Saint Francis University Men's Basketball

Krimmel during the 2015-16 season. In November, SFU had back-to-back wins by 20-plus points for the first time since the 2006-07 season when it defeated Westminster and American. In January, the Red Flash went on a three-game road winning streak for the first time since the 1980-81 season. Among those wins was a huge comeback victory at Bryant. SFU trailed by 17 points at the half and 19 points in the second half before coming back to earn a 71-65 victory over the Bulldogs. It turned out to be one of the biggest comebacks of the season in the NCAA. That win, coupled with a home win over Bryant in February, gave the Flash its first season sweep of Bryant. The Red Flash also overcame a double-digit deficit in the home win against Bryant.   Krimmel also led Saint Francis to its first win at Robert Morris since 2007-08 and its first season sweep of the Colonials since the 2000-01 season. The Red Flashs win in Loretto gave SFU a two-game home winning streak over its western Pennsylvania rivals, a first for SFU in more than a decade.   Krimmel moved into ninth place on the schools wins list with a February victory at Central Connecticut. He surpassed SFU legend Kevin Porter, who came back to Loretto to coach the Red Flash for four seasons in the mid-1980s. Other season highlights include the selection of forward Ronnie Drinnon to All-NEC First Team status and freshman Isaiah Blackmon becoming just the fourth player in the history of the conference to win NEC Player and Rookie of the Week awards in the same week. Krimmel led the Red Flash to its most successful season in a decade in 2014-15 as the Red Flash had its first winning regular season since 2004-05. The Red Flash finished 16-16 overall as it appeared in its second consecutive NEC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. The Flash also hosted its first postseason game since 1991 when SFU hosted Bowling Green in the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in March.     December 2014 will go down as one of the most successful non-conference months in recent memory for the Red Flash. In a three-game stretch, Saint Francis defeated Albany, Duquesne and Rutgers. Albany was on its way to a 24-9 overall record and third straight America East Conference championship. The Flash earned its first win over Duquesne since 1990, snapping Duquesne's 11-game win streak in the series. It was also Saint Francis' first win at Duquesne since 1966, breaking a 16-game streak. Three days after the Duquesne victory, the Red Flash went to Rutgers and upset the Scarlet Knights, 73-68. The win was the first ever for a Northeast Conference school against a Big Ten opponent.   In January, the Flash opened NEC play with a 2-0 record for the first time under Krimmel. The second of those victories came against in-state rival Robert Morris. It was the first win for the Red Flash against the Colonials since 2007. Saint Francis would go on to finish NEC play with a 9-9 record, its best mark in conference play since 2010. The Flash earned the No. 5 seed in the NEC Tournament, and Krimmel led the team to a 73-58 quarterfinal victory at Mount St. Marys. That sent the Flash to the NEC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year, a first in program history.   After losing in the semifinals at top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn, the Flash received a bid to the CIT where it hosted Bowling Green on St. Patricks Day. The postseason game at DeGol Arena was the first for the Red Flash at home since defeating Fordham in an NCAA Tournament play-in game in 1991.   On the individual side, Krimmel coached senior Earl Brown to All-NEC First Team status. Its the first All-NEC First Team selection at Saint Francis since Devin Sweetney was named to the team in 2010. Brown also finished his career with 1,373 points, 11th on the schools all-time list. Brown surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the Red Flashs upset win at Rutgers.   While the Red Flash put one of the nations youngest teams on the floor in 2013-14, it managed to exceed modest expectations with the teams first double-digit win total in five years and a return to the NEC postseason.   The exclamation point on season came in March, when the sixth-seeded Frankies knocked off No. 3 Bryant in the NEC Quarterfinals.  The win was the programs first in the postseason since 1996 and its first road tournament win since 1989.  The victory punched SFUs ticket to the league semifinals for the first time since its 1991 NCAA tournament run.   The Flash came up three points short of a berth in the title game, falling to No. 2 Robert Morris, 60-57.   When the dust had settled, the NECs coaches had duly noted Saint Francis progress during the campaign. Red Flash point guard Malik Harmon was named the conference rookie of the year SFUs first since 2002 and Earl Brown was named to the All-NEC Second Team. In his first season at the helm, Krimmel and his staff gave Red Flash fans a glimpse of a bright future.  While the lofty win totals of past seasons eluded the Frankies which fielded one of the youngest teams in the NCAA Division I ranks two players (Stephon Mosley and Ben Millaud-Meunier) earned NEC All-Rookie nods and sophomore Earl Brown earned the league's Most Improved Player designation.   A tremendous 3-point threat and a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selection as a four-year Red Flash player, Krimmel was a three-year starter and two-time team co-captain for the Red Flash. He led the NEC in 3-point field goal percentage (43.5) as a senior in 1999-2000, and is fifth on the schools all-time list with a 39.8 percent 3-point shooting accuracy.   In addition to his on-court accomplishments, Krimmel received numerous awards as a student leader. He was the first-ever recipient of the Dr. Philip Benham Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given to Saint Francis student-athletes who exhibit outstanding academic and athletic excellence. He attended the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla., received a prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship and was the NEC Mens Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2000. He also received the Universitys Mr. Frankie Award, which is presented annually to the outstanding male student in the senior class. The men's basketball program continues to be a strong presence in the community under Krimmel's direction. The team is an active participant in several organizations, including the Miracle League, Special Olympics, Sports 4 Kids Day and the Stay in to Win Program. The men's basketball team has been an active member of Team IMPACT, an organization pairing children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses with a sports team. The team "signed" Jorden McClure during the 2013-14 season, and he continues to be a large part of the program.   Krimmel received his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and History with a Pre-Law Concentration from Saint Francis in 2000. He then earned his Masters of Education-Leadership from SFU in 2003.   Rob and his wife, Aileen, reside in Duncansville with their two sons, Alex James and Thomas.  Aileen also graduated from Saint Francis with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science and a Masters in Physical Therapy. She works as a Physical Therapist at Drayer Physical Therapy Institute in Altoona.   Rob Krimmel Head Coach Alma Mater: Saint Francis '00 16th year at SFU Rob Krimmel File

Luke McConnell, who has been associated with Saint Francis athletics since the fall of 2009, will enter his second season in 2026-27.. He registered his first win as a head coach with an 85-60 victory against Franciscan on November 29, 2025, and his first Division I win with a thrilling 85-82 win on a buzzer beater against FDU on January 4, 2026.  McConnell became the 21st head coach in program history and the second with the last name McConnell after his father, Tom, served as head coach of the Red Flash from 1992-99 and ranks as the third-winningest head coach in team history with 85 wins. McConnell also became the fourth Saint Francis graduate to serve as head coach at his alma mater, joining Dave Magarity (1978-83), Kevin Porter (1983-87), and Rob Krimmel (2013-25). He will also be one of 38 head coaches in the NCAA Division I coaching their alma mater in 2025-26.  During McConnell's tenure at Saint Francis, the Red Flash achieved significant milestones, including defeating CCSU 46-43 on March 11 in the NEC Championship Game for the team's first title and NCAA Tournament berth since 1991. McConnell's coaching prowess is evident in his work with five 1,000-point scorers, three NEC Players of the Year, three NEC Rookies of the Year, two Most Improved Players of the Year, one NEC Defensive Player of the Year, three NEC Men's Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year, 16 All-NEC performers (10 first team; three-second team; three third team), eight All-Rookie selections and nine All-NEC Tournament nods.   