The Career of Brandin Knight (CH2k8)

[Pitty]

Red Flash Stomp Rival Terriers 76-56

Loretta, PA (AP) - Behind strong play from Sophomores Will Felder and Umar Shannon, St. Francis PA was able to take down their longtime rival St. Francis NY. Both Franciscan, Catholic Universities, they meet twice a year in NEC play in a battle of both basketball and moral character. This year, the Red Flash took down the Terriers with a combined 35 points from its two stars, and 27 bench points.

Red Flash Rout Farleigh Dickinson 82-61

Loretta, PA (AP) - The St. Francis Red Flash continued their strong conference play, topping Farleigh Dickinson behind a strong second half. Outscoring the Knights 48-32, the Red Flash ran away with the contest. Umar Shannon scored 26 points, while Felder and Stanley added 16 and 10 respectively. St. Francis forced 14 turnovers and notched 12 steals.

Red Flash Sweep Rival Terriers 70-65

Brooklyn, NY (AP) - The St. Francis Red Flash moved to 11-2 in the Northeast Conference, solidifying their lead as they prepare for the home stretch towards a conference championship. The Red Flash again took down rival St. Francis NY after leading by just 2, 30-28, at half time. The Red Flash poured in 46 second half points, behind 19 points from Umar Shannon. The Red Flash out-rebounded the Terriers 37-29, and forced 9 turnovers.

[Pitty]

St. Francis Red Flash Secure NEC Championship

Loretta, PA (AP) - With an 82-64 victory over Farleigh Dickinson, St. Francis PA has secured the 2010-2011 Northeast Conference Championship going 14-4 in conference play. Under first year head coach Brandin Knight, the Red Flash turned a 6-23 record from last season into a 14 win conference season and 19 win regular season. This is the first NEC championship for St. Francis since 1991.

The Red Flash maintained a 43-36 half time lead, and finished the game on a 7-0 run to win by 18. Guard Chris Johnson led all scorers with 25 points, and was followed in double figures by Umar Shannon (10), Will Felder (12), and Mislav Jukic (13). St. Francis forced 14 turnovers and shot a blistering 14-22 from three point range.

St. Francis now moves on to the Northeast Conference Tournament, securing the top seed. The Red Flash will face Sacred Heart, who finished 8-10 in conference play and 12-17 on the season.

[Pitty]

St. Francis Coasts Into Northeast Finals

St. Francis 74, Sacred Heart 62 -Chris Johnson led the Red Flash with 22 points as they overcame a 2 point half time deficit to defeat Sacred Heart. Kyheim Hall contributed with 10 points off the bench on 4-4 shooting. Umar Shannon also added 13 points and 4 assists.

St. Francis 71, C. Connecticut St. 55 - A 20 point performance from Umar Shannon launched the Red Flash into the NEC Tournament finals. Chris Johnson added 18 points and Will Felder nothced 10. The Red Flash forced 15 Blue Devil turnovers, pulling away early in the second half.

[Pitty]

Shannon Drives St. Francis to NCAA's.

Loretta, PA (AP) - When the season began for the humble St. Francis Red Flash, following a 6-23 campaign filled with heartbreak and humiliation, things looked bleak, towards another season in the cellar of the NEC. However, an opening day coaching change, hiring for Pitt Point Guard Brandin Knight as Head Coach has breathed new life into the St. Francis program, culminating in last night's Conference Tournament Championship, ensuring that St. Francis will be going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.

Throughout most of the first half in Loretta, St. Francis struggled to keep pace with the deeper Monmouth Hawks, as the Red Flash have been playing without injured guard Sorena Orandi. Trailing 28-27 with just 3.1 seconds left, the Red Flash inbounded to Umar Shannon who drilled a three pointer at the buzzer to send the Red Flash into the locker room ahead. Most of the St. Francis offense was running through Will Felder, with 16 first half points, who was named the Finals MVP after the game.

Again, St. Francis saw themselves fall behind in the second half, trailing with 1 minute left, 55-53. Four points from Felder put the Red Flash ahead 57-55, before Monmouth was able to tie with just 29.7 seconds left on a corner jump shot. After a timeout the ball was inbounded again to Shannon, who was looking for Felder, who couldn't get free from the defense. Taking it on his shoulders, Shannon faked right, got the defender off his feet and drove against the Monmouth front court, rattling home the go ahead layup with just 4.6 remaining on the clock.

St. Francis now sits at 22-9, with an RPI of 42. Current Bracketology projections put them along the 11 seed line due to a weak NEC conference schedule.

