The Career of Brandin Knight (CH2k8)

[Pitty]

Red Flash Hire Former Pitt Star Knight

Loretta, PA. (AP) - It was announced today that former University of Pittsburgh Point Guard and Assistant Coach was chosen for the head coaching vacancy at St. Francis (PA). St. Francis, who fired Don Friday after an abysmal 6-23 season, are looking to turn a new page with the strong recruiting power and defensive mindset of Knight. Knight has been a part of Jamie Dixon's staff for the past 2 seasons, joining the team in it's 2009 Elite Eight run.

The Red Flash, however, have not seen near the same success, going 23-65 over the past four seasons. Yet, with only two seniors, both no factors, Knight inherits a team with some potential. Forward Will Felder and Guard Umar Shannon, both sophomores, will lead the Red Flash this season.

Knight, who was a four year starter at Pitt won over 90 games as the starting Point Guard and was selected as the 2002 Big East Co-Player of the year. After playing in Europe for 2 seasons, Knight joined former Head Coach Jamie Dixon on the Panther's bench during the 2008 season. Although a quite surprising decision, this signing will be felt throughout the Northeast Conference.

Settings
Difficulty: All-American
Half Length - 15 Min.
Rosters - 2011 Complete (11/9/10)
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[Pitty]

2010-2011 St. Francis Red Flash​

Roster

Starters:
Umar Shannon, PG - 5'11", 175 lbs., SO - 65 OVR - 12.5 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG

Chris Johnson, SG - 5'10, 174 lbs., SO - 63 OVR - 9.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.9 APG

Will Felder, SF - 6'6", 200 lbs., SO - 68 OVR - 13.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Mislav Jukic, PF - 6'7", 220 lbs., SR - 56 OVR - 6.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG

Storm Stanley, C - 6'11", 245, JR - 59 OVR - 6.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG


Bench:
Kyheim Hall, SG - 60 OVR - 4.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Sorena Orandi, PG - 60 OVR - 6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Anthony Ervin, SF - 59 OVR - 4.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Anthony Goode, PG - 59 OVR - 4.9 PPG, 1.2 APG

Reserves:
Daniel Witczak, SG - 55 OVR
Robert Wortman, SG - 55 OVR
Cameron Ritter, SF - 55 OVR

2010-2011 Schedule - 22-9 [14-4]
vs. American W 50-33
@ Penn St.* W 60-51
vs. Morgan St. L 69-59
vs. Lehigh* W 75-60
@ La Salle L 59-53
vs. Youngstown St. W 84-77 OT
@ Bucknell* W 66-57
@ Robert Morris* W 65-59
vs. Iona L 68-62
@ Duquesne* L 75-67
@ Arizona St. L 77-53
vs. Quinnipiac* L 66-65
vs Monmouth W 75-67
@ C. Connecticut* L 86-79
@ Wagner W 71-65
@ Mt. St. Mary's W 70-67
vs. Robert Morris* W 88-60
vs. St. Francis (NY)* W 76-56
vs. C. Connecticut W 62-55
@ Quinnipiac W 57-51
vs. Long Island W 77-68
vs. F. Dickinson* W 82-61
@ St. Francis (NY)* W 70-65
@ Sacred Heart L 84-83 OT
vs Wagner W 69-65
vs Mt. St. Mary's L 88-66
@ Monmouth W 57-54
@ F. Dickinson W 82-64
vs. Sacred Heart W 74-62
vs. C. Connecticut W 71-55
vs. Monmouth W 61-59​

* - indicates played game
Northeast Conference Game
Northeast Conference Tournament Game

 

[Pitty]

Red Flash Stun Nittany Lions 60-51
​

State College, PA (AP) - Coming into the season with a revamped squad, adding star Freshman Taran Buie to the superstar power of Talor Battle, Penn State had hopes of seeing their first NCAA Tournament since the 2001 season. Today, however, the tiny St. Francis Red Flash upset PSU, winning 60-51 in a grinding game. Behind a run-the-clock half court offense and stifling defense, the Red Flash allowed just 51 points.

