reach the Underclassmen All-Star game.
In his first three games, the rising Holy Cross junior scored just 14 points; this coming from the same marksman who led the Catholic league, arguably the best in the nation, with 20.8 points-a-game. &#8220My shots weren't falling, I wasn't rebounding enough,” said the Flushing resident. &#8220I was a little nervous then I lost my confidence a little bit.”
Raised expectations, the 6-foot-5 Landesberg admitted, figured prominently in his struggles. A year ago, he was an untested and unknown commodity. But after playing so well here last year, when he came out of nowhere to reach the All-Star game as a freshman, leading the Knights to the CHSAA quarterfinals, and excelling with the New York Panthers A.A.U. team, one of the city's best, brilliance was expected. &#8220I was trying to prove myself a lot,” said Landesberg, who's gotten looks from Georgia Tech, St. John’s, Kentucky, Connecticut and Virginia, among others. &#8220There was a lot of pressure.
&#8220People were watching me a lot more, my name is out there,” he said earlier in the week. &#8220They want to see what I'm all about. I liked it better when I was a nobody.”
Nonetheless, Landesberg snapped out of his funk, scoring in double figures four of his final five games, including an 11-point, six-rebound outing in the All-Star game to finish at 8.9 points-a-game for the week on 42.6 percent shooting. &#8220I just had to work through it,” he said, alluding to his shooting woes. &#8220It was a good experience playing against the top players in the nation.”
***
Long Island City resident Devin Ebanks, on the other hand, was impressive the entire week. Ebanks was one of four MVP's in the Underclassmen All-Star game for the second straight year, scoring 19 points to lead the Maroon team to a 127-122 overtime win. Ebanks showcased his multi-faceted ability, grabbing seven rebounds, knocking down shots from the perimeter and slashing to the hole for dunks.
A year ago Ebanks struggled at the start of ABCD Camp, intimidated by the hundreds of college coaches and national prospects. This year he had no such problems; he was the second highest rated player from New York, averaging slightly over 10 points-a-game on over 50 percent shooting. &#8220I had a bunch of good guys on my team that like to play my style - run and gun,” he said.
Although he was a junior this year at Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn), the wiry 6-foot-7 Ebanks, who was dismissed from the Catholic school for a series of incidents, will be reclassified at the highly regarded Patterson School in North Carolina, meaning he has two years of eligibility left.
He claimed that was the plan from the get-go, but his problems just underscored the need for a change. &#8220I still have a lot to learn,” Ebanks said. &#8220I felt if I went to college in '07, I wouldn't be ready.”