By Dylan Butler
But for once, there wasn't a literal interpretation of a rule. For once, those in power made a wise decision. And for that they should be applauded. You see, there's a rule that states a high school basketball player who competes in an All-Star game before their season ends would be ineligible for any of their school's remaining games. This almost never is an issue because the big All-Star games – the McDonald's All-American game being the biggest – usually occur well after the high-school season ends. But that's not the case this year. Because Easter falls so early on the calendar, the state Federation moved its tournament, the final of the season, back a week because of the holiday. This is in direct conflict with the McDonald's game, which will be played in Milwaukee, Wis., March 26. So what's Holy Cross star Sylven Landesberg to do? If he played in the McDonald's game, he'd be ineligible to compete in the Class AA state Federation final, which is a possible rematch with PSAL powerhouse Lincoln. While the Railsplitters make the trek to Glens Falls an annual affair, Holy Cross is coming off its first CHSAA Class AA intersectional title in 40 years and has yet to compete in the tournament. Thankfully, that's a decision the Virginia-bound guard will not have to make. After Holy Cross principal Joe Giannuzzi penned a letter to the state CHSAA, its representatives spoke with the PHSAA and decided an exception was to be made.”It was just very unusual timing because Easter came so early,” Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary said. “To make the kid make that kind of decision would have been unfair. To allow him to play in both games is the best outcome.”Landesberg's final week of high-school basketball will be busy, but also quite memorable. The same could be said for his teammate, Blaise Ffrench, who has been chosen to compete in the Jordan Classic regional game at Madison Square Garden April 19. The undecided senior guard will join Cardozo's Trinity Fields and Christ the King's Ryan Pearson and Erving Walker on the city team, which will compete against a suburban team that features West Virgina-bound Kevin Jones, Syracuse-signee Mookie Jones and St. John's recruit Sean Kilpatrick. While so much emphasisis is placed on sports, there are times when it becomes abundantly clear there are things much more important. With that in mind, I wish a speedy recovery to Molloy bowling coach Vinny Leonardo in his battle with cancer and my prayers go out to Christ the King assistant basketball coach Artie Cox on the loss of his father, Arthur, who died this week. Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
