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02/14/2018 11:00 PMThe Hand boys’ basketball team is in the midst of a tremendous progression from last season, and the same can be said for Tigers’ senior forward Flynn Driscoll. Flynn put in the time to improve his prowess in the paint, and he’s become one of the better big men in the Southern Connecticut Conference as a result.
Flynn, a 6-foot-2 senior, played for the Tigers when the team went 1-19 last year. However, this winter, Flynn and his squad are on the rise as he’s averaging 10 points, nine rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game for Hand, which is postseason bound with its record of 8-9.
“I like the fast-paced nature of basketball, and I like that it really is a team game,” says Flynn. “I worked on my post game a lot in the offseason. I also feel more comfortable around the rim, and I’ve put more effort into my offensive rebounds.”
Flynn played a pivotal role in one of the biggest wins in Hand boys’ basketball history, when he scored 11 points and attacked the glass for 17 rebounds in the Tigers’ 46-45 upset of Hillhouse, marking their first victory over the Academics in 13 years. Flynn says that the Tigers used their length for leverage to pull off a win that shocked even themselves that night.
“We knew going in that we had a big size advantage, so we kept pounding on the inside,” Flynn says. “That win was crazy. We were in disbelief, because we hadn’t beaten them in 13 years, and they were a team that won two straight state finals.”
While he mostly patrols down low these days, Flynn says that his game still features some elements of when he was a back-court player. Flynn has a keen awareness of the right time to strike from any distance when he’s in possession of the rock.
“Overall, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with my position. I played guard through sophomore year. I’ve gotten better at reading defenders and looking for who to kick it out to in a double team,” says Flynn. “I have more of a jump shot now. I can hit outside threes, and that has made me more versatile. Defensively, I’ve worked on my quickness.”
Hand Head Coach Jim Economopoulos believes that Flynn’s actions speak louder than his words, and he says that Flynn has been pretty noisy in that regard the past few weeks.
“Flynn is a naturally quiet kid, but he lets his performance do the talking,” says Economopoulos. “He has played really well as of late and has been key to our success during four-game winning streak. He is a great kid and great teammate.”
Flynn feels that Hand’s excellent defensive effort helped the team right the ship after it struggled early on this season. Flynn knows that defense will continue to be a key for the Tigers as they dive into the playoff fray.
“Defensively, we try to hold teams under 50 points. We’ve bought in defensively, and that helped us win those...games,” says Flynn. “We want to...get a higher seed in states to give us a better shot in the postseason.”