SPORTS
THURSDAY
october 14, 2010
PAGE 24
the daily orange
TIMBERWOLVES VS. PISTONS FRIDAY, 7:30 P.M., CARRIER DOME
A day for
the decade For former SU stars, 3 separate paths all lead back to Syracuse By Brett LoGiurato ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
J
onny Flynn poignantly remembers the moment. Because it made even Jim Boeheim crack a smile. It was Feb. 6, 2008, in the middle of Flynn’s freshman season on the Syracuse basketball team. Flynn and the rest of his teammates were in a huddle while Boeheim instructed them during a first-half media timeout in a game against Connecticut. That was when the Carrier Dome broke out in song. It started with the student section, and the rest of the crowd soon caught on. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Jonny! Happy birthday to you! “That was cool,” Flynn said. “I was in a timeout, and I started laughing. Everybody started laughing. Coach Boeheim even started laughing. He was chuckling a little bit. That was definitely a memorable moment for me in the Dome. Being a freshman and having everybody sing ‘Happy Birthday’ is pretty cool.” That was when Syracuse became special to Flynn. On Friday, Flynn will return to Syracuse and the Dome as one of three former SU stars currently with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves — with Jason Hart, Flynn and the newly drafted Wes Johnson on their roster — will square off with the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 p.m. in the Dome Friday. A Timberwolves spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Flynn will not play in the game as he recovers from a hip injury that could sideline him until November. But for these three former SU players, a return trip to Syracuse is good enough. From three very different paths, these three come back to where it all started. Back to the Dome. Back home. “Go to South Campus and chill with my old teammates,” Flynn said of the first thing he’ll do when he gets back to campus. “Chill with my old boys, my old teammates and catch up. “It’ll be good to be home.” ••• Flynn doesn’t regret his decision to leave the Orange after his sophomore season in 2009. Not even after suffering through a disastrous 15-67 campaign last season with the Timberwolves. Not even after seeing his former squad make a run to the Sweet 16. “It was the toughest decision, to that point, of my life,” Flynn said. “The toughest decision. I knew how good the team was going to be the next year. I knew how good they were going to be. I always wanted to play with Wesley SEE NBA PAGE 19
courtesy of david sherman | minnesota timberwolves WES JOHNSON (TOP), JASON HART (LEFT) AND JONNY FLYNN (RIGHT) all return to the Carrier Dome Friday for an NBA preseason game. Johnson and Hart should play, while Flynn is sidelined with an injury.
STAT TO KNOW FREE THROWS The Minnesota Timberwolves’ average draft selection of Jonny Flynn and Wes Johnson each of the past two seasons was fifth overall. In 2009, the Wolves drafted Flynn at No. 6 overall, and this June, the team took Johnson fourth.
In the last matchup between NBA teams at the Carrier Dome on Oct. 17, 2008, former SU great Carmelo Anthony had 14 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 94-91 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Wes Johnson and Anthony squared off for the first time Tuesday, as the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets, 122-108. Johnson had 16 points in the game, while Anthony had 19.
BIG NUMBER
9
The number of former Big East players slated to play in the exhibition game between the Timberwolves and Pistons
Lots of Har t