Jonny Flynn got his passport in order two summers ago when he traveled to Serbia to play for Team USA in the FIBA U-19 World Championships.
He put it to use again Friday, traveling to Toronto to work out for the Raptors, who hold the No. 9 pick in the June 25 NBA Draft.
Following the workout, Flynn told reporters he’d enjoy being selected by the team based closest to his Niagara Falls home.
“Toronto being right over the border from where I’m at, Niagara Falls, I’m basically a Canadian,” said Flynn, flashing his resplendent smile. “It would be nice to come here, and be close, so my family and friends can come up and see me play.”
Video of Flynn’s interview is available at the Raptors’ Web site.
Joining Flynn at Air Canada Centre on Friday were UCLA’s Jrue Holliday, Arizona’s Chase Budinger, Texas’ Damion James, Georgia Tech’s Alade Aminu, and Michigan State’s Goran Sutton.
This gave Flynn a chance to show off his competitiveness in controlled 3-on-3 scrimmages against Holliday, another top point guard prospect.
“That’s basketball,” Flynn said. “As a competitor, I live for that, going up against the best players. If I get beat, hopefully I see him somewhere else, which I will. That’s the nature of the game. If you can’t get hyped up to play against the best, you shouldn’t be playing.”
When Flynn entered the draft pool two months ago, he was widely projected as a mid-first-round pick. Having impressed scouts at last week’s pre-draft combine in Chicago — in both workouts and interviews — he now “looks like a lock for the lottery at this point,” according to ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford.
Ford has Flynn going No. 7 to the Golden State Warriors in his latest mock draft, and also indicates that the Sacramento Kings, picking fourth, will consider picking Flynn. The Kings plan to bring Flynn in for a workout soon, according to the Sacramento Bee.
While Flynn noted that he enjoyed watching the Raptors in their formative years, when they were led by Damon Stoudemire and Marcus Camby, he grew to be a Knicks fan.
New York holds the eighth pick in the draft, right before Toronto.
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Paul Harris, the former Niagara Falls star who joined Flynn at Syracuse, was one of several players who worked out for the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this week. Harris was recently rated as the No. 48 prospect in this year’s draft pool by Ford.
Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at jonah.bronstein@niagara-gazette.com
Sports
June 5, 2009
BASKETBALL: Jonny Flynn works out for Toronto Raptors
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