1. FACE

The Face of Syracuse basketball stood in front of the Coach of Syracuse basketball at the team’s annual Media Day, mimicking each other as they posed for the cover of this guide. Lighting umbrellas surrounded them. A camera shuttered.

The Coach is Jim Boeheim, the 33-year veteran and the eternal hallmark of this program. Most years, Boeheim doubles as the Face and the Coach. This is his team. The players run his 2-3 zone. The players answer to him.

But sometimes, every so often, players come along and become the Face of the program. Sometimes, a Gerry or a Carmelo steals the limelight.

We’ve reached that point again. Meet the latest.

Yes, here’s Jonny. Jonathan W. Flynn, to be exact, a native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and the son of the Reverend William and Deirdre Flynn. He is a 6-foot, 186-pound sophomore point guard, and he is a star, heralded as the best point guard in the country by a columnist for The Sporting News. Flynn averaged 15.7 points and 5.3 assists a game as a freshman. He earned co-Big East freshman of the year honors. He is blessed with a mega-watt smile and a million-dollar game.

Wait, back up. Maybe blessed is the wrong word. Flynn is both blessed and one who takes advantage of blessings. There. That fits better.

And he is more than a Face. Flynn boasts a top-to-bottom skill set. Syracuse will need all of them this year, as it searches for an NCAA tournament bid.

‘He brings a little bit of everything to the table,’ said teammate Andy Rautins. ‘There’s no telling what this kid can do. He’s going to be the best point guard in the country this year.’

2. HEAD

It starts up top.

Flynn’s head houses the eyes that allow him to see the court and the mind that solves the court’s puzzles. To pass or to shoot. To penetrate or to be patient. To speed up or to slow down.

His coaches at Niagara Falls High School could trust him on those decisions. They use more structure in their offense now that he’s gone. And last season, Flynn’s decision-making was honed. He started all 35 games for the Orange, including the grind of Big East play.

This summer, Flynn attended LeBron James’ basketball camp in Akron, Ohio. He served as a counselor and played pick-up with James and New Orleans Hornets all-world point guard Chris Paul. Flynn says his squad, which featured Louisville forward Terrence Williams, won the series, 4-2. Others say LeBron and Paul’s team won, 4-3. The end result doesn’t really matter. The important stuff came afterward.

Paul pulled Flynn aside and tutored him on the pick-and-roll, one weapon in Paul’s vast arsenal. ‘He was just telling me, ‘Always take your time,” Flynn said. You dictate the pace, not the defender.

Flynn listened. He’s like that, said Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins. He opens his ears up when elders speak.

‘The guys who ask questions are the guys who are constantly looking to get better, who don’t take this personally,’ Hopkins said. ‘Those are the guys who make it. And I think Jonny’s one of those guys, who all he wants to do is get better and will do anything to win.’

3. HANDS

Flynn has two major attributes when it comes to his hands, one natural, the other earned.

First, the natural: Flynn’s hands are huge for his size, equipped with long fingers that lever the ball. He can handle it with more purpose and pass it with more control. The strength of his fingers aids him on the inside.

‘He can palm the ball when he goes to the basket,’ said sophomore forward Rick Jackson. ‘He can finish better because his hands are bigger than a regular guard’s.’

Now, the earned. He can use both hands.

One summer when he was a teen, Flynn had surgery on his right wrist. His dominant hand was out of commission.

Every time Sal Constantino, an assistant coach at Niagara Falls High School, saw Flynn that summer, the kid had a basketball in his left hand. He worked on developing a balance to his game, turning a negative into a positive.

‘He wanted to get better with his weaker hand,’ Constantino said.

That paid off. By his senior year, Flynn was dominant. He averaged 26.7 points and six assists a game.

4. LEGS

The defining moment of Jonny Flynn’s prep career came at the end.

It was in Louisville, Ky., at the 2007 McDonald’s All-American Game.

Flynn took the ball from the left wing and drove toward the basket. Only 6-foot-9, future second-overall pick in the NBA Draft Michael Beasley was in the way. Flynn rose up, the ball in his right hand. Beasley decided not to get involved. Flynn slammed it home and stared out at the crowd at Freedom Hall.

Paul Harris had seen that sort of stuff before. Flynn has enough quickness in his feet to shake defenders and enough hops in his legs to rise up to the basket.

‘He’s always had that, since high school,’ Harris said. ‘He could always jump high, and that’s why I think he’s better than a lot of point guards, because he’s so athletic. People say he’s short, but he’s so athletic and quick, it’s hard to stay with him.’

A few days before Syracuse’s Media Day, the team had a vertical jump test. Flynn came in first, leaping 43 inches. ‘He’s got big calves,’ Harris said.

But those legs got burnt out last year. Flynn averaged 39.2 minutes in Big East games, and 35.5 minutes a game overall. By the end, his back was bruised and his legs were almost gone.

So Flynn took some time off, healed up. By the time summer rolled around, he went back at it.

He spent most of his time back home, working out with old high school teammates Tyrell Lynch and Rob Garrison. Lynch plays forward at Massachusetts, Garrison plays guard at Niagara. They ran through drills during the day, shooting, passing, a blend of exercises they had picked up over the years. They played pick-up at night, either at nearby playgrounds or with Garrison’s teammates.

Flynn worked on playing without the ball, on moving better when he’s not in control. He wants to play a little like Stephen Curry did during Davidson’s NCAA Tournament run last year.

He has more help this year. Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins are back from ACL tears. There will be time to rest. A little bit of time, at least.

‘This is great, having all these guys, youthful guys out here,’ Flynn said. ‘Maybe I can get 30 seconds of rest a game or something like that.’

5. HEART

This is what it all comes back to. Dribbling and quickness and leaping ability mean little without this.

‘Most of us have a lot of heart, but he stands out,’ said forward Kristof Ongenaet. ‘That’s what we need: A little more heart. I think he can bring that a lot.’

Flynn plays the ‘1,’ and he believes that holds meaning. The point guard sets the tone.

Last year, he believes, prepared him for this. He learned plenty as a freshman. He made mistakes on and off the court.

Last August, Flynn, Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson stood before an Onondaga County grand jury on charges stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a former SU student.

The grand jury ruled not to file criminal charges. A Syracuse University judicial board also cleared the players. The three were put on probation.

In the aftermath, Flynn said he has matured. He closed his circle of friends. He wants to concentrate on this season. It may be his last in college. The NBA looms in the not-so-far distance.

‘The NBA was definitely knocking on his door last year,’ said former teammate Donte Greene, now of the Sacramento Kings. ‘NBA teams were asking about him through me when I was going through my process.’

For now, the focus is on this year. For now, he is the Face of Syracuse basketball.

‘This year, I see me more as a leader,’ Flynn said. ‘I matured a lot over last year, just going through a lot of things, even just being thrown there in the game. Just to be able to learn on the fly, it may hurt sometimes, but when it’s all said and done, I really benefited from being out there and learning from my own mistakes.

‘So I’m just looking forward to this year.’

ramccull@syr.edu

Published on November 12, 2008 at 12:00 pm