[Pitty]

St. Francis Draws Mississippi In First Round

Loretta, PA (AP) - The NEC Champions and cinderella candidate St. Francis Red Flash have been chosen to play Mississippi State, 21-11 (10-6), in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in a gritty 6-11 matchup in the West Regional. The Red Flash are led by Sophomores Will Felder (13.6 PPG) and Umar Shannon (12.8 PPG). The Bulldogs are anchored by Demarcquis Bost (11.6 PPG), Ravern Johnson (11.0 PPG), and Renardo Sidney (10.2 PPG).


Top Seeds

East: 1.) North Carolina, 2.) Syracuse, 3.) Georgia Tech, 4.) UNLV

West: 1.) Kansas, 2.) Louisville, 3.) Memphis, 4.) Clemson

South: 1.) West Virginia, 2.) UCLA, 3.) Florida, 4.) Alabama

Midwest: 1.) Marquette, 2.) Duke, 3.) Michigan State, 4.) Connecticut

Top 25

1.) UNC, 28-5
2.) Kansas, 25-5
3.) WVU, 28-5
4.) Marquette, 28-4
5.) Louisville, 25-8
6.) Syracuse, 25-7
7.) Duke, 21-11
8.) UCLA, 24-8
9.) Memphis, 26-8
10.) Michigan St., 21-11
11.) Georgia Tech, 21-10
12.) Florida, 23-8
13.) Connecticut, 21-9
14.) UNLV, 23-7
15.) Clemson, 20-10
16.) Missouri, 21-9
17.) Alabama, 23-11
18.) Marshall, 22-7
19.) Minnesota, 19-11
20.) Washington St., 22-9
21.) Ohio St., 21-12
22.) Miss. St., 21-11
23.) Ole Miss, 20-9
24.) St. Mary's, 22-9
25.) Virginia Tech, 22-11

Mid-Major Top 25
1.) St. Mary's, 22-9
2.) Gonzaga, 18-13
3.) Butler, 23-9
4.) Wofford, 25-7
5.) Murray St., 21-7
6.) Austin Peay, 22-9
7.) San Diego, 20-11
8.) St. Francis, 22-9
9.) Creighton, 18-9
10.) Bradley, 22-11
11.) Old Dominion, 21-10
12.) Utah St., 21-11
13.) Pepperdine, 18-13
14.) VCU, 21-9
15.) Portland, 19-12
16.) ULM, 19-11
17.) Evansville, 19-10
18.) McNeese St., 20-9
19.) Boston U., 22-9
20.) Siena, 21-12
21.) American, 21-10
22.) Fairfield, 20-9
23.) Arkansas St., 19-11
24.) Morehead St., 19-10
25.) North Texas, 17-10

[Pitty]

Mississippi St. Ends St. Francis 78-56

Denver, CO (AP) - In the first round of the 2010-2011 NCAA Tournament, the 6-11 matchup in the West Regional proved to be a lesson in the disparity between major conferences and their smaller comrades as the Mississippi State Bulldogs dominated St. Francis in every facet of the game, moving on to the second round. With four of five starters in double figures and a 42-28 rebounding edge, the Bulldogs pulled away early in the second half, the Red Flash wouldn't threaten again after leading 30-25 at the break.

The most valuable players were clearly the front court of Mississippi State, who combined for a ridiculous 39 points and 36 rebounds. St. Francis seemed, on the other hand, to have only one consistent player, Will Felder, who scored 26 points. The Red Flash were never able to keep pace with the Power Conference Bulldogs, shooting just 34.5% from the field, and 6-24 from three point range.

2010-2011 NCAA Tournament Results

West Regional

Sweet 16 -
#1 UNC 96, #12 Arkansas St. 66
#6 Washington State 67, #7 Virginia Tech 65

Elite 8 -
#1 UNC 81, #6 Washington State 68

East Regional

Sweet 16 -
#8 Georgia 78, #4 Clemson 66
#2 Louisville 93, #3 Memphis 65

Elite 8 -
#2 Louisville 87, #8 Georgia 75

South Regional

Sweet 16 -
#9 Wisconsin 75, #4 Alabama 56
#10 Dayton 57, #6 Kentucky 52

Elite 8 -
#9 Wisconsin 77, #10 Dayton 58

Midwest Regional

Sweet 16 -
#1 Marquette 110, #4 Connecticut 84
#3 Michigan St. 70, #7 Arizona 62

Elite 8 -
#1 Marquette 87, #3 Michigan St. 68

[Pitty]

2010-2011 Season Recap

Final Four
#2 Louisville 83, #1 UNC 81
#1 Marquette 92, #9 Wisconsin 63

National Championship
#2 Louisville 79, #1 Marquette 51

2010-2011 Awards

NCAA Champions - Louisville Cardinals, 31-8 (13-5)
NCAA Player of the Year - Harrison Barnes, UNC, 22.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 SPG
Mid-Major Player of the Year - Matt Howard, Butler, 19.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.4 BPG
Coach of the Year - Buzz Williams, Marquette
Defensive Player of the Year - Justin Rutty, Quinnipiac - 15.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.2 BPG
Big Man of the Year - Jon Leuer, Wisconsin

[packersfan4eva]

Tough loss, can't believe Marquette got a #1 seed.

