MBB | With Flynn injured, Jardine runs offense

By: Zach Schonbrun

Posted: 3/19/08

Scoop Jardine knew the question before it was even asked.

"The layup," the freshman guard said, flashing a smile. "If I had listened to Coach (Jim Boeheim) we wouldn't be talking about that right now."

For Jardine's sake, the missed finger-roll on a wide-open fastbreak with 26 seconds remaining can be laughed off as a silly miscue. And the conversation can move on to the rest of the plays he made filling in for starting point guard Jonny Flynn on Tuesday night.

Jardine's 15 points and six assists off the bench were a big reason Syracuse was able to beat Robert Morris, 87-81, in the Carrier Dome. His performance was even more important because of the player he replaced.

Flynn, the Big East's co-Rookie of the Year, was questionable to even play Tuesday night due to a back injury suffered in last week's Big East tournament. Flynn started Tuesday but lasted just 14 minutes and sat in warm-ups for the entire second half.

In fact, SU guard Paul Harris said Flynn left Madison Square Garden in a wheelchair.

"Right when (the media) left, something happened real bad (to Flynn's back)," Harris said.

When asked if it was a spasm, Harris agreed.

So on Tuesday in stepped Jardine - who has played most of his spare minutes as a shooting guard - to take over the role of playmaker.

"I've been waiting for this all year," Jardine said. "It kind of went out when I had an opportunity I kind of messed it up. But it came to me again, and I just got to be ready to step up for my team."

Jardine had a feeling he was going to be seeing more time against Robert Morris because of Flynn's uncertain status. Flynn didn't fully practice on Monday, and Boeheim said when the point guard landed awkwardly on a loose ball it was clear he needed to be taken out. His status for Thursday night's game is still up in the air.

But Jardine's play should make Syracuse feel a little better about how it can fare without Flynn.

"He played terrific," SU guard Paul Harris said. "You know it's hard replacing a guy like Jonny Flynn - you can't. But at the same time, you can go in there and do your best. He had one of his great games this year."

There were times in the second half, though, that SU seemed to grow a bit stagnant offensively without one of its foremost options. With Donte Greene in a mild mid-half shooting slump and the Orange unable to work much inside, it was clear having Flynn out there would have helped make things happen. It just took a little adjusting.

"We're not used to playing without him," SU forward Kristof Ongenaet said. "He leads us, he distributes the ball and he's our main guy. It was tough, it was adjusting but finally we came through it."

Harris said he had no worries about Jardine's ability to control the ball, something Flynn excels at. Jardine had committed 56 turnovers in 31 regular season games this season. Tonight he committed four in 35 minutes and has played consistently better the past few games.

"It's not even that he got better, it's basically that he got more confident because I see him do it everyday in practice," Harris said. "A lot of people don't see it, but I know he can handle the ball. But there's a difference between practice and a game. There's pressure, sometimes you break, but tonight he didn't."

Though Boeheim did praise Jardine's play after the game, he couldn't seem to get off the topic of the missed layup, shaking his head at what could only be described as a foolish play by an inexperienced player.

"What would possess someone to think, there's nobody there and you're going to shoot it over the front rim?" Boeheim asked. "And I mean I don't know where that thought process comes from. There's no process, and there's no thought."

Even with Jardine, it's clear to Boeheim not having Flynn would mean bad things for the Orange. Jardine's missed layup didn't end up costing Syracuse, but there's no way of missing Flynn's value to the team.

"We've been very fortunate," Boeheim said. "(If) Jonny got hurt six weeks ago, we wouldn't - we'd be fishing someplace, we wouldn't be playing basketball."

zsschonb@syr.edu