Jonny Flynn, PG

Flynn's cat-like quickness and ball-handling skills helped the Orange to a combined 39-24 record during his two seasons at Syracuse.

A finalist for the Wooden and Bob Cousy awards, he was a constant on the court for depth-deprived Syracuse -- his 1,418 minutes of action in 2008-09 set the school season-record.

Flynn earned the David R. Gavitt Award as the 2009 Big East Conference Tournament MVP. He joined previous SU recipients Sherman Douglas (1988), Gerry McNamara (2006), Leo Rautins (1981), Hakim Warrick (2005) and Pearl Washington (1986), becoming just the fourth MVP from a squad that did not win the title. His NCAA Tournament scoring average of 16.3 points per game placed him 10th on the school record list.

Flynn became the 51st player in Syracuse annals to register over 1,000 points in a career, as his 1,211 points placed him 38th all-time in Orange history. His 439 assists rank seventh on the school career-record list, as his 254 handouts in 2008-09 rank fifth overall and are the second-highest total by a sophomore on the team annual record books. In 37 games, he registered double-figure scoring performances 36 times in 2008-09, the third-best total in a season by an Orange performer.

At Niagara Falls High School, Flynn was a two-time Buffalo News Player of the Year choice. He was also tabbed the Niagara Falls Gazette Player of the Year, first-team All-Western New York, New York State's Mr. Basketball, Parade second-team All-American, and Hoop Scoop seventh-team All-American. He was rated as the 15th-best prospect in the nation by Rise Magazine, 24th by Scouts Inc. (fifth-best point guard) and 22nd overall (fourth among point guards) in Rivals.com's rankings.

The National Honor Society member scored 1,735 points during his career. As a freshman, he averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 assists. In 2004-05, Flynn and current SU teammate Paul Harris helped Niagara Falls become the first team from Western New York to win the New York Federation title. The Wolverines were 29-1 and the top-ranked team in the Student Sports FAB 50 and National Prep Polls, as their point guard averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds an outing.

Flynn emerged offensively as a junior. He totaled 28.7 points per game, averaging 8.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Niagara Falls finished the campaign 27-3 and third in the state tournament. In his final campaign, Flynn averaged 26.7 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.3 rebounds. His team reached the Class AA final for the third straight year before losing to Sweet Home, 66-64.

Prior to his senior season, Flynn participated in the ABCD Camp and was named MVP after a 23-point, seven-assist showing in the ABCD Senior All-Star Game his squad won, 170-165. At the conclusion of his final season, he was named to the McDonald's High School All-American Team and had nine points and six assists in the McDonald's All-Star Game in New York.

Flynn competed on the 2006 USA Basketball squad, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 assists per game for the USA Under-18 Team that earned gold at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. He started for the 2007 USA Basketball Under-19 squad that won a silver medal in the World Championship. The USA club was 8-1 overall, as Flynn averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals.

As a true freshman at Syracuse in 2007-08, Flynn was named Big East Conference co-Rookie of the Year. He earned NABC and USBWA All-District honors and was a Freshman All-American third-team choice. He finished the campaign with a squad-best 185 assists, the second-highest freshman total in school history.

Flynn's 548 points ranks fourth on the SU freshman ledger. He teamed with Donte Greene to give the Orange the first freshman duo to each accumulate 500 points, as that tandem was the second-highest scoring freshman duo in the country, combining to average 33.4 points per outing.

The All-American third-team and All-Big East Conference second-team choice started all 38 games as a sophomore. He paced the Orange with 17.4 points per game, making 219-of-476 field goals (46.0%) while pulling down 104 boards to go with a team-high 54 steals. He also paced the team with 254 assists, the second-best total by a SU sophomore in a season.

Positives: Makes up for a lack of size with exceptional court quickness and an explosive initial step … Confident ball-handler with the ability to shoot with either hand … Crisp passer who has the lateral quickness to slash to the rim and is aggressive and fearless driving to the basket to draw contact to get to the foul line, where he shows good loft on his release (78.2% free throw shooter) … Very creative with his shot playing the half-court game and his 33.3 percent success rate from 3-point range show that he can connect from the perimeter … Has very good court vision and exceptional conditioning … Shows inconsistent shot selection and is turnover prone, but is good at pushing the ball up court in an up-tempo attack … Can change gears in an instant to get the defender off-balance and will force his opponent to commit with his crafty hesitation moves … Has blazing speed to get space for his own shot or to beat his opponent off the dribble (107 steals in 73 games) … Excellent drive-and-dish guard whose explosiveness and change-of-direction skills make it difficult for defenders to stay in front of him on perimeter defense … Better when given room to shoot and sets his feet well, has a quick release … Well-conditioned athlete who does a fine job weaving in and out of traffic, thanks to his low center of gravity … Confident of his ability to move the ball around, scans the court quickly and generally makes good decisions with the ball … Very shifty pushing the ball and when he doesn't force the issue … Even though he gets pushed around, he shows no hesitation driving to the rim, but has most of his scoring success from pull-up jumpers and in catch-and-shoot situations … Uses his change-of-direction skills to drive to the rim from either side and has improved his scoring skills on isolation plays (42.3%) … Confident competitor who knows how to slow the pace down for the half-court game or execute the fast break and is the type that likes to have the ball in pressure situations … Has no regard for his own safety, especially when he drives past more physical frontcourt defenders to get to the basket … Uses his pump fakes and hesitation moves, along with good elevation to get off his jumper over taller opponents … Will get boxed out and pushed around when defending inside, but has the lateral movement, good reach and active hands to be disruptive in the passing lanes, as he is quite effective at attacking the gaps and staying in front of perimeter shooters … Does a nice job of distributing the ball with either hand, especially when executing the pick-and-roll plays … Pushes the ball with good urgency in transition and with his excellent hand skills, he demonstrates a very efficient crossover and sudden hesitation dribble to get past the defender when working inside … Shoots with a high release point, maintaining balance while generating high elevation coming off the floor.

Negatives: Highly competitive type with great court vision, but will get into a rhythm trying to get too creative, leading to poor-decision making to force his shot rather than act as a facilitator … Aggressive but lacks the size and bulk to get much success fighting through screens … Has a low center of gravity and good change-of-direction skills, but needs to do a better job of protecting the ball when shifting gears (averaged 3.4 turnovers per game last year) … Good ball-handler, but can be turnover-prone with showing plays … Lacks the wingspan teams prefer in a perimeter defender, compensating with his court quickness to stay in front of the shooter, but can be backed down by more physical opponents … Has good elevation and a quick release, but has to work on his long-range accuracy (shot 31.7% from 3-point range as a sophomore) … Tries to create shots for himself coming off the dribble, but they are usually contested and he needs to understand he won't be the offensive focus of an NBA team.

Compares To: EARL WATSON, Oklahoma City -- Like Watson, Flynn has blazing court speed and is nearly impossible to defend in the open court. He needs to show a better point guard "mentality" and act more as the team's facilitator rather than trying to make highlight reel shots on his own. He is a good ball-handler, but does get out of control when he keeps the ball on the floor too long and struggles to create his shot coming off the dribble. He is too turnover-prone, mostly due to his inability to fight through screens. He is comfortable stepping back to execute a jumper from mid-range, but while he has a quick release, he lacks accuracy from NBA 3-point range and must stop becoming so reliant on his outside shot.

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

All-American third-team selection by collegehoops.net and honorable mention by the Associated Press … Second-team All-Big East Conference choice … Finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (nation's top point guard) and John R. Wooden Award (nation's best player) … Named to the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) District V first- team … Started all 38 games, leading the team in scoring (663 points, 17.4 points per game), field goals (219-of-476, 46.0%), free throws (180-of-229, 78.6%), steals (54) and assists (254, fifth-best season total in school history … Shot 31.7% from 3-point range (45-of-142) and pulled down 104 rebounds (2.7 rebounds per game) … Had 129 turnovers and 55 personal fouls … Scored in double figures 36 times, the third-best season total in school history … Produced five double-double performances (points/assists).

Third-team Freshman All-American and first-team Freshman All-Big East Conference pick by Rivals.com … Named Big East co-Rookie of the Year, adding All-Big East honorable mention … Earned All-District accolades from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) … Teamed

with Donte Greene to give the Orange the first freshman duo to each accumulate 500 points … Flynn and Greene were the second-highest scoring freshman duo in the country, combining to average 33.4 points per outing (Michael Beasley and Jacob Pullen from Kansas State averaged 35.9 points per game) … Started all 35 games, as his 548 points scored (15.7 points per game) rank fourth in school history among freshmen … Shot 45.9% from the field (191-of-416), 34.8% from three-point range (56-of-161) and 77.5% from the charity stripe (110-of-142) … Grabbed 94 rebounds (2.7 rpg), blocked six shots and had 53 steals … His 185 assists rank second on the SU annual record list for freshmen … His 56 three-pointers are the third-best season total by a Syracuse freshman … Posted a streak of 313 consecutive minutes played, a stretch that featured seven complete games … Flynn averaged 39.2 minutes per game in regular-season conference games, the fourth-best mark in the Division I ranks … Played the entire game in 11 of the year's last 16 contests … Scored in double figures in 28 games, including 27 of the last 31.

Flynn started all 73 games that he played in at Syracuse, ranking 38th on the all-time list with 1,211 points (16.6 points per game), as he made 410-of-892 field goals (46.0%), 101-of-303 3-pointers (.333) and 290-of-371 free throws (78.2%) … His 56 3-point field goals in 2007-08 rank third on the school season-record list for freshmen behind Donte Greene (90 in 2007-08) and Gerry McNamara (85 in 2002-03) … Averaged 2.7 rebounds per game (198 total), as he blocked 12 shots and had 107 steals … Handed out 439 assists, the seventh-best career total in school history … His 254 assists in 2008-09 rank fifth overall and second among Syracuse sophomores (best sophomore mark was 289 assists by Sherman Douglas in 1986-87) on the school season-record chart … Registered 36 double-figure scoring performances in 2008-09, ranking third on the school season-record list behind Sherman Douglas (37 in 1986-87) and John Wallace (38 in 1995-96) … Registered 1,418 minutes of action as a sophomore, breaking the previous school season-record of 1,379 points by John Wallace (1995-96) … His 180 free throws made in 2008-09 rank fifth on the Orange annual record chart.

No injuries reported.

USA BASKETBALL: Flynn lettered twice for Team USA, competing during the 2006 and 2007 off-seasons … 2007 USA Basketball … Started for the USA Basketball Under-19 squad that won a silver medal in the World Championship … The group was coached by DePaul mentor Jerry Wainwright, compiling an 8-1 record, as Flynn averaged 9.6 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals … Had seven of the team's 22 assists and four rebounds in a tournament-opening, 118-56 victory vs. Mali … The next time out vs. China, Flynn tallied 14 points, three assists and three steals … Contributed 12 points when the U.S. defeated host Serbia, 82-78 … Had eight points and five steals to help the Americans beat Lithuania, 90-81 … Was one of eight players in double-digit scoring with 10 points as Team USA won vs. Brazil, 104-65 … Added 18 points, five rebounds and five thefts to lift his squad past pre-tournament favorite France, 87-82 … When Team USA defeated Argentina in the quarterfinals, 112-86, Flynn posted 12 points and five assists … The Americans advanced to the championship game by upending France, 78-75, as Flynn had six points and three assists … His three assists and three steals were not enough as Team USA lost in the gold-medal game to Serbia, 74-69.

2006 USA Basketball … Flynn averaged 8.5 points and 5.3 assists per game for the USA Men's Under-18 Team that earned gold at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship … Washington mentor Lorenzo Romar guided the club … Also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in the four games … Flynn tallied nine points and six assists and to help Team USA lead off with a 111-64 win vs. Uruguay … In the next outing, a 90-66 defeat of Brazil, Flynn had 11 points and four assists … Contributed six points and a tournament-best seven assists when Team USA defeated Canada, 92-66 … When the U.S. won the gold by beating Argentina, 104-82, Flynn had eight points and four assists.

SUMMER LEAGUE: Prior to his senior campaign, Flynn participated in the ABCD Camp and was named MVP after a 23-point, seven-assist showing in the ABCD Senior All-Star Game his squad won, 170-165 … At the conclusion of his final season, he was named to the McDonald's High School All-American Team and had nine points and six assists in the McDonald's All-Star Game in New York.

Attended Niagara Falls (N.Y.) High School … Two-time Buffalo News Player of the Year choice … Tabbed the Niagara Falls Gazette Player of the Year, first-team All-Western New York, New York State's Mr. Basketball, Parade second-team All-American, and Hoop Scoop seventh-team All-American … Rated as the 15th-best prospect in the nation by Rise Magazine, 24th by Scouts Inc. (fifth-best point guard) and 22nd overall (fourth among point guards) in Rivals.com's rankings … The National Honor Society member scored 1,735 points during his career … As a freshman, he averaged 8.3 points and 3.6 assists to help Niagara Falls to a 27-3 overall record and a state runner-up finish … In 2004-05, Flynn and current SU teammate Paul Harris helped Niagara Falls become the first team from Western New York to win the New York Federation title … The Wolverines were 29-1 and the top-ranked team in the Student Sports FAB 50 and National Prep Polls, as their point guard averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds an outing … Emerged offensively as a junior, as he totaled 28.7 points per game, averaging 8.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds … Led Niagara Falls to a 27-3 record, as they finished third in the state tournament … In his final campaign, Flynn averaged 26.7 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.3 rebounds … His team reached the Class AA final for the third straight year before losing to Sweet Home, 66-64.

Communication and Rhetorical Studies major … Son of Rev. William and Deidre Flynn … Born 2/06/89 … Resides in Niagara Falls, New York.