[Pitty]

International Players Lead St. Francis Recruiting Class

Scout.com - Head Coach Brandin Knight was heralded again and again as a star recruiter by Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon and it appears he has continued his success at St. Francis, PA signing 4 players in the 2011 class, including two key International recruits from Senegal and Cameroon. Along with these recruits, Knight also inked a player from each coast of the US, Miami and Anaheim.

The first commitment secured by Knight came from 7'3 Center W.B. Bynum, who is very raw, coming in an unranked 2 star prospect. Bynum averaged just 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest despite his size. Coach Knight had this to say about Bynum, "He's raw, that's for sure, but W.B. brings a bit of size that we didn't have last season. He can provide the depth we need to make it through a tough NEC schedule and his sheer size will give him a rebounding edge."

Next, Power Forward Harry Goodrich faxed his Letter of Intent in the 4th week of the off-season. A 2 star prospect, Goodrich is ranked #50 in his position and #462 in the 2011 class. At 6'10, Goodrich also strengthens the Red Flash frontline, which loses solid contributor Mislav Jukic in the off-season. Goodrich may be expected to start from day one as Coach Knight has hinted, "He's clearly our best domestic recruit and has the ability to assimilate immediately into the starting rotation. I hope for big things from this player." Goodrich averaged 10.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per HS contest.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Red Flash off-season came on the last day of the signing period, as both International targets, Christopher Diame and Christano Ngounou decided to join St. Francis for next season. Both players, heavily recruited throughout the season, were question marks in both eligibility and desire to play at a small college. Still, both rated 3 stars by Scout, have chosen to strengthen the Red Flash, particularly scoring the basketball. Coach Knight was ecstatic with the signings, "Both of these guys have the physical tools, they could be playing at Power conference programs today, but instead have chosen to help our Red Flash win another NEC championship."

2011 St. Francis Recruiting Class
-W.B. Bynum, Center - 7'3, **, Unranked
-Harry Goodrich, Power Forward - 6'10", **, #462 OVR, #50 PF
-Christano Ngounou, Small Forward - 6'6", ***, Cameroon
-Christopher Diame, Power Forward - 6'8", ***, Senegal

[Pitty]

2011-2012 St. Francis Red Flash

Head Coach

Brandin Knight - St. Francis, 1 year - 22-10 (14-4)

2011-2012 St. Francis Roster

PG - Umar Shannon, Junior - 5'11, 177lbs, 67 OVR (84 3PT)

SG - Chris Johnson, Junior - 5'10, 179lbs, 65 OVR (92 FT)

SF - Will Felder, Junior - 6'7", 208lbs, 69 OVR 2010-2011 NEC First Team All-Conference (85 HUS)

PF - Christopher Diame, Freshman - 6'9", 229lbs, 65 OVR (78 LOWO, 75 LOWD)

C - Harry Goodrich, Freshman - 6'10", 241lbs, 66 OVR (84 CLOSE)

Bench -
6.) Christano Ngounou, SF - Freshman - 6'7", 68 OVR
7.) Kyheim Hall, SG - Sophomore - 6'4, 61 OVR
8.) Anthony Goode, PG - Sophomore - 6'1", 60 OVR
9.) Anthony Ervin, SF - Junior - 6'4", 60 OVR
10.) Storm Stanley, PF - Senior - 6'11", 60 OVR
11.) Cameron Ritter, SF - RS Freshman - 6'3", 56 OVR
12.) Robert Wortman, SG - RS Freshman - 6'1" 55 OVR

Redshirt -
W.B. Bynum, Center - Freshman - 7'2", 52 OVR

#24 2011-2012 St. Francis Red Flash Schedule 34-4 [15-3]

