NEW YORK – Jonny Flynn doesn’t regret leaving school. Not while he watches his former Syracuse teammates dominate the national landscape. Not while he sits in the Madison Square Garden locker room after an embarrassing 17-point loss to the Knicks, coping with this unfortunate reality:

Instead of preparing for a legitimate title run at SU, he’s toiling away at the bottom of the NBA, already waiting for next year to come.

Still, no regrets. The hot new Mercedes sitting in his driveway serves as a constant reminder of why he entered the draft in the first place. One fat installment from the guaranteed $2.47 million he’ll earn this season pushes almost all thoughts of college from his mind.

And yet …

As Flynn hopped off the Minnesota Timberwolves’ team bus for a Jan. 26 matchup against the New York Knicks and stood in the shadow of the World’s Most Famous Arena, he couldn’t help but reminisce.

Flashbacks from ‘Six in the City’ danced across his eyes. For a moment, he remembered skipping out of the gym in the middle of the night, exhausted and starving, feeling like a hero for the first time in his life.

‘Without that game, without that Big East tournament, I would still be in school right now,’ Flynn said. ‘That game showed scouts what I can do as an all-around player and that I can help an NBA franchise. I am really, really, really, really, really thankful for that game.’

Flynn returned to MSG two weeks ago for the first time since that fateful tournament with a newfound appreciation for the unique relationship he holds with basketball’s grandest stage. His performances last March in this building vaulted him from the bottom of the first round to the No. 6 overall slot in the NBA Draft, leaving him little reason to return to SU for his junior season.

Besides, of course, the opportunity to win.

At 13-38, Minnesota owns the second-worst record in the NBA. Meanwhile, Syracuse, the No. 2 team in the country, is flying on a collision course with the Final Four. This contrast represents life as a lottery pick. It also highlights the significance of the Garden to Flynn’s budding career.

In a way, this building made Flynn. It put him on the national radar for the first time. It provided him with the opportunity to succeed in the NBA a bit earlier than he originally planned – and with a heftier paycheck to boot. Fighting through 67 minutes against UConn that historic March night assured him a permanent spot in Garden lore.

That luxury has come with the unexpected price of constant losing. He acknowledges the great irony of it all: If not for his play at the Garden, he likely would have been drafted by a different team, a winning team.

‘I can’t lie and say it’s not tough, being a competitor, being a guy who has only played on winning teams,’ Flynn said. ‘I think this year I lost more games than I have in my entire life.’

Before the game, Flynn sat at his locker with giddy excitement, rekindling college memories with a group of New York reporters who entered the Timberwolves’ dressing room solely to see him.

Flynn said he circled this game the moment he saw the schedule, eagerly awaiting this night at this arena. His energy shined through an otherwise dull scene.

For those few blissful minutes before his team took the court, Flynn exuded enthusiasm. He flashed his classic smile, spoke at the charming rapid-fire pace that made him nothing short of a rock star in Syracuse. The grin widened as he recounted the six-overtime win against Connecticut blow-by-blow. His eyes twinkled as he expressed his undying love for MSG.

‘Just warming up out here, shooting on those rims, in this building – so much has happened for me in this arena,’ Flynn said. ‘I have so many great memories from this arena. Hopefully I can continue that.’

With that, he retreated to the trainer’s room in the back and prepared to play.

***

Three hours passed. The Timberwolves surrendered 15 straight points in the contest’s first three minutes, never standing a chance in a pitiful 132-105 defeat.

In the most anticipated game of Flynn’s brief NBA career, he looked utterly overmatched. His six points matched a season low (he averages 14 per game). His six turnovers matched a season high. The ovation he received during pregame introductions marked the high point of the entire affair.

Afterward, Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis defended his young point guard, adamantly pushing his potential and deflecting blame for the loss to virtually anybody else on the roster.

‘It wasn’t Jonny’s fault,’ Rambis said. ‘He’s a leader out there trying to organize our team. … But he needs everybody else to do the right things in order for him to have a productive night.’

But in the locker room, the same one Flynn bounced across earlier in the evening, it was a different story. Flynn trudged in with his face buried, iPod headphones plugged firmly in both ears. The reporters he so warmly embraced at 6 p.m. he virtually ignored at 10.

Here was the downside to leaving Syracuse. The building he so adored seemingly turned its back, as if the basketball gods were mocking him. MSG made him a lottery pick. MSG put him in the NBA’s basement. MSG became the enemy.

The enthusiasm? Gone.

This time, Flynn spoke in a hushed voice, unable to comprehend the latest debacle.

‘It happens so fast,’ he said of each loss. ‘You can’t even explain it.’

After the majority of the media horde departed, Flynn reflected wistfully on this year’s SU squad. He predicted the Orange winning the national title, nodding slowly with his eyes closed, admitting that this group truly plays like a team. Last year, the Orange was simply a group of talented individuals.

Then he looked up. The smile came back. Those days are over.

‘If they go to the Final Four, I’m going,’ Flynn said. ‘Whatever else is going on, I’m going. I am going. I’m buying a ticket to Indianapolis. I’m going.’

And then it happened, if only for an instant. His eyes glazed over. A hint of sadness and longing entered his voice.

For the first and only time all night, he finally considered what could have been.

Jared Diamond is the sports columnist for The Daily Orange, where his column appears weekly. He can be reached at jediamon@syr.edu.

Published on February 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm