When Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.) senior Paul Harris talked to the Syracuse coaching staff recruiting him this summer, he did what he’s been doing for the past two years – made sure junior Johnny Flynn, his teammate at Niagara Falls High School, was taken care of.

The Orange offered both Flynn and Harris scholarships. First, Flynn accepted Syracuse’s offer in early August. A few weeks later, Harris followed suit. Harris, who transferred to Notre Dame Prep over the summer, wanted to play with Flynn again. He’ll have that opportunity in 2007.

But Flynn and Harris have more in common than their high school past or their college future. Despite differences in age and size (Harris is 6 feet, 4 inches and Flynn is less than 6 feet), the former Niagara Falls teammates formed a brotherly bond which is just as visible on the basketball court as off it.

‘It’s funny,’ Niagara Falls head coach Dan Bazzani said. ‘Paul took Jon under his wing. The two of them had pretty good chemistry. Paul seemed to look out for him.’

Both Flynn and Harris are somewhat unfamiliar to the hardwood, but boast tremendous athletic ability. The 2005 to 2006 season will mark only the third season Harris has played organized basketball.

Still, many scouts believed Harris had the potential to renege on his commitment to Syracuse and jump straight to the NBA. Notre Dame Prep declared Harris a fourth-year senior in early September, though, making him ineligible for the NBA Draft.

Considered one of the top high school players in the nation despite the inexperience, Harris worked on his perimeter shooting, an area scouts consider a weakness for him. He’s only been at Notre Dame Prep for a little more than a month and his talent has already struck his new coach.

‘He’s a great kid with a great work ethic,’ Notre Dame Prep head coach Bill Barton said. ‘Syracuse University is very fortunate to have him. The sky’s the limit if he keeps working. He’s a tremendous asset for Syracuse.’

Bazzani believes Harris won’t be ready for the NBA for at least two years and the guard should hone his skills at Syracuse. Harris and Flynn would play together for at least one season, assuming the senior follows his old coach’s advice.

If Harris can help Flynn transition at Syracuse as well as he did in Niagara Falls, the Orange should hope Harris sticks around.

Flynn earned a spot on Niagara Falls’ varsity squad as a freshman, and Harris immediately made a connection with him. Harris made sure Flynn was doing everything he could to improve, often working with Flynn inside and outside of practice.

Bazzani said the improvement Flynn’s shown the past two years makes the growing 15-year-old a promising prospect. Flynn started every game for Niagara Falls last season as a 10th grader.

‘Jon looked up to Paul like an older brother,’ Bazzani said. ‘Paul did a lot for Jon. It’s going to be great for me to go to Syracuse and watch two of my players on the floor.’

Then there were four

Donte Green, a 6-foot, 8-inch junior at Towson Catholic High School (Md.), verbally committed to Syracuse yesterday afternoon. Green is the fourth member of the Class of 2007 to commit to the Orange and the third in three weeks.

After sitting down with his family over the weekend, Green decided to end his search and commit to Syracuse. He was also considering Georgetown and Maryland.

Green, a member of a Carmelo Anthony-sponsored AAU team in Baltimore, Md., is considered one of the top small forwards in the Class of 2007 and Syracuse’s best commitment in the class.

The Orange now has two guards and two forwards committed. Syracuse has one of its five scholarships for the Class of 2007 remaining. All four members of the Class of 2007 will be in Syracuse this weekend for the opening of official basketball practices and the Syracuse-Rutgers football game.

Towson Catholic head coach Josh Pratt said the Syracuse coaching staff impressed Green and SU head coach Jim Boeheim’s Hall of Fame credentials made the Orange hard to beat.

‘It’s a great decision,’ Pratt said. ‘Now he can focus in on what he needs to get better. He’ll do that. He’s got a drive.’

In the zone

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim took a break out of his busy schedule on Sunday to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Boeheim wasn’t in St. Thomas to lie on the beach and work on his tan, though. Instead, he was in the gym coaching the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, who coached Seton Hall from 1982 to 1994, is close friends with Boeheim and invited him to teach San Antonio his trademark 2-3 zone, according to the San Antonio Express-Times.

The Express-Times said Boeheim directed much of the Spurs’ practice on Sunday afternoon.

This and that …

Tryouts for the Syracuse men’s basketball team will take place Friday night at 10 p.m. in Manley Field House. Those trying out should bring an SUID card and athletic gear and should be in good academic standing.

Published on October 11, 2005 at 12:00 pm