@ Yale W 84-45
vs. Boston U. W 71-55
vs. Virginia Tech W 76-59
vs. Michigan State W 67-50
vs. Oklahoma W 70-65
@ Lehigh W 71-51
@ Charlotte W 58-44
vs. Colgate W 65-57
vs. Sacred Heart W 58-50
vs. Wagner W 65-69
vs. New Hampshire W 85-75 OT
vs. Old Dominion W 68-60
@ Rhode Island W 69-49
@ Vermont W 75-62
@ Long Island W 70-66
@ Robert Morris L 67-61
vs. Farleigh Dickinson W 66-57
vs. Mt. St. Mary's W 60-56
@ CCSU W 66-62
vs. Quinnipiac W 77-53
@ Monmouth W 69-48
@ Farleigh Dickinson W 77-39
vs. Long Island W 61-58 OT
@ St. Francis [NY] L 71-63
vs. Robert Morris W 87-62
vs. Monmouth W 83-79 OT
@ Mt. St. Mary's W 71-56
@ Quinnipiac W 55-50
vs. St. Francis [NY] W 55-50
@ Sacred Heart L 73-65

Indicated Hawaiian Classic Tournament
Indicates NEC Conference Game

[Cody]

Looks like Felder is going to lead you to wherever your going this year.

[Pitty]

Red Flash Stomp Yale, Felder Leaves With Injury

New Haven, CT (AP) - The St. Francis Red Flash opened the 2011-2012 campaign with a bittersweet night, defeating the Yale Bulldogs, while losing their top scorer from a season ago, Will Felder. Felder left with a knee injury in the early second half, tests were conducted after the game. With a 84-45 victory, the Red Flash moved to 1-0 on the season.

After outscoring Yale 49-10 in the first half, things appeared to be moving smoothly for second year head coach Brandin Knight's Red Flash. Then, in the opening minutes of the second period, Will Felder fell to the floor after a hard foul, clutching his knee. In Felder's absence, Red Flash freshman Christano Ngounou stepped up, scoring 22 points in just 16 minutes. Umar Shannon also added 20 points and 5 assists.

Yale struggled to maintain possession of the ball, with 22 turnovers on the night. Coupled with just 15-47 shooting from the field, they were unable to keep pace with the Red Flash.

[Pitty]

St. Francis Loses Top Scorer For 3 Weeks

Loretta, PA - After preliminary testing, the St. Francis Medical Staff have concluded that star forward Will Felder will miss at least 3 weeks with a sore knee. After draining fluid from the knee at half time during the teams opener against Yale, Felder missed most of the second half, and will not play to avoid risking further injury. In his place, Freshman Christano Ngounou will move into the starting lineup. Coach Brandin Knight commented on the situation, "It's always tough to lose a player of Felder's caliber, but we have to remain focused on achieving out goals and winning our next game."

[Pitty]

St. Francis Makes Hawaiian Finals

St. Francis 71, Boston U. 55 - The Red Flash used a 35-28 half time lead to make sure the Terriers never got back into the game. Umar Shannon led the Red Flash with 21 points on 7-11 from the field. Chris Johnson also had 15 points and was 2-2 from three point range.

St. Francis 76, Virginia Tech 59 - In a stunning upset, the Hokie collapsed in the second half, outscored by 14 in the period. St. Francis shot 31-56 from the field and 10-23 from deep. Ngounou led the Red Flash with 19 points, as 4 St. Francis starters scored in double figures. The Red Flash outrebounded the Hokies 37-21.

St. Francis 67, #6 Michigan St. 50 - The Red Flash continued their unbelievable hot streak in taking down their first top 10 opponent in school history. Dominating on the defensive end, St. Francis held the Spartans to just 18 first half points and 22-62 from the field on the night. No Spartan scored in double figures. Umar Shannon led the Red Flash with 14 as four starters scored in double figures.

[Pitty]

Goodrich, St. Francis Take Down Oklahoma in Hawaiian Final, 70-65

Honolulu, HI (AP) - Starting three freshman, the St. Francis Red Flash continued their cinderella run through the Hawaiian Invitational last night, securing the championship over opponent Oklahoma. St. Francis, topping Virginia Tech, #6 Michigan State, and Oklahoma has secured important early season wins over several power conference teams. Harry Goodrich was named the finals MVP scoring 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds, leading St. Francis to a 70-65 win.

The Red Flash, led by Junior Umar Shannon, are 4-0 since last year's leading scorer and all-NEC performer Will Felder went down with a knee injury. Shannon had an impressive stat line in the finals, with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steaks, and 3-5 from the field. Still, the most impressive story from this team is the play of their all-Freshman front court, with forward Christopher Diame and center Harry Goodrich. Goodrich, the game's MVP, and Diame combined for 29 points and 21 rebounds.

Oklahoma took a small lead early in the contest, but the lack of a bench play in the second half ruined their chances. Contributing just 14 bench points, the Sooners fell behind to the balanced attack and grinding defense of the Red Flash. Oklahoma were led by guard T.J. Franklin who scored 21 points, with 11 assists. Still, it was a 44-27 rebounding disadvantage that allowed St. Francis to control the pace of the contest.