NEW YORK, N.Y. - Former Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn was selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft Thursday night. He was taken sixth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves tabbed Flynn with their second pick in the first round. The Niagara Falls native became the highest-picked Syracuse performer since Carmelo Anthony was taken third overall in the 2003 draft. Flynn joins a select group of former Orange basketball standouts taken in the top 10, a list that includes Anthony, Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens and Rony Seikaly.
It is the second consecutive year the Orange had a player taken in the draft's first round (Donte Greene was the 28th overall pick in 2008). Flynn joins 15 other SU performers who have been taken in the first round, a group started by Bing in 1966.
Flynn led the Orange in scoring average (17.4 ppg) his sophomore season and finished second in the BIG EAST in assists average (6.7 apg). He was named the BIG EAST Tournament's Most Outstanding Player (Dave Gavitt Award) after Syracuse's improbable run to the tournament championship, which included an epic six-overtime victory against Connecticut in the quarterfinal round.
In his two collegiate seasons, Flynn averaged 16.6 points per contest and finished his career seventh on the Orange's all-time assists list (439).