SYRACUSE - Jonny Flynn burst into laughter at the thought of working part time.

“Play 20 minutes a game, half a game? That's only in a dream,” said the tireless point guard of the Syracuse Orange. “But it's just good to have a deep team.”

A year ago, freshmen Flynn and Donte Greene had to play virtually every minute of every game for the Orange after guards Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf were lost with torn knee ligaments and senior guard Josh Wright quit the team.

Head coach Jim Boeheim often had no more than two scholarship players besides the starting five and the Orange suffered, finishing 21-14 and 9-9 in the Big East. The 14 losses were the most in a single season since 1969, seven years before Boeheim took over, and relegated Syracuse to the NIT for the second straight year. Now Boeheim is blessed with a solid bench for a change as he starts his 33rd year coaching at his alma mater, fresh from a stint as an assistant with the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team.

“One thing I learned this summer was that you can be very productive when you know you're going to play 20 minutes,” said Boeheim, who is tied with Dean Smith at 30 seasons of 20 or more wins, tops all-time in Division I. “You can go as hard as you can every minute. You can't necessarily go that hard for 30 minutes. The guys will get more than enough time to do what they need to do, but they won't have to be out there for 35 minutes like they were last year.”

Flynn averaged more than 39 minutes in the physically demanding Big East, and that experience should serve him very well this season.

“I kind of say I played two seasons last year,” said Flynn, who averaged 15.7 points and 5.2 assists and shared Big East rookie of the year honors with Pitt's DaJuan Blair. “I'm about to be a junior out there.”

Greene (17.7 points per game) became just the second freshman in 50 years to lead Syracuse in scoring (Carmelo Anthony was the other in the Orange's national championship season of 2002-03). Although Greene has jumped to the NBA, that's probably a good thing for this year's team because Devendorf and Rautins, the best outside shooters on the squad, are back.

Rautins is completely healed and Devendorf is close as the Orange get ready for the season-opener Nov. 16 against crosstown rival Le Moyne.

“It's just hard work, determination and dedication,” Devendorf said. “Basketball is what I've been doing forever, this is my life, I'm never going to quit it. I'm ready to get out there and make a run at a national championship.”

If Rautins and Devendorf stay healthy, Boeheim's job will be a lot easier.

“I think having those two guys back at full speed, two proven 3-point shooters, makes our perimeter game much more effective than last year,” Boeheim said. “Certainly, from an offensive point of view, even though you lose Donte Greene, whose main asset was shooting from the perimeter, those shots will now be taken by Andy and Eric. I think we'll get a higher return percentage-wise from those guys taking those shots. I think it's a huge thing for our perimeter game.”

And for center Arinze Onuaku, who emerged as a force inside last season. At 6-foot-9 and 258 pounds, Onuaku was very intimidating despite countless double teams, and he's since added more muscle to his upper body.

“Last year we didn't have as many shooters, so this year is going to be better,” said Onuaku. He averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds and was second in the Big East and ninth nationally in field-goal percentage (.628). “They've got to guard both positions. It could be a good thing. That means less double teams. If every time I touch the ball one-on-one, then that's great.”

Sophomore forward Rick Jackson will be in the mix more than he was as a freshman, and he's already displayed vast improvement. Boeheim experimented with playing the 6-9 Jackson alongside Onuaku in an exhibition game against Division II Cal State-Los Angeles on Nov. 3, and Jackson had 12 rebounds, four blocks and six points in 23 minutes.

Boeheim also expects big things from junior swingman Paul Harris, who averaged 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in 2007-08.

“I expect him to be a better player, be a better leader, to make more plays and to be a more dominating player,” Boeheim said. “I think he can be and I think he thinks he can be. This is his year to step up and do those things.”

Junior college transfer Kristof Ongenaet started the final 15 games last season and evolved into a key player offensively and defensively. He's the only guy who will play the four position up front, and that will give Boeheim the discretion to go with a small lineup at any time.

A year ago, Syracuse had five freshmen and no seniors after Wright left the team in December, and only center Sean Williams languished on the bench. One of those freshmen was Scoop Jardine, who played in 33 games, but he will sit out 2008-09 while recovering from a stress fracture in his left leg.

Jardine shouldn't be missed too much. Syracuse welcomes the arrival of top-50 recruits Mookie Jones of Peekskill and Kris Joseph of Hyattsville, Md. Boeheim also said Williams would receive more playing time. “You can't improve if you don't play,” Boeheim said.