Sophomores Umar Shannon and Will Felder led the way for the Red Flash, scoring 15 and 11. Also key to the victory were a combined 19 rebounds from the St. Francis front court, matching the total for all Nittany Lions. Center Storm Stanley fell just short of a Double-Double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

For Penn State, Battle led all scorers with 13, as Tim Frazier added 12. The top 100 rated Buie was held to just 8 minutes of action, scoring 4 points and notching a rebound. Penn State led by as many as 8 in the early minutes of the second half, and cut a 11 point St. Francis lead to 2 before Umar Shannon hit a three pointer with 1:15 on the clock.

Player of the Game - Umar Shannon - 15 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-8 3PT

 

[Pitty]

Red Flash Top Lehigh 75-60​

Loretta, PA (AP) - The St. Francis Red Flash moved to 3-1 yesterday with a decisive victory over Lehigh, 75-60. After trailing by two, 40-38, at half time, St. Francis guard Umar Shannon credited Coach Brandin Knight's half time adjustments for the Red Flash's success, "Coach Knight really changed our offensive rotations at half time, it helped me, among other players, settle in after the break." Shannon scored 16 points after the break, finishing with 28 for the night on 10-15 shooting.

Lehigh was led be guard C.J. McCollum who scored just one point under his average of 18. Lehigh, however shot just 24-55 and 6-12 from the line, to go along with 14 turnovers. Knight's strong man-to-man didn't give many open looks, holding Lehigh to just 6-15 from deep.

The Red Flash received a spark off the bench, with 20 points and 6 steals from their reserve players. Guard Anthony Goode scored 11 points on 3-6 three point shooting.

 

[Pitty]

Strong Second Half Propels Red Flash Past Bucknell 66-57​

Lewisburg, PA (AP) - Trailing yet again at the half, the St. Francis Red Flash (4-2) used a strong second half performance to put away the Bison of Bucknell tonight. Using staunch defense, allowing just 2 Bison field goals over the final 11 minutes of the game, the Red Flash, behind Umar Shannon pulled away from Bucknell to secure their 4th victory of the season. Despite shooting just 11-22 from the free throw line, the Red Flash were able to hold Bucknell to just 18-55 from the field, securing their win.

The Red Flash were led in scoring by Will Felder and Umar Shannon with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Again, the Red Flash used their bench to support a strong starting 5, with 17 bench points and 9 rebounds. Storm Stanley of the Red Flash also notched 7 points and 10 rebounds.

Bucknell were led by star guards Bryson Johnson and Darryl Shazier, who scored 18 a piece. The Bison were never able to heat up in the second half, shooting just 6-20 from three, with only 10 assists.

 

[Pitty]

Red Flash Top Conference Favorites Robert Morris 65-59​

Pittsburgh, PA (AP) - Returning to his former stomping grounds, St. Francis Head Coach Brandin Knight used a stiff matchup Man-to-Man to shut down Pre-Season Conference Player of the Year Karon Abraham and the Robert Morris Colonials in his NEC debut. Abraham, who averages 18.1 points and 2.6 assists per contest scored near his averages with 17 points and 6 assists, however he did so on just 7-18, including a 2-11 second half, and 6 assists, with 5 turnovers. Behind these mistakes, St. Francis was able to maintain a 5-7 point lead for most of the contest, putting the Colonials away with a Will Felder layup with just 48 seconds remaning.

The Red Flash were led by Sophomore Forward Will Felder, who scored 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while playing with a sore knee. Umar Shannon also contributed 3 points, while Storm Stanley took in 10 points and 9 rebounds. With the solid play of Stanley (6.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) the Red Flash have used their rebounding advantage to jump to a 6-2 start this season.

The Colonials were led by Sophomore Abraham, with 17 points and Senior Gary Wallace with 12 points. Freshman Forward Yann Charles added 5 points and 7 rebounds on 2-2 shooting. The Colonials were out-rebounded 33-29.

 

[Golden Taters]

I'll follow this shit, how's your recruiting going?

