tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
On Saturday I watched in person as tiny St. Francis University upset B1G newcomer Rutgers 73-68 on the Scarlet Knights' home court in Piscataway, N.J. St. Francis is a 2,400-student Roman Catholic university in far western Pennsylvania that usually is a "cupcake" on most schools' non-conference schedules. StFU plays those games to collect needed sports revenue and, to a lesser degree, attract athletes not recruited by the power conferences but who are willing to go into their houses and play those who were, with the very small likelihood they might actually win.
As I compared and contrasted "The Red Flash" to Iowa's current basketball program, some things that stuck out:
1) The win was no fluke. St. Francis played Rutgers straight up and outplayed them in the final 20 minutes.
2) Athleticism. Across the board, the StFU players are more athletic than all but two or three members of Iowa's roster.
3) Skills. The "Red Flash" are just as talented, if not morseo, than this group of Hawkeyes. IMHO, wearing black and gold at least three StFU players would start for Iowa: a very smooth and aggressive 6-6 forward Earl Brown, who played every minute, scoring 23 points on 9-15 shooting with 6 rebounds, three assists and one block; 5-11 guard Malik Harmon, 17 points on 6-14 shooting, including 3-7 treys; and 6-3 shooting guard Ollie Jackson, 15 points on 4-10 shooting, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. Other than Brown, who had 5 turnovers, the rest of the starters played virtually error-free and as a group the first five had a total of only 10 personal fouls the whole game (forward Ronnie Drinnon accounting for four of them).
4) The "Red Flash" play sound, fundamental basketball. They are smart on and off the ball. Passing, driving, V-cuts, back-door screens.
5) Flexibility. They adapt during the game and at half-time. You want to run, we'll run; you want to zone or force us into a half-court offense, we'll play. We'll find the open man with about 10 seconds on the shot clock and make you pay.
6) Shooters. While not quite Gonzaga of the East, St. Francis can shoot ... and score, hitting 41.7 percent of their shots, including 37.5 percent from 3-point land.
7) Poise. The team did not get rattled. This struck me most. A team from a small school playing in a B1G gymnasium never looked like deer caught in the headlights. Down by 16 points with less than six minutes to play in the first half, StFU cut the deficit to 5 at halftime and took the lead three minutes into the second half. Rutgers tied the game with less than a minute to play, but StFU regained the lead with solid defensive play, a 10-foot jumper and critical free throws.
8) Coaching. The coach, Rob Krimmel, was passionate and engaged but in a positive way. He never yelled at or belittled players. He applauded good play, even if it failed to produce a basket. Also, very smart on time management and his use of timeouts.
9) Recruiting. Krimmel and his staff appear to be able to recruit good athletes to a small school in the middle of nowhere: "Red Flash" players are from New Jersey, New York (2), Ohio (2), Florida, Pennsylvania (4), Canada, Virginia (2), Texas, Maryland and Greece.
There were many times Saturday I wished that what I was seeing from the visitors could be transplanted to Iowa City...
As I compared and contrasted "The Red Flash" to Iowa's current basketball program, some things that stuck out:
1) The win was no fluke. St. Francis played Rutgers straight up and outplayed them in the final 20 minutes.
2) Athleticism. Across the board, the StFU players are more athletic than all but two or three members of Iowa's roster.
3) Skills. The "Red Flash" are just as talented, if not morseo, than this group of Hawkeyes. IMHO, wearing black and gold at least three StFU players would start for Iowa: a very smooth and aggressive 6-6 forward Earl Brown, who played every minute, scoring 23 points on 9-15 shooting with 6 rebounds, three assists and one block; 5-11 guard Malik Harmon, 17 points on 6-14 shooting, including 3-7 treys; and 6-3 shooting guard Ollie Jackson, 15 points on 4-10 shooting, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. Other than Brown, who had 5 turnovers, the rest of the starters played virtually error-free and as a group the first five had a total of only 10 personal fouls the whole game (forward Ronnie Drinnon accounting for four of them).
4) The "Red Flash" play sound, fundamental basketball. They are smart on and off the ball. Passing, driving, V-cuts, back-door screens.
5) Flexibility. They adapt during the game and at half-time. You want to run, we'll run; you want to zone or force us into a half-court offense, we'll play. We'll find the open man with about 10 seconds on the shot clock and make you pay.
6) Shooters. While not quite Gonzaga of the East, St. Francis can shoot ... and score, hitting 41.7 percent of their shots, including 37.5 percent from 3-point land.
7) Poise. The team did not get rattled. This struck me most. A team from a small school playing in a B1G gymnasium never looked like deer caught in the headlights. Down by 16 points with less than six minutes to play in the first half, StFU cut the deficit to 5 at halftime and took the lead three minutes into the second half. Rutgers tied the game with less than a minute to play, but StFU regained the lead with solid defensive play, a 10-foot jumper and critical free throws.
8) Coaching. The coach, Rob Krimmel, was passionate and engaged but in a positive way. He never yelled at or belittled players. He applauded good play, even if it failed to produce a basket. Also, very smart on time management and his use of timeouts.
9) Recruiting. Krimmel and his staff appear to be able to recruit good athletes to a small school in the middle of nowhere: "Red Flash" players are from New Jersey, New York (2), Ohio (2), Florida, Pennsylvania (4), Canada, Virginia (2), Texas, Maryland and Greece.
There were many times Saturday I wished that what I was seeing from the visitors could be transplanted to Iowa City...
