MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Let’s make one thing clear and get it out of the way right off the bat: Nobody knows at this point if Jonny Flynn will be back at Syracuse next season. He may not even know yet.

Uncertainty will hover over Flynn until he eventually makes his decision, whenever that may be. Until then, an inordinate number of people – some qualified, most not – will weigh in on the subject, all with a different perspective. The speculation began in earnest after the Orange fell to Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 Friday night, when Paul Harris, Flynn’s roommate and longtime friend, voiced his opinion.

‘If you have him projected as a lottery pick, and he asks me, I would say it might be time to move on,’ Harris said. ‘People will probably criticize him and say he shouldn’t leave. You can’t walk in his shoes every day.’

Maybe. But that’s a conversation for another day. Today is about honoring what Flynn has already done, not about speculating what he might do.

If this is it and Friday really was Flynn’s final game with Syracuse, it is difficult to imagine a better way to remember him by. His performance against the Sooners was about as gritty and tough as you will ever see. For the past two years, we have come to expect nothing less.

Watching Flynn wince and grimace through 39 minutes on one of the grandest stages was just another reminder of how special he has been during his collegiate career. That he scored 22 points, even though he struggled just to get up and down the court, is almost hard to believe. During timeouts, Flynn gingerly held his back as he hobbled to the bench. Syracuse was down by 20 for most of the time. He didn’t have to play. Nobody would have blamed him if he didn’t.

‘Just got a little sore back,’ Flynn said afterward.

Right, Jonny. We all saw how you got hurt. We all held our breath after the man-child that is Blake Griffin lowered his shoulder and destroyed you like a tank bulldozing a straw hut. Who else on this Syracuse team would have stood his ground with a 250-pound freight train of muscle barreling toward him?

‘I saw an opportunity right there to make a game-changing play, and I thought I got it,’ he said, like it was no big deal.

To Flynn, perhaps it wasn’t. Here’s a guy who refuses to take a minute off when it counts, let alone an entire half. For Flynn to sit during the most important 20 minutes of his basketball career to this point is unthinkable. They would have to carry him off on a stretcher. ‘Jonny Flynn, he’s a warrior,’ Harris said.

Think back to last season, when Flynn needed to play all 40 minutes nearly every night. At the most important position on the floor. In the nation’s toughest conference. As a freshman.

Yeah, that was nothing. Compared to what he did at the Big East tournament earlier this month, he may as well been slacking. Flynn played 67 minutes in one game, then 20 hours later got back up played another 45. In the finals against Louisville, he looked so tired he could barely move and still played 34 minutes, fighting until the very end. Nobody took that loss harder than Flynn, either.

As the final seconds ticked off, he sat on the bench unable to watch. Whether it was from disappointment or exhaustion, who knows. Flynn claimed it was because of disappointment, not exhaustion. But it was probably a lot of both. Either way, he deservedly won tournament MVP honors. A bittersweet ending to a magical run at Madison Square Garden as memorable as any other.

Now Flynn has a difficult decision to make. More likely than not, he’s still conflicted himself. Last week, he said emphatically he was coming back for his junior year. In the locker room here at FedExForum Friday night, he began backing off that stance.

Flynn gave all the answers you would expect someone in his position to give. He talked a lot without ever really saying anything at all: ‘I love being a student-athlete at Syracuse. … I’m going to sit down with my family and see what’s best for me and my family…’ We’ve heard these things before.

Perhaps Harris is right. Maybe Flynn should leave. There’s a lot of money at stake. His draft stock may never be higher. Without a doubt, if he does, people will criticize. Donte Greene is still feeling the wrath from Syracuse fans one year later.

But the criticism would be unfair. Flynn has been nothing short of spectacular these last two years. That’s something to be celebrated.

Jared Diamond is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear occasionally. He can be reached at jediamon@syr.edu.

Published on March 29, 2009 at 12:00 pm