Tom Polech’s closet contains greatness. When opened, it reveals a glimpse into history. A chronological tour of the last decade of Syracuse basketball.

Nine jerseys reside in Polech’s closet, each one honoring a former Orange player he adored. There’s the old Gerry McNamara No. 3 jersey. The Hakim Warrick-customized Memphis Grizzlies jersey. And two different Denver Nuggets jerseys with the name ‘Anthony’ embroidered across the back.

But Polech, a senior engineering and computer science major, brushes over these when asked about his favorite. That honor is bestowed upon two of the newest jerseys in his collection. Two jerseys with the white numerals 4 and 10 stitched onto blue mesh.

‘I’m a pretty big jersey collector, but the Wes and Jonny Timberwolves jerseys are right up there as the top two,’ he said.

Wes Johnson and Jonny Flynn, that is — two of Polech’s all-time favorite Syracuse basketball players.

Friday night, that pair returns to the Carrier Dome for an NBA preseason game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. The two will be joined by current Minnesota teammate and former Syracuse guard Jason Hart in a homecoming for three of SU’s most celebrated players from the past decade.

***

Sean Madden showed up almost two hours early. Standing there, he waited patiently, just for the chance to spend a few precious seconds with Wes Johnson.

It was Aug. 21, and Johnson was making his first public appearance in the Syracuse area since declaring for the NBA draft in the spring. Wearing an ‘I Love NY’ T-shirt, Johnson signed autographs for hundreds of fans in Great Northern Mall in Clay, N.Y.

Finally, after two hours of waiting, Madden, a resident of Oswego, N.Y., got his turn with the superstar. Nothing more than a brief few moments. Nothing more than an autograph and a picture.

But it was worth the wait.

‘It was an awesome experience just to meet him,’ Madden, 27, said. ‘Even if it was only for 30 seconds.’

As much as Madden went to meet Wes Johnson the basketball player, he went just as much to meet Wes Johnson the person. The guy who, as a member of the Syracuse basketball team this past season, was constantly smiling and always looked like he was having fun.

After all, Madden had been to just about every home game of Johnson’s only season with the Orange. He saw Johnson’s unselfish play and the respect he had for his teammates. He saw it as something unique.

‘He knows he’s good, but he takes the time (for the fans),’ Madden said. ‘He doesn’t have to sit in Great Northern Mall for three hours (sic) signing autographs for no money. For him to do things like that and after he left Syracuse to come back … That, I think, defines what kind of athlete and what kind of person he is.’

That day, Johnson signed autographs for 30 minutes past his scheduled ending time.

***

Years from now, Jeremy Long can thank his cousin’s boyfriend for the chance to see Wes Johnson’s arrival.

It was this boyfriend that got tickets for Long, a student at Onondaga Community College, and his family to attend the game between Syracuse and North Carolina in Madison Square Garden last season.

Sitting in the lower level of the World’s Most Famous Arena, behind the Carolina bench, Long witnessed a game he will never forget.

‘The game before he had, like, 17 points against California, but then you play against North Carolina, who is No. 4 in the country,’ Long said. ‘And still you just see this Wes Johnson kid just take off.’

Johnson burst onto the national stage with 25 points and eight rebounds that night as the No. 24 Orange upset the Tar Heels.

Following that victory, Syracuse moved up 15 spots to No. 9 in the polls and wouldn’t find itself outside the Top 10 for the remainder of the season.

‘That was definitely his entrance to Syracuse,’ Polech said. ‘If you didn’t believe in him before that, you did after those two games.’

After Johnson walked away from the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with 42 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks in two games in New York City, the whole country knew his name.

‘I talked to a couple of Carolina fans at that game, and they said that the team they were worried about most was Syracuse,’ Long said. ‘People started to realize, ‘Oh, this Wes Johnson kid is really good.’

‘It’s definitely my most memorable moment from him.’

***

From Section 214, Row A of the Dome, Long witnessed another emphatic entrance by a Syracuse basketball player.

This time it was Jonny Flynn.

A season ticket holder since 2003, Long has missed just a handful of games in those seven years. He’s seen dozens of games, but Flynn’s debut against Siena on Nov. 12, 2007, remains one of the more special.

‘His very first game as a freshman, he came up and scored 28 points in the opening game,’ Long said. ‘A Syracuse record by a freshman.’

Flynn made his presence felt by setting the Syracuse record for points by a freshman, making his debut in SU’s 97-89 win over the Saints.

Polech, then just a freshman at SU, remembers the game from a unique vantage point: It was his first home game in the Dome’s student section.

‘By the end of the game, the student section was chanting his name,’ Polech said. ‘I thought that was pretty cool.’

But it was the next night against St. Joe’s when Long realized how good this tiny six-foot point guard could be.

From that very same seat in the Dome, Long watched Flynn bury a three point basket with just 5.3 seconds left to give the Orange the win. Apparently, Flynn was not only talented, he was clutch, too.

‘He only scored five points, but he ends up making the game-winning three pointer,’ Long said. ‘That was when you knew he was going to be something special.’

***

It might have been the worst night to work in Sean Madden’s life.

On March 12, 2009, Madden had to turn down tickets to the Big East tournament quarterfinal between Syracuse and Connecticut.

Little did he know the magnitude of the game he would be missing.

‘I wasn’t really planning on going, but I was offered tickets,’ Madden said. ‘But I ended up being scheduled for work. … I still had a good time watching the game.’

Who wouldn’t have?

Willed by Flynn, who played 67 out of 70 possible minutes, scored 34 points and dished out 11 assists, the Orange battled through six overtimes before finally beating the Huskies, 127-117. It was one of the greatest games in NCAA history, and anyone could have appreciated it, Madden said.

‘I talked to people who never watched a basketball game a day in their life, but they stayed up to watch that game,’ he said. ‘How could you go to bed?’

That season was the only time Madden has ever had season tickets for Syracuse basketball. He witnessed every home game in Flynn’s final season from Row C in Section 113.

His fondest memory of that season was an overtime win over Georgetown on Valentine’s Day in the Dome. In that 98-94 barn burner, Flynn went for 25 points and 13 assists.

It was his unselfishness, Madden said, that he will never forget about the little point guard.

‘Even scoring 25 points, Jonny was so unselfish,’ Long said. ‘I think Flynn knew he was good, but if somebody else was having a particularly good game, then that’s who he gave the ball up to. His sense of team and playing as a team really defines who he is and how he plays the game.’

***

Come Friday, Polech said he will be wearing the Wes Johnson Timberwolves jersey when he attends the preseason game.

Not because he likes Johnson any better than Flynn, only because Flynn is rehabilitating an injury and won’t be playing in the game.

If both of them were playing, perhaps the story would be different.

‘I would probably wear one and bring the other then,’ he said. ‘Maybe trade on and off during the game.’

But despite Flynn’s absence from the court Friday night, he’ll still be there, sitting courtside in the place where he made a name for himself. And it’s the return of the trio of Flynn, Johnson and Hart that will matter most to Syracuse fans. It’s that chance to see their heroes one more time in the building they made echo and roar.

‘I think it’s going to mean a great deal to the community to have them back,’ Madden said. ‘I think when they introduce the lineups, you can watch and listen to the applause, and I think that will speak for itself.’

Mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on October 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13