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Of Sylven and Spudnuts:

Twice in the past month, I’ve heard from different Division I head coaches about a rumor that star Virginia basketball player Sylven Landesberg is -- or was -- thinking about transferring.

I immediately dismissed the rumor because, if Landesberg views himself as a future NBA player, why would he be contemplating a move that would extend his college career?

That was the catch, according to the coaches. The NCAA has gotten more lenient in granting appeals and there was a case involving Virginia last summer in which Will Harris was given immediate eligibility after transferring to Albany.

Harris’ appeal was based on a need to be closer to his mother in New York, but the key issue in his appeal was the support of then-Virginia coach Dave Leitao. If the Cavaliers had challenged Harris’ appeal, he almost certainly would have been required to sit out the 2008-2009 season.

Virginia and new coach Tony Bennett might take a different tack with another player, not that it matters. Every inquiry I’ve made would suggest that Landesberg has no interest in leaving Charlottesville.

Clearly, there were people who were willing to plant the seed.

“The minute that Dave left, we had a million calls from other schools, even from schools that hadn’t been involved the first time around,” Landesberg’s father, Steve, said this week.

“We’ve said right from the beginning that we loved that school and nothing that happened with the coaches was going to change that. ‘Nuff said.

“Plus, academically, it’s second only to Cal-Berkeley among public institutions. My son loves it to death.”

Nonetheless, Sylven did experience some mixed feelings in the aftermath of Leitao’s dismissal.

“He did think about going elsewhere,” Landesberg’s dad said. “I told him, ‘You’ve got to give it some time.’ “

Steve Landesberg has met Bennett and describes him as “a terrific guy, [but] I still don’t know much about his coaching.”

The senior Landesberg prefers an up-tempo style and says that he loves first-year New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, one of basketball's foremost run-and-gun advocates.

The Washington State team coached by Bennett this past season scored 59.2 points per game, ranking 314th out of 330 teams in Division I.

I hadn’t checked this stat previously, but in 2007-2008, the second of the Cougars’ consecutive 26-win seasons, they averaged 66.4 points. In 2006-2007, the averaged 66.9.

“I don’t really care how he runs his offense,” Steve Landesberg said. “But, I think it’s very important how Sylven does, not for Sylven’s sake, but for the way it appears on the outside.

“Dave Leitao was really well-connected in New York from his Connecticut days. I didn’t realize how strong [the connection] was at first, but I think a lot of people were watching to see how Sylven did down there.”

A 10-18 season cost Leitao his chance at returning for a fifth year, but Landesberg had a terrific season. He scored 16.6 points per game on a team that had only one other double-figure scorer, Mike Scott at 10.3. At 6 foot 6, Landesberg was second on the team in rebounding (6.0 per game) and tied for second in assists (78).

“He loves it down there,” Steve Landesberg reiterated. “Sometimes, when I go down there, it almost brings a tear to my eyes. Once when I was down there, we went to the wings place [Buffalo Wild Wings]. Sylven is friends with the owner. A man was there with his grandson and brought him over to meet Sylven. It was a very moving thing to me.”

It’s well-known that Steve Landesberg immediately felt an attraction to Charlottesville, especially its eateries. Bodo’s Bagels are a favorite of the locals but Landesberg said he can’t give Bodo’s the nod over the bagel establishments in New York.

His favorite haunt is a doughnut shop behind the downtown mall. He couldn’t furnish a name, but a google search would indicate that he was talking about Spudnuts, rated No. 3 out of 228 Charlottesville restaurants according to one survey.

“It’s the oldest continuous doughnut chain on the East Coast," Steve said. "I saw a show on it once. I always make it a point to go there.”

IF YOU’RE WONDERING if other schools were allowed to contact the Landesbergs following Leitao’s dismissal, my preliminary impression is no.

When I tried to pose the matter of tampering to senior associate athletic director Jon Oliver, I went through the recommended channels and made an interview request to sports information director Rich Murray.

Murray told me in a return message that Oliver was out of town but had indicated he would not discuss the subject with me.

As I wrote back to Murray, I can’t remember a time in more than 30 years of covering UVa athletics when the athletic department has been more uncooperative or difficult.

You’d have thought that I was asking if UVa had committed a violation involving another school, not the other way around.

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