By Danny Brady
Graduate transfer guard Jarron Flynn quickly introduced himself to the Springfield College men’s basketball fans within the first half he played for the Pride against Western New England. After getting a steal, he attacked in transition, spinning around the first Golden Bears defender. He slowed down for a split second to freeze WNE big man Luka Vlajkovic, before rising up for a powerful dunk right over the flatfooted big man, igniting the crowd.
“This is my last year, and I feel like I’ve seen it all,” Flynn said. “I’ve put all this time, effort, and hard work into basketball for basically my entire life, so there is nothing new. I will always go out there and play the game with confidence.”
Flynn has helped lead the Pride to what has already been their most successful season under third-year head coach Michael McClendon. While his breakout season may come as a surprise to some, Flynn has always had the talent to play basketball at a high level.
Flynn’s early high school basketball achievements at Catholic Memorial (Mass.) and Gould Academy (Maine) highlighted his strong potential to succeed at the collegiate level. After his junior season, he held offers from many Division I schools, including New Hampshire, Bryant, Maine and Marist.
Because of this success, Flynn decided to transfer to Kimball Union Academy (N.H.), known for their strong basketball program for his senior season. Unfortunately, an off-the-court knee injury that required surgery ended his senior season before it began.
The injury was a major blow to his collegiate prospects.
“I lost all of my Division I and Division II offers,” Flynn said. “At first I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I wasn’t sure if I could come back from it.”
Despite the injury, the coaching staff at Division III Connecticut College stuck with Flynn, ultimately leading to his decision to join the team.
“They gave me a shot, and they believed in me,” Flynn said. “They gave me the confidence and ability to play and elevate my game again.”
Flynn was immediately thrown into the fire during his first year at Connecticut College. Because of the limited games and practices due to COVID, many players decided not to participate and their roster consisted of just 11 players.
“We were wearing masks, getting tested three times a day and practicing in small bubble groups,” Flynn said. “Being able to be back on the court after surgery was huge for my confidence.”
The team only played five games that year, but Flynn started in every one and averaged over 12 points per game. He also built a strong bond with the rest of the 2020-21 freshman class during that challenging year.
“We all had the same goals and aspirations,” Flynn said. “I lived with the guys on the same floor every year, so we were always connected and made sure to hold each other accountable and build a strong team culture.”
Helping to create this culture led to both individual and team success during his time at Connecticut College. By the end of his four years with the program, Flynn amassed 655 points, 206 rebounds and 118 steals, averaging a career-high 14 points per game his sophomore season. He was also a part of the program’s winningest team since 2000-01 during his senior campaign.
“Being there for four years with a great group of guys and building that culture up was really something that I will always remember and be proud of,” Flynn said. “We’re still a family, and I still try to go to all of their games even though I’m now here.”
After his senior season, Flynn entered his name into the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, looking to use his extra year of eligibility due to COVID. Flynn had already known of Springfield College because of his experience at Jr. Hoophall. When he was in fourth grade, his AAU team won the State Regional Championship at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Assistant coach Casey Lane recruited Flynn and brought him in for a meeting with McClendon.
“Coach McClendon was great,” Flynn said. “I could see that he was a guy that cared about more than just basketball. He was really focused on the type of person I was, and he saw me as someone that could help build a stronger culture here.”
McClendon thought highly of Flynn’s character after meeting him in person and reached out to his former coaches.
“He excites people, he has all kinds of enthusiasm and he’s always positive,” McClendon said. “Those things stood out to me first before even watching his basketball. We needed athleticism, but also someone who was born to lead. And that’s Jarron Flynn.”
Shortly after the meeting, Flynn committed to Springfield for his final collegiate season, immediately impacting the team’s culture.
“He is the ultimate team guy,” McClendon said. “When he first got here, he took it upon himself to learn and get to know each person. All the guys loved being around him right away.”
Flynn instantly embraced a bigger role not only as a leader, but as a player as well.
“Here, he’s the guy and he has more on his plate. He wanted it and he’s accepted it,” McClendon said. “The main reason I think he came here is because he knew he would have that chance to get back to being the player he knew he could be.”
Flynn took full advantage of his bigger role in his Springfield debut at home against Western New England. Flynn did a bit of everything. He finished with 25 points on 91% shooting. He also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Despite a close loss, his performance earned him NEWMAC Men’s Basketball Offensive Athlete of the Week.
“I was in the zone,” Flynn said. “I don’t remember much from the game because I was so focused on every play and just trying to help our team win.”
Ever since, he hasn’t looked back. Flynn currently leads the team with an average of 13.2 points per game while shooting 55.9% from the field. He has also been disruptive on the defensive end, accumulating a team-leading 32 steals so far this year.
“Last year I felt like I didn’t have the year I should have had,” Flynn said. “Coming into this year, I knew I had a lot more to give so I’ve made sure to be more aggressive. In the past, I was more reliant on others but I’ve learned here that I can rely on others in different ways while still contributing more.”
As the season has progressed, Flynn has built a tight bond with his teammates and has become more of a vocal leader when needed.
McClendon noted Flynn’s strong leadership skills.
“He breaks down the huddles a lot of times. He plays with a great energy, and knows he can lead by example. He’s also learned that when he uses his voice, the team listens.”
Flynn’s strong leadership along with captains Curtiss Blische, Josh Hartley and John Paulino has led to a successful year on and off the court.
“We have a group of 20 guys who are bought into our culture,”McClendon said. “Everyone wants to work as hard as they can for each other to win games and that has created a strong culture that won’t be broken.”
With just six conference games to play, Springfield is currently fourth in the NEWMAC, in line to make its first conference tournament berth since the 2019-20 season.
“We need to put ourselves in a position to clinch a tournament berth,” McClendon said. “To do that we need to attack each game like it’s a win or go home. We need to keep working because we haven’t solidified anything yet. I told the guys to stay hungry and keep grinding.”
Flynn will play a big part in determining the team’s success for the remainder of the season and there is one key area of his game that he knows he needs to be better at down the stretch.
“Shooting the ball,” Flynn said. “Making free throws. I’ve been doing this for so long and I know I can do it. I believe in my abilities, and I believe when the time comes, I’ll make the shots.”
Despite his struggles from both the foul line and behind the arc this season, Coach McClendon knows that Flynn is very capable of flipping the script.
“His confidence is something that I am always going to feed,” McClendon said. “We have the ultimate confidence in his abilities and we make sure he knows that. We know he’ll knock down shots when it matters.”
While Flynn is currently focused on finishing his collegiate career strong, he knows that his basketball journey is far from over regardless of what happens this year.
“I know I’ve got way more in me and with the year I’m having right now,” Flynn said. “ I’ve been talking with a couple people and making some connections. If I don’t play, I would love to coach to stay in the game. I can’t leave basketball.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics