SYRACUSE - Jonny Flynn was more than happy to sit for several minutes during a Syracuse practice at mid-week, sipping a drink as he spoke about the undermanned Orange's grueling season.
“It's the first time in my life where I thought, ‘Man, I need a break. I need to come out.”' said Flynn, who has played all but one minute of the last nine games, which included one overtime period. “You never think you'll be saying that.
“But I'm having fun. It's a new challenge for me. I just couldn't wait for this,” said Flynn, who as a senior at Niagara Falls High School a year ago already was staring at the end of the season. “Last year, playing in a league where you're just so much better than everybody, it kind of gets boring at times. Now, you're going out there playing against NBA prospects.”
Flynn said he entered school weighing around 177 pounds but had bulked up to 190 by the start of the season. The added muscle has been a boon considering his workload.
“I feel great. When I tell people that, they think I'm crazy, playing as many minutes as I have the past seven or eight games,” Flynn said. “People don't really want to believe me, but my body is feeling great right now. It almost feels like the beginning of the season again.”
The increased playing time, caused by season-ending knee injuries to guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf, the Orange's top outside threats, has not been the only obstacle Flynn has had to face. He's also had to adapt his game to fit the team's needs.
Early in the season, Flynn was the quintessential setup man - he averaged 6.4 assists through the first 10 games, including a season-high 12 against UMass. But once Devendorf joined Rautins on the bench in mid-December, Flynn's role changed.
“Just making the transition in the middle of the year to a whole different player was a little tough,” said Flynn, who has averaged 15.8 points and 4.5 assists in 15 league games. “Coach keeps telling me, ‘You've got to just shoot.' So sometimes you go out there and just shoot a shot just to shoot it because coach is telling you that you need to score points to win the game. ...It has me changing my game up a little bit, which is OK.”
Assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who works with the guards, marvels at what Flynn has accomplished in his first college season.
“To step up in the games he has, to carry the load like he has, especially with the loss of Eric, I think has been the most remarkable thing,” Hopkins said. “He's picked up his scoring, he's picked up a lot of different aspects of his game. At the beginning of the year, he was getting seven assists, eight assists. Now, he's had to score.”
Flynn has four 20-point games in Big East play and the Orange won three of them. But Syracuse (17-11, 7-8 Big East) has lost four of its last five, the last two to ranked conference rivals Louisville and Notre Dame on the road. And fatigue has crept into the team psyche, especially for Flynn and freshman forward Donte Greene, the focus of opposing defenses. Flynn went just 9-for-34 from the floor (26.4 percent) in the past two games and Greene is a woeful 7-for-41 (19.5 percent) on 3-pointers in the past five.
“It's a little different now, when you don't have the shooters out there on the wing,” Flynn said. “Defenses kind of lag in. There's not as many driving lanes as there was in the (nonconference) season, and there's a new guy on every single play, somebody new checking me.
“When you're playing seven guys and your bench is not that deep, that's a thing that sticks out to all coaches,” Flynn said. “It can just wear the team down. Their legs go, their shot goes, their minds go. Everything builds off fatigue. The great thing coaches key on is trying to wear players down.”
Which means the Orange are enjoying their weeklong respite as they prepare for Saturday's game against Pitt, a must-win encounter for Syracuse's postseason hopes with only three games left in the regular season. At least this one is in the Carrier Dome.
“We just play so much better at home. It's going to be a huge factor,” Flynn said. “I think it's going to be tough for them to come in and sneak this one.”
On TV
• Pittsburgh at Syracuse, Saturday, noon, ESPN
Blog on it
Orange fans, be sure to check out the Orange Slices blog at auburnpub.com/blogs for lively commentary on the SU athletics scene.
“But I'm having fun. It's a new challenge for me. I just couldn't wait for this,” said Flynn, who as a senior at Niagara Falls High School a year ago already was staring at the end of the season. “Last year, playing in a league where you're just so much better than everybody, it kind of gets boring at times. Now, you're going out there playing against NBA prospects.”
Flynn said he entered school weighing around 177 pounds but had bulked up to 190 by the start of the season. The added muscle has been a boon considering his workload.
“I feel great. When I tell people that, they think I'm crazy, playing as many minutes as I have the past seven or eight games,” Flynn said. “People don't really want to believe me, but my body is feeling great right now. It almost feels like the beginning of the season again.”
The increased playing time, caused by season-ending knee injuries to guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf, the Orange's top outside threats, has not been the only obstacle Flynn has had to face. He's also had to adapt his game to fit the team's needs.
Early in the season, Flynn was the quintessential setup man - he averaged 6.4 assists through the first 10 games, including a season-high 12 against UMass. But once Devendorf joined Rautins on the bench in mid-December, Flynn's role changed.
“Just making the transition in the middle of the year to a whole different player was a little tough,” said Flynn, who has averaged 15.8 points and 4.5 assists in 15 league games. “Coach keeps telling me, ‘You've got to just shoot.' So sometimes you go out there and just shoot a shot just to shoot it because coach is telling you that you need to score points to win the game. ...It has me changing my game up a little bit, which is OK.”
Assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who works with the guards, marvels at what Flynn has accomplished in his first college season.
“To step up in the games he has, to carry the load like he has, especially with the loss of Eric, I think has been the most remarkable thing,” Hopkins said. “He's picked up his scoring, he's picked up a lot of different aspects of his game. At the beginning of the year, he was getting seven assists, eight assists. Now, he's had to score.”
Flynn has four 20-point games in Big East play and the Orange won three of them. But Syracuse (17-11, 7-8 Big East) has lost four of its last five, the last two to ranked conference rivals Louisville and Notre Dame on the road. And fatigue has crept into the team psyche, especially for Flynn and freshman forward Donte Greene, the focus of opposing defenses. Flynn went just 9-for-34 from the floor (26.4 percent) in the past two games and Greene is a woeful 7-for-41 (19.5 percent) on 3-pointers in the past five.
“It's a little different now, when you don't have the shooters out there on the wing,” Flynn said. “Defenses kind of lag in. There's not as many driving lanes as there was in the (nonconference) season, and there's a new guy on every single play, somebody new checking me.
“When you're playing seven guys and your bench is not that deep, that's a thing that sticks out to all coaches,” Flynn said. “It can just wear the team down. Their legs go, their shot goes, their minds go. Everything builds off fatigue. The great thing coaches key on is trying to wear players down.”
Which means the Orange are enjoying their weeklong respite as they prepare for Saturday's game against Pitt, a must-win encounter for Syracuse's postseason hopes with only three games left in the regular season. At least this one is in the Carrier Dome.
“We just play so much better at home. It's going to be a huge factor,” Flynn said. “I think it's going to be tough for them to come in and sneak this one.”
On TV
• Pittsburgh at Syracuse, Saturday, noon, ESPN
Blog on it
Orange fans, be sure to check out the Orange Slices blog at auburnpub.com/blogs for lively commentary on the SU athletics scene.