 

[Pitty]

Knight Signs First Recruit, Targets International Players​

Loretta, PA (AP) - Today St. Francis Head Coach Brandin Knight announced his first signing of the 2010-2011 Recruiting Class. The Red Flash, with 4 open scholarships had been pursuing some high talent recruits in the top 200 before backing off during the early signing week. Still, Knight was able to secure the services of one player for next season, 7'2" Center W.B. Bynum. Bynum, a raw Center prospect was grade 2 stars by Scout.com and is unranked in the 2011 class.

Bynum, who is considered a very raw prospect, will likely play few minutes his freshman season, although his size makes him an always viable option in the NEC conference as 7'2" will put him among the tallest players in the league.

Along with Bynum, Knight is targeting a few other players still left after the Early LOI week. Atop the Red Flash list are two foreign wing players, SF Christano Ngounou from Cameroon and Ben Diawara from Senegal. Both players have excellent mid-outside range and would be likely starters from day one in Loretta. The players are cautious about joining the Red Flash, whom they believe to be a small program, however due to qualification roadblocks may have to turn to St. Francis to play in the states.

Signed Recruits

-W.B. Bynum - **, C- Shot, C- Dunk, C Pass, C+ Spd, C- STA

2011 Recruiting Targets
Gene McCully, 36% - ***, #81 SF, #386 OVR
Ben Diawara, 41% - ***, World Recruit - Senegal
Christano Ngounou, 41% - ***, World Recruit - Cameroon
Harry Goodrich, 43% - **, #50 C, #462 OVR

 

[Golden Taters]

Your starting center now is only 59ovr so he could possibly be rated higher than him as a freshman.

 

[Pitty]

Your starting center now is only 59ovr so he could possibly be rated higher than him as a freshman.

I've seen two star recruits around 50~ overall, and this guy's scouting report looked pretty grim, mostly C's and D's. He could very well be in the 40's, I just need the size.

 

[Cody]

Following. Sweet and short just how I like it.

 

[Pitty]

Duquesne Takes Care of Red Flash 75-67​

Pittsburgh, PA (AP) - The Dukes used a strong opening half to put down the pesky St. Francis Red Flash, winning 75-67. Opening up a 36-24 half time lead behind strong outside shooting, the Dukes were never threatened by St. Francis, who trailed most of the game. Duquesne was led by Eric Evans, Sean Johnson, and Bill Clark who combined for 53 points. St. Francis was led by Sophomore Forward Will Felder, with 25 points on 10-19 from the floor.

The Dukes gave particular trouble to St. Francis guard Umar Shannon who shot just 2-17 from the field and 1-10 from three point range. Shannon was quoted after the game, "I was feeling down with the flu, but I'm totally to blame for this performance, pathetic." Shannon's performance, easily his worst of the season, came just two games after shutting down NEC star Karon Abraham while scoring 13 points in their league opening win over Robert Morris.

 

[packersfan4eva]

Tough loss to the Dukes, I'm following for sure.

 

[Pitty]

Quinnipiac Tops St. Francis On Buzzer Beater 66-65

Loretta, PA (AP) - Leading by 7, 65-58, with just 1:28 left in the game, the St. Francis Red Flash were unable to handle a flurry of offense from Quinnipiac, culminating in a buzzer beating 3 pointer from Guard James Johnson that handed the Red Flash their first Conference loss of the season. St. Francis, who trailed 26-21 at half time opened the second period on a strong run, leading by as many as 11 points before falling apart in the waning minutes.

The Red Flash were led by Sophomore Will Felder with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Other double digit scorers were Umar Shannon and Storm Stanley with 10 a piece. Stanley also notched another double double on the season with 11 rebounds. Stanley is now averaging 6.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Quinnipiac were saved by James Johnson, but their starters took control of the game, with 4 starters scoring in double figures to go along with 20 team assists. Behind their strong passing and choice shot selection, they pulled out a big win over the Red Flash.

 

[Pitty]

Blue Devils Top Red Flash 86-79​

New Britain, CT (AