NEW YORK — We knew they were special times. It’s the magnitude we never grasped.
A team that first dominated the Niagara Frontier League, then a power-packed independent schedule got its ultimate validation on Thursday at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater when former Niagara Falls High School point guard Jonny Flynn was among the first names called off by National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern at the 2009 Draft.
Flynn became the highest drafted local hoopster on Thursday, taken with the No. 6 pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a surprising move. The Timberwolves had just taken Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio, widely regarded as the top point guard in the draft, at No. 5, leading to speculation that one of the two guards could be dealt. The T-Wolves later took another point guard, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson, with the 18th pick, but dealt him to Denver before the night was complete.
Flynn, who was New York state’s Mr. Basketball in 2006, said he’s prepared to give Rubio tips on how to handle the cold weather.
“He’s coming from Spain and I don’t think it ever snows over there,” Flynn said. “I can give him what kind of clothes to buy and what snowshoes to but. Things like that. It’ll be fun.”
Flynn admitted that the selection ended a dramatic climb in his stock where he went from a marginal first-round pick into one of the first choices taken.
“It’s been a crazy ride over the past two months,” he said. “I shot up the draft boards when I first said I was coming out.
“It was definitely a roller coaster ride.”
His coach at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim, was frank with the budding superstar after spending time as an assistant coach with the U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in China last year.
“When I got back from coaching (New Orleans guard) Chris Paul, I'm going like, ‘You’re not that good,’ ” Boeheim said. “I don't think college kids realize how tough the NBA is.”
Still, Flynn’s pre-draft workouts continued to impress scouts, who realized his defensive capabilities were greater than Syracuse’s zone defense displayed. At Niagara Falls, Flynn was known as a top defender and he got a chance to show those skills in various combines.
He didn’t get any specific indication from the Timberwolves, however, that they were more eager than other teams to select him. Flynn was projected as high as No. 4 and as low as No. 13.
“They just said I was really high on their draft board, but a lot of teams tell you that,” Flynn said. “A lot of teams don’t really show their cards until the night of the draft. So you’ve kind of sort of got to take what these teams are saying in one ear and through the other because they could be telling four, five six different players the same thing.
“The one time you can tell if a team is serious is when they pick you. And I guess Minnesota was really high on me.”
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Flynn/Harris Draft 2009
June 26, 2009
BASKETBALL: Flynn selection is Falls' finest hour
- Flynn/Harris Draft 2009
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BASKETBALL: 3-on-3 tourney in Falls to honor Jonny Flynn
Mayor Paul Dyster announced this week plans to move forward with an outdoor basketball competition, similar in style to the popular Gus Macker three-on-three tournament held in Buffalo each year.
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BASKETBALL: Jonny Flynn given key to Niagara Falls
Niagara County legislator Renae Kimble proclaimed Monday as Jonny Flynn Day in the county before bestowing large expectations on the two-time Niagara Gazette Player of Year.
- BASKETBALL: Harris to join Flynn on T-Wolves summer squad Paul Harris said Monday that he will accept an offer to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the upcoming NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where Jonny Flynn will also make his professional debut after Minnesota made him the sixth overall pick in last week’s NBA draft.
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BASKETBALL: Harris keeps his head in the game
Paul Harris returned to the Niagara Falls High School Wolverena to workout Friday, determined to pursue an NBA career despite going undrafted the night before. Harris said the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Chicago Bulls have extended summer league invitations so far.
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BASKETBALL: Timberwolves say Flynn, Rubio will make dynamic backcourt
Timberwolves president David Kahn told jittery supporters he believes Ricky Rubio, the fifth overall pick, and Niagara Falls' Jonny Flynn, the sixth pick, will play off of each other extremely well and “together, we will have one of the most dynamic defensive backcourts in the NBA over time.”
- BASKETBALL: Flynn selection is Falls' finest hour A team that first dominated the Niagara Frontier League, then a power-packed independent schedule got its ultimate validation on Thursday at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater when former Niagara Falls High School point guard Jonny Flynn was among the first names called off by National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern at the 2009 Draft.
- SCHMITT: Destiny plays trick on Flynn Jonny Flynn has talent. Always has. Tim Winn talked about it years ago, saying he’d be the best of the Niagara Falls bunch. He was right, as Thursday’s events can attest.
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BASKETBALL: With assist from Flynn, Harris looking to NBA Draft
Of all the times Jonny Flynn set up Paul Harris on the court over the years, Harris holds the most gratitude for the latest assist off the floor.
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JONNY FLYNN, part 3: What does the future have in store?
Where does the Niagara Falls senior see himself after his time as a Wolverine is done?
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BASKETBALL: NBA sizes up Jonny Flynn
Reports out of Chicago, where the NBA just concluded its pre-draft scouting combine, indicated the Niagara Falls native measured out as one of the shortest players in attendance, but his performance in competitive drills solidified his status as a potential top 10 pick.
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