McConnell's journey in Loretto began as a four-year letterwinner on the Saint Francis football team. He led the team in interceptions in 2010 and earned the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award for Central Pennsylvania in 2012. His commitment to the university continued as he served as a two-year graduate assistant, starting as the athletic department graduate assistant in 2012. He then found a new home with the men's basketball program in March 2013. After serving as the Director of Basketball Operations through the 2020-21 season, he was an assistant coach for three years before serving as the associate head coach for the 2024-25 campaign.  McConnell graduated from Saint Francis in 2012 with a degree in management and earned his MBA from the university in 2014.  A member of one of the Pittsburgh region's most respected basketball families, Luke becomes the fourth McConnell to serve as a head coach at the Division I level. Along with his father, Tom, two of his aunts served as Division I head coaches in women's basketball: Kathy McConnell-Miller (University of Tulsa, 1999-05); Susie McConnell-Serio (Duquesne, 2007-13, University of Pittsburgh, 2013-18). Kathy remains a head coach in the NCAA as the women's basketball head coach at Division III's Carnegie Mellon.   Luke joins a group of 15 active head coaches that also had/have fathers coach men's basketball at the Division I level:  Active Head Coach, School (Father)  Brian Barone, SIUE (Tony Barone, Sr.)  Mike Bibby, Sacramento State (Henry Bibby)  Jeff Capel III, Pitt (Jeff Capel II)  Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon (Homer Drew)  Scott Drew, Baylor (Homer Drew)  Brian Dutcher, San Diego State (Jim Dutcher)  Chris Gerlufsen, San Francisco (Rob Gerlufsen)  John Griffin III, Bucknell (John Griffin II)  Phil Martelli, Jr., VCU (Phil Martelli)  Luke McConnell, Saint Francis (Tom McConnell)  Dan Monson, Eastern Washington (Don Monson)  Eric Musselman, USC (Bill Musselman)  Ryan Odom, Virginia (Dave Odom)  Richard Pitino, Xavier (Rick Pitino)  Kevin Willard, Maryland (Ralph Willard)  Bold - New Head Coach In 2025-26; Italics - Changed Schools for 2025-26  He also joins a list of seven known head coaches who served as head coach in the same place as their father:  School - Father (Years)/Son (Years)  DePaul - Ray Meyer (1942-84)/Joey Meyer (1984-97)  Georgetown - John Thompson, Jr. (1972-99)/John Thompson III (2004-17)  Saint Francis - Tom McConnell (1992-99)/Luke McConnell (2025-)  Valapaisio - Homer Drew (1988-2002)/Scott Drew (2002-03), Bryce Drew (2011-16)   UAB - Gene Bartow (1978-96)/Murry Bartow (1996-02)  UNLV - Lon Kruger (2004-11))/Kevin Kruger (2021-25)  Washington State - Dick Bennett (2003-06)/Tony Bennett (2006-09) 

Nathan Cullo joined the Saint Francis Red Wolves this year as Assistant Coach. He comes from three years as an assistant coach at Edinboro University. In his three seasons at Edinboro, he helped rebuild the Scots to finish in third place in the PSAC West in 2024-2025 and made the playoffs for the first time in six years. The following year, they finished sixth, and it was the first time they made the playoffs in back-to-back years in 18 years. In his three years at Edinboro, he helped recruit and develop five All-Conference players. Including Defensive Player of the Year Cenker Evran and Freshman of the Year Rowan Carmichael Nathan played for the Clarion University Men's basketball team for three years, missing one season to rehab from an ACL injury. He went all in, foregoing his final season of eligibility to pursue his dream of coaching. After earning his BS in Business Management, Nathan earned an MS in Exercise Science and Health at Edinboro. Nathan played basketball at Vincentian Academy in Pittsburgh, PA, where they were two-time WPIAL champions and a one-time PIAA runner-up. He was a 1000-point scorer at Vincentian. Nathan is a native of Sewickley, PA, and currently resides in Ebensburg

A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Daunte Wilcott joins the Saint Francis University men’s basketball staff as a graduate assistant. He began his collegiate playing career at Medaille College, where he won a conference championship, competed in the NCAA National Tournament, and earned Third Team All-Conference honors. He later transferred to PennWest Edinboro, where he surpassed 1,000 career points and earned his bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. Following his playing career, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at PennWest Edinboro, helping the Fighting Scots reach the PSAC Playoffs.