MBB | Flynn's status uncertain after back injury against Villanova
By John Clayton
Posted: 3/17/08, 11:56 PM EST Section: Sports
Jonny Flynn ambled out of the Carrier Dome tunnel Monday afternoon, about 10 minutes after the rest of his Syracuse teammates had taken the floor for practice.
Five days might have washed away some of the lingering disappointment from Wednesday's 82-63 loss to Villanova. That Big East tournament defeat consigned the Orange to back-to-back NIT appearances for the second time in Jim Boeheim's 32 years as Syracuse head coach.
What five days hadn't been able to fully erase was the lingering soreness in Flynn's lower back, suffered when the freshman point guard fell awkwardly toward the end of Wednesday's game.
Flynn was only able to participate in limited fashion at Monday's workout as Syracuse prepared for its second straight season in the NIT, which starts tonight when the Orange hosts Robert Morris (8 p.m., ESPNU).
SU earned the top seed in its eight-team bracket, and a win would mean a date with the winner of No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Maryland.
The Orange now must cope not only with the festering disappointment of missing the Tournament, but also with the uncertain health of Flynn.
"It's doing alright, it's still a little sore," Flynn said. "I've been getting a lot of treatment with our trainer, Brad Pike, so hopefully it'll be ready for tomorrow."
When asked if Flynn would play, Boeheim merely shrugged his shoulders and responded "I don't know."
It would be surprising to see Flynn miss tonight's matchup, considering both Flynn's importance and how thin the SU bench is already stretched.
Flynn spent the first part of Monday's practice shooting jump shots at a side basket, while the rest of the guards participated in full speed, light-contact drills. Flynn later was able to work himself into a few other drills.
Any minutes Flynn would miss tonight would fall to Scoop Jardine. The freshman guard is averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per game this year, but is not the ball-handler or floor general that Flynn has become.
Five days might have washed away some of the lingering disappointment from Wednesday's 82-63 loss to Villanova. That Big East tournament defeat consigned the Orange to back-to-back NIT appearances for the second time in Jim Boeheim's 32 years as Syracuse head coach.
What five days hadn't been able to fully erase was the lingering soreness in Flynn's lower back, suffered when the freshman point guard fell awkwardly toward the end of Wednesday's game.
Flynn was only able to participate in limited fashion at Monday's workout as Syracuse prepared for its second straight season in the NIT, which starts tonight when the Orange hosts Robert Morris (8 p.m., ESPNU).
SU earned the top seed in its eight-team bracket, and a win would mean a date with the winner of No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Maryland.
The Orange now must cope not only with the festering disappointment of missing the Tournament, but also with the uncertain health of Flynn.
"It's doing alright, it's still a little sore," Flynn said. "I've been getting a lot of treatment with our trainer, Brad Pike, so hopefully it'll be ready for tomorrow."
When asked if Flynn would play, Boeheim merely shrugged his shoulders and responded "I don't know."
It would be surprising to see Flynn miss tonight's matchup, considering both Flynn's importance and how thin the SU bench is already stretched.
Flynn spent the first part of Monday's practice shooting jump shots at a side basket, while the rest of the guards participated in full speed, light-contact drills. Flynn later was able to work himself into a few other drills.
Any minutes Flynn would miss tonight would fall to Scoop Jardine. The freshman guard is averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per game this year, but is not the ball-handler or floor general that Flynn has become.
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