For immediate release
July 24, 2010

AVENTURA, Florida – The Maccabi Haifa professional basketball team of the Israeli Basketball Super League, announced today they have signed guard Sylven Landesberg, who played at the University of Virginia from 2008-10, to a two-year contract.

Landesberg, 20, averaged 16.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his two seasons at Virginia, before leaving early to pursue a chance at an NBA opportunity.  During his Virginia career, Landesberg scored at least 20 points in a game 21 times.  He averaged a team-high 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 32.1 minutes played during the 2009-10 season, ranking in the top 10 in the ACC in four different statistical categories.

The 6-foot-6-inch guard, born in Brooklyn, NY, starred at Holy Cross High School (Flushing, NY), where he averaged 29.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a senior during the 2007-08 season.

During this July’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Landesberg played in three games for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1 assist in 16 minutes per game.

“The signing of Sylven Landesberg is a great achievement for Maccabi Haifa,” said Maccabi Haifa owner and American businessman Jeffrey Rosen.  “We know Sylven has a lot of potential, and considering he was pursued by many teams both in Israel and in Europe, we are very proud that he chose to join Maccabi Haifa.”

“Sylven is a great addition to Maccabi Haifa.  He will help us in many ways on the court, with his versatility and his natural talent,” said coach Elad Hasin.  “We watched him in the NBA Summer League and he impressed our organization with his abilities.   After speaking with the Sacramento Kings’ staff as well as Omri Casspi, we were convinced that this is the best move for Sylven and Maccabi Haifa.”

Landesberg joins a Maccabi Haifa roster that features former Cal State Fullerton guard Frank Robinson, former Arizona State guard Derek Glasser, former Washington State guard Derrick Low, Sasha Bratic, Yoni Nir, Avi Ben-Chimol, and Robert Rothbart. 

Maccabi Haifa will travel to the United States to play the NBA’s New Jersey Nets in the first preseason game at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on October 3, 2010.  Maccabi Haifa’s 30-minute magazine TV show, “Inside Israeli Basketball,” (www.insideisraelibasketball.com) is aired monthly from November to June on the YES Network (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network), SUN Sports (home to the Miami Heat), Comcast Versus (home to the NHL), and Jewish Life Television (available in over 25 million homes in the US).  The show captures the intricacies of Israel and the Super League seen through the eyes of Maccabi Haifa’s American players and their Israeli counterparts.