Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene have an unlikely fan in Chicago.

Four months and 18 days from now, DePaul head coach Jerry Wainwright will be busy trying to prevent the two Syracuse freshmen and the rest of the Orange basketball team from leaving Allstate Arena in Chicago with a victory. But this summer, Wainwright coached Flynn and Greene on the USA Under-19 national team that traveled to Novi Sad, Serbia, for the U-19 World Championships.

Despite being two of the most inexperienced players on the team, Flynn and Greene were major contributors to the silver-medal winning side – Flynn as the team’s starting point guard, and Greene as Wainwright’s most versatile bench player. The duo impressed Wainwright with their abilities to compete against strong competition and to handle the hostile crowd conditions the United States often faced in Serbia.

‘They’re going to be really good,’ said Wainwright, who also was an assistant coach to Flynn and Greene two summers ago with the U-18 national team. ‘I told them at the start of training camp how happy I was with how their games had progressed and how they built up their bodies. They’re both very mature for their age – they kind of get it.’

Flynn and Greene had to be mature. Of the 12 players on the team, eight had already completed their freshman seasons in college. Included in that group were Arkansas guard and Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, Patrick Beverley, North Carolina forward Deon Thompson and Ohio State forward David Lighty.

As if their lack of experience wasn’t enough, Flynn and Greene were immersed in an intimidating environment. Forced to play in gyms with no air conditioning that reached as hot as 100 degrees, the U.S. squad had to cope with fatigue, playing nine games in 11 days. The team also had to deflect a great deal of anti-American sentiment. Wainwright said the team was ‘booed and spit at’ most every game during their stay in Serbia.

He added that Flynn and Greene never wavered.

‘I was so impressed by their composure, and I told (Syracuse head coach Jim) Boeheim this,’ Wainwright said. ‘They stayed disciplined, they stayed together. There aren’t going to be any gyms they go to that will intimidate them after that experience.’

Despite the adverse atmosphere, it was the relatively green Flynn who Wainwright chose to lead his side.

The freshman from Niagara Falls, N.Y., started all nine games for the U.S. squad, ranking second on the team in average minutes (24.2) and steals (22), and fourth in points (9.6). Flynn consistently created offense, highlighted by a team-best 18-point outing in an 87-82 victory against tournament heavyweight France.

On defense, Flynn’s tenacity set the tone for an undersized but scrappy U.S. squad, one that Wainwright said most people at the tournament thought had ‘no chance to even earn a medal.’

‘His teammates never looked at him as a freshman,’ Wainwright said. ‘He’s tenacious. He’s one of the best on-the-ball defenders I’ve seen in years. He just generated so much defensive intensity, and we needed that because we needed to come out and sock teams in the mouth.’

Greene didn’t have the same sort of immediate impact as Flynn. The relatively lean Greene, listed by U.S. Basketball as 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, struggled at first to battle down low against bigger, stronger and more seasoned opponents – many of whom were established professionals in European leagues. But as the tournament went on, Greene quickly found his role as Wainwright’s ‘super-sub.’

Greene played on the wing, at power forward and even at center when injuries and fatigue struck the Americans late in the tournament.

‘Donte played unbelievable minutes in the medal rounds,’ Wainwright said. ‘We had a lot of injuries, and he really played some important minutes those last four or five games. He gave up his game for the good of the team, and I told him at the end of the tournament how much I truly appreciated him doing that.’

Greene played in eight games, averaging 8.5 minutes and just 4.3 points. Still, Wainwright got a glimpse of Greene’s potential.

‘Once he gets stronger, he’s going to be a good one,’ Wainwright said. ‘I don’t think he knows how good he can be yet.’

While the summer gave Flynn and Greene another chance to hone their chemistry, the physical play of the World Championships also gave them an idea of what to expect in the rough-and-tumble Big East.

One of those Big East opponents will be Wainwright’s DePaul outfit. While he would prefer to coach them rather than face them, Wainwright said he is looking forward to seeing Flynn and Greene again when the Orange and Blue Demons meet.

‘I told them they always have a friend in Chicago,’ Wainwright said. ‘I’m pulling for them every game I can, except for one.’

(BOLD)Another Mookie at SU?

Syracuse is one of the finalists to land Peekskill (N.Y.) High School small forward Mookie Jones.

Peekskill head coach Lou Panzanaro said that during a meeting a week and a half ago with Jones, his family and his coaches, the high school senior cut his potential college destinations down to six. Syracuse must now compete with Rutgers, DePaul, Michigan, Kansas and Marquette for Jones’ signature.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Jones is listed as the 13th-best small forward in the nation by Scout.com. Panzanaro said Jones will likely make all five of his allotted campus visits before he makes a final decision.

‘He needs to get a feel for the campus and for guys on the team before he starts naming favorites,’ Panzanaro said. ‘I don’t think being a favorite would mean much at this point.’

None of Jones’ visits have been scheduled yet, although Panzanaro said Boeheim and assistant coach Mike Hopkins would be visiting Jones and his family sometime later next week.

Syracuse does not currently have a scholarship open for the 2008-09 season. But if SU coaches are still pursuing Jones, the situation could be solved by a player leaving early or a recruit for 2008-09 reclassifying.

The Orange has already received two verbal commitments for the 2008-09 season – Kris Joseph (6-foot-7, 190 pounds) and James Southerland (6-foot-7, 200 pounds) – both of whom project as similar wing-type players to Jones. Those two are ranked 9th and 39th, respectively, among small forwards in the 2008-09 class by Scout.com.

‘He’s aware of it,’ Panzanaro said of the competition Jones would face, should he choose SU. ‘It’s a concern, but definitely not a deterrent.’

Published on September 11, 2007 at 12:00 pm