Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMBB | Flynn, Jardine savor chances with injured Wright on bench
By John Clayton
Posted: 11/6/07, 11:06 PM EST Section: Sports
Jonny Flynn knew he was going to play in Syracuse's preseason opener Sunday afternoon against St. Rose. It wasn't until just a few hours before the game that the SU freshman point guard found out he would be starting.
Flynn started because senior point guard Josh Wright sat out the game with what SU head coach Jim Boeheim called an ankle injury.
With no Wright, Flynn and fellow Orange freshman Scoop Jardine manned the point guard position for the entire game, leading a Syracuse team that appeared to lack rhythm on offense at times but still managed an 80-71 victory over St. Rose, a team slated at No. 14 in Division II preseason polls.
Wright's status is uncertain for tonight's preseason finale for the Orange, when it hosts another D-II opponent, local rival Le Moyne, at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Should Wright not play, it will be another chance for Flynn and Jardine to log valuable minutes. Yet as the team's only senior, Wright will almost certainly have a significant role for Syracuse this season, and Boeheim's decision to hold Wright out was made out of caution.
"He's our only senior, so I'm concerned; I want to make sure he's healthy," Boeheim said after SU's win Sunday afternoon. "We could have used him. We need somebody to stabilize things back there. I think Josh will do that for us. The other side of the coin is these games, it's good for the young guys to get in."
Boeheim said if Wright doesn't play tonight, the team expects him to be ready for Monday's season opener against Siena. Wright started 27 of 35 games last year for the Orange, averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 assists per game.
In Wright's place, Flynn did a solid job managing Sunday night's game for Syracuse. Flynn scored seven points and tallied nine assists to just one turnover in 29 minutes. Jardine chipped in seven points and two assists in 14 minutes.
Flynn started because senior point guard Josh Wright sat out the game with what SU head coach Jim Boeheim called an ankle injury.
With no Wright, Flynn and fellow Orange freshman Scoop Jardine manned the point guard position for the entire game, leading a Syracuse team that appeared to lack rhythm on offense at times but still managed an 80-71 victory over St. Rose, a team slated at No. 14 in Division II preseason polls.
Wright's status is uncertain for tonight's preseason finale for the Orange, when it hosts another D-II opponent, local rival Le Moyne, at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Should Wright not play, it will be another chance for Flynn and Jardine to log valuable minutes. Yet as the team's only senior, Wright will almost certainly have a significant role for Syracuse this season, and Boeheim's decision to hold Wright out was made out of caution.
"He's our only senior, so I'm concerned; I want to make sure he's healthy," Boeheim said after SU's win Sunday afternoon. "We could have used him. We need somebody to stabilize things back there. I think Josh will do that for us. The other side of the coin is these games, it's good for the young guys to get in."
Boeheim said if Wright doesn't play tonight, the team expects him to be ready for Monday's season opener against Siena. Wright started 27 of 35 games last year for the Orange, averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 assists per game.
In Wright's place, Flynn did a solid job managing Sunday night's game for Syracuse. Flynn scored seven points and tallied nine assists to just one turnover in 29 minutes. Jardine chipped in seven points and two assists in 14 minutes.
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