Pitarresi: Flynn, Devo, Harris ... and Paulus

Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris … and Greg Paulus.

 

Lots of intrigue there.

 

Flynn’s signing with an agent this week, which means he will enter the NBA draft and cannot return to the Syracuse University basketball team, plus the possible, even likely departures of Harris and Devendorf, is huge. If all three are gone, and that’s what it looks like, the Orange go from being a Final Four contender to a pretty good team. Wes Johnson, Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and DaShonte Riley, added to Andy Rautins, Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson and Kris Joseph adds up to a lot of athletic ability, but Flynn, Devendorf and Harris are three electric guys. All of them have shortcomings, but Flynn and Devendorf especially have the ability to carry a team. They will be missed in a huge way.

 

Because of his size – 6 feet or less - and marginal long-distance shooting, Flynn might not be a standout NBA guard. However, he has speed, explosiveness and athletic ability, and he can get much better. If his object is to become a pro – pretty obvious – there is no point to him staying at SU if the NBA wants him now. I’d rather he play four years and get a degree, but I’d probably trade my college diploma right now for what he’s going to make the next couple of years even if he goes as high in the draft as he hopes.

 

Harris and Devendorf both are marginal NBA players at best, although I wouldn’t be surprised if either one hooked on. Guys with lesser college credentials are playing in the league right now. However, I don’t think either player is counting on it, and will be happy to be play overseas if it comes to that. I don’t know why Harris wants to leave now – a degree would be in his best interest – but Devendorf is close to graduating and he might just figure it’s time to go.

 

In any case, if all three players are gone, this will be a strangely different SU basketball team next winter.

 

Now, about Paulus, the Duke point guard and former highly-recruited Syracuse CBA star quarterback. He’s trying to extend his collegiate career as a football player, maybe at Michigan, maybe at Syracuse, maybe somewhere else.

 

Why not? I don’t know if it can be done – he hasn’t played football since 2004 – but I’ll say this, in nearly 40 years of watching high school football in Central New York, the kid was the best quarterback I’ve seen. I don’t think anyone else was close. He had a very strong arm, great feet, an incredible knack for keeping plays alive, great instincts for the game. I was disappointing when he went to Duke. I wanted to see him play football.

 

He needs to land in the right place, at a school that needs a QB right now, and if he does, who knows what can happen? I say, go for it.