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. Photo by Rachel Fus’>

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.

Not a bad debut for Flynn, who was caught off guard by the starting nod.

‘I found out (I would be starting) today, I came in the locker room and my name was on the board. I was kind of surprised,’ Flynn said after the game. ‘I was walking out there thinking, ‘Don’t trip over your feet.’ … But there’s something wrong with you if you don’t have butterflies out there your first game.’

Flynn didn’t make many mistakes on the court, but Boeheim seemed to sense Flynn’s tentativeness at times.

‘Jonny is kind of figuring a way,’ Boeheim said. ‘I think he’s very respectful of everybody else, and he’s feeling his way. He will get more aggressive as we go along. But right now, he’s just trying to fit in and do his thing. He had a nice assist to turnover (ratio) today for sure.’

Flynn and the Orange could benefit from Wright’s experience and leadership. The senior sat on the SU bench Sunday and could be seen jumping into the team huddle during timeouts to give advice or urging the crowd on during key moments in the game.

It’s unclear who would start between Flynn and a healthy Wright. Regardless of who gets the nod, Flynn seemed more concerned with the fact that having both point guards healthy would mean a more complete and stable backcourt for Syracuse.

‘Josh is going to be a key part, me and him sharing minutes at the point guard position,’ Flynn said. ‘With him being out, you never know, maybe the game goes differently, a little better.

‘We can push the ball, either one of us is lightning fast, can (dish out) assists, hit the open jump shot. … So just having him around would mean a lot.’

Published on November 6, 2007 at 12:00 pm