Jonny Flynn couldn’t help but think back to last season. All those games, playing 40 minutes without a blow, barely able to catch his breath as a freshman playing in arguably the toughest conference in the country.

So to actually have the chance to rest?

Flynn sat back, smiled and let out a long-overdue sigh of relief.

‘Oh my goodness it feels great,’ Flynn said. ‘Knowing you can play hard for five or six minutes, hard straight, and knowing you can come out of the game and get a rest. Last year I felt myself out there pacing, and there were times of games I had to go hard, but I was out there pacing myself knowing I had to play 40 minutes.’

Despite an unimpressive and sloppy first half, Syracuse rode a dominant second half to a 77-56 win in its first exhibition game against Cal-State Los Angeles at the Carrier Dome Monday night in front of 10,257 fans. The Orange outscored the Golden Eagles, 43-26, in the final 30 minutes and demonstrated the potential to be a diverse and exciting offensive team.

Perhaps most importantly, the Orange showed legitimate depth, with three players scoring double digits and seven contributing at least five points. Jonny Flynn and Arinze Onuaku led the way with 13, and Paul Harris added 12.

SU head coach Jim Boeheim played most of the game with a constantly changing nine-man rotation, giving eight players at least 15 minutes and nobody more than 28. It was a luxury Boeheim was unable to enjoy last season, when he was forced to play six players in some games with guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins hurt.

Now, finally, it looks like the Orange has options and versatility, and that ability to mix-and-match personnel showed immediately in game one.

‘We had no experience last year,’ Boeheim said. ‘To have experienced guys out there is important. When the game was close, we moved the ball and made good plays on both ends of the court, and it’s good to be in that situation.’

Syracuse needed some of that veteran leadership just to take control of Cal-State Los Angeles, a Division II team in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Orange’s first half could only be described as ugly on both ends of the floor. Playing mostly man-to-man defense, Syracuse allowed 12 offensive rebounds, which turned into seven second-chance points. Even though CSULA’s tallest starter was only 6-foot-7, the Golden Eagles out-hustled SU for the first 30 minutes and trailed by four at halftime.

‘They were more hungry than we were on defense and on offense,’ said freshman forward Kris Joseph, who scored four points in 22 minutes in his Syracuse debut.

Apparently, all Syracuse needed was a halftime break to shake the rust off.

The Orange clamped down on defense, swarming around the court and not allowing a field goal until the 15:08 mark of the second half. Syracuse stayed in its man defense for most of the game, playing just a handful of possessions of zone at the end of both halves.

As the defense improved, so did the offense. Syracuse opened the half on an 18-5 run, using a dazzling array of force down low and 3-point shooting. SU scored 30 points in the paint in the second half, consistently feeding Onuaku and Rick Jackson, who either went to the hoop or kicked it out to open shooters.

‘Coach told us in the locker room, ‘Finish plays,” Flynn said. ‘We were getting stops when we needed it, but we weren’t blocking out and going to the defensive glass. … In the second half we matched their intensity and finished plays.’

Syracuse clearly still has aspects to improve – Boeheim singled out defense and free-throw shooting – the Orange appears to have the manpower to get through the long grind of the Big East schedule.

In the minds of the players, who played much of last year without adequate depth on the bench, it’s about time.

‘It seemed like forever,’ Harris said. ‘Now you have nine, 10 guys. That feels good. It really does.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on November 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm