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LOCATION: Loretto, PA
CONFERENCE: Northeast (NEC)
LAST SEASON: 9-17 (.346)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-13 (t-8th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Red Flash
COLORS: Red & White
HOMECOURT: DeGol Arena/Stokes Center (3,500)
COACH: Bobby Jones (Western Kentucky '84)
record at school First year
career record First year
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ASSISTANTS: Bob Williams (American Int. '87)
Mitch Young (Florida State '96)
Mike Summey (North Carolina State '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 12-13-12-17-9
RPI (last 5 years) 208-162-216-172-253
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for conference tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Bobby Jones inherits a program that posted a disappointing 9-17 record last season. Jones watched more films than a teen-age Blockbuster Video cashier this summer in hopes of finding a way to instill confidence in the Red Flash after last season's squad crashed and burned down the stretch. How bad were things? After a 1-5 start, St. Francis appeared to right the ship, improving the record to 9-8 before losing nine straight to end the season. The late-season swoon caused Tom O'Connell to resign with an 85-105 record during his seven years. Injuries (to Melvin Scott), visa problems (with French forward Reiner Mougnol) and a seemingly team-wide allergy toward playing defense (opponents shot a healthy .472 against the Red Flash) caused O'Connell's demise. "I've watched the tapes of every game from last season and this team played extremely hard," said Jones, who gets his first head-coaching opportunity after stints as an assistant at Division I outposts Minnesota (1997-99), Pittsburgh (1994-97), Western Kentucky (1992-94) and Middle Tennessee State (1991-92) in the 1990s. "The effort was always there," he said. "When you start to lose games like this team at the end of last season, it starts to take its toll and has a snowball effect that is difficult to reverse. There are quality players in this program." Sadly, the program's best player, forward Sam Sutton, tired of the losing and transferred to Towson. Sutton, whose late-season shooting slump corresponded with the Red Flash's collapse, still led the team in scoring (13.5 ppg). But all is not lost, said the optimistic Jones. Every other player returns from last season's squad, including 6-7 senior Tom Fox (12.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg), who emerged as the Red Flash's go-to guy over the final third of the season. Sure, the 6-7, 190-pound Fox is as thin as the plot of an Adam Sandler movie, but he did finish as the Red Flash's second-leading scorer (behind the since-departed Sutton) and second-best rebounder (6.4 rpg) a year ago.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
The Red Flash needed some new blood in the program and coach Bobby Jones, who has a reputation as a dogged recruiter, seems like a good fit. The team flat-out quit down the stretch last season, losing nine straight games. So, the coaching change should shake things up. This is a senior-laden team, led by Tom Fox (12.5 ppg) and Rob Krimmel (8.5 ppg), so it will be interesting to see how they react to a new coach. The first order of business is to get this team to play some semblance of defense. The Red Flash allowed 71.8 points per game last season as opponents feasted on them, shooting .472 percent from the field. Our guess? The Red Flash will continue to struggle in the first year under Jones. Call it a ninth-place finish in the 12-team NEC for St. Francis ahead of league dregs Wagner, Monmouth and Sacred Heart, but light years away from the NEC's elite. This is a big job and it will take Jones some time to get his type of players in place. |
He was at his best late in the season, averaging 17.3 points over the last six games. Fox is one of those rare players who is willing and able to do the big things (score, rebound) as well as the little things (providing help defense for teammates, for instance). "Tom Fox does a lot of things away from the basketball that you tend not to see until you watch the tape. He really understands the game," Jones said. Rejoining Fox is last year's starting backcourt tandem, junior point guard Jamal Ragland and senior shooting guard Rob Krimmel. Ragland is built like a 10th grader (5-10, 155), but he is well-schooled, having played for legendary high school coach Bob Hurley, Sr. at St. Anthony's (N.J.). Ragland (8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 126 assists, 42 steals) started 24 games last season and averaged 5.0 assists, third in the NEC. A majority of his shots (112 of 176) were beyond the arc, but he made 35 percent of them last season. Jones noticed on the videotapes that Ragland's play got ragged at times, perhaps because he logged way too many minutes (team-high 31.1 per game last season). Jones is hoping that a little less Ragland (maybe 28 minutes per game) might spell a more productive season from his point man. Ragland's running mate once again will be the 6-2 Krimmel (8.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 46 assists, 19 steals). Krimmel started all 26 games and shot .420 from the field (76 of 181), .400 from three-point range (48 of 120), and .677 from the free-throw line (21 of 31). Krimmel hits the books as well as he hits a three-pointer and his hard work was recognized he was selected as a third-team GTE Academic All-American last season. On the downside, Krimmel isn't the world's most athletic two guard. He needs lots of screens, at times, to get open for his deadly perimeter jumper. While Ragland and Krimmel have the starting spots nailed down, there's some question about how the rotation will shake out behind them. Jones plans on playing an up-tempo style, so he will look at three different candidates 5-8 junior Earl Foreman, 5-11 junior Clinton Crouch or 6-0 freshman Dan Swoger (Jones' first St. Francis signee) to find a primary backup for Ragland at the point. Foreman (3.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg) possesses deceptive quickness and is stronger than he appears. He is so short that opposing guards can easily shoot right over him. He appeared in 13 games last season, playing just 77 minutes. Crouch (0.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg) played even less than Foreman, but Jones promises he will get a fair shake at getting more time. Swoger, a first-team All-Ohio selection by the Associated Press, could also play right away. Swoger averaged 13.0 points and 11.0 assists as a senior. For his career, Swoger helped guide the Potters to a 61-9 record, including a 23-2 record and a berth in the state's final four for the first time in 52 years last season. Kroger again flashed his athletic ability by winning his high school's conference high-jump title with a leap of 6-6 last year. Backing up Krimmel at the two-guard spot will be one of three players either 6-2 senior John McLean, 6-6 sophomore swingman Bryan Martin or 6-4 redshirt freshman Artie Wills. The guess here is if McLean (5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 33 assists, 16 steals) continues struggling with his long shot (10 of 52 from three-point range in 1998-99), then Wills will be the two-guard. The 6-4, 210-pound Wills redshirted last season after averaging 17.0 points and 8.0 boards at Newport (Md.) School where he played alongside current Cincinnati super freshman DerMarr Johnson. Martin (3.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg) can swing between the shooting-guard and small-forward slots. He played in just nine games as a freshman, averaging 3.2 points (4.8 in NEC games). Other than Fox, the frontcourt picture is jumbled. Melvin Scott, a 6-5 senior, will see time. Scott (8.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 24 blocked shots, 26 steals) is the closest thing that St. Francis has to a polished low-post operator. He made 51 percent (60 of 118) of his shots and led the team in rebounding and blocked shots. Scott gives up pounds and inches every night on the blocks, but he never gets outworked. The question is who will replace Sam Sutton's lost frontcourt production? That's unclear, although it appears that it will be done by committee. Pete Fox, (3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg) the younger brother of Tom, is a 6-5 sophomore with plenty of potential. He made 17 three-point shots in 23 games last season. French import Reiner Mougnol, a 6-7 sophomore, played in 24 of 26 games last season, including 10 starts. Mougnol (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 14 assists, 9 steals) must improve his work at the free-throw line. He actually shot a higher percentage from the field (.457) than he did from the free-throw line (.407). Two other viable frontcourt options are the aforementioned Martin, who will swing between the backcourt and frontcourt, and 6-5 senior Matt Walter, who blossomed into a valuable sub last season after being pretty much an afterthought his first two years. A former high school teammate of Krimmel's at State College (Pa.) Area High School, Walter (4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 14 assists, 9 steals) increased his scoring average by nearly three points per game last season. He runs well and can also set up camp on the low blocks. Shawn Crosbie, a 6-7 sophomore from Paterson (N.J.) Catholic (the same school that produced current Milwaukee Buck Tim Thomas and current UConn star Kevin Freeman), will be given a clean slate by Jones. He will need it. Crosbie appeared in only three games in 1998-99, averaging a scant 0.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in just 11 minutes. "I'm not coming in with any preconceived notions about these (frontcourt) players," said Jones, who promises to have a nine-man rotation. "I'm going to base my decision on who plays according to what I feel is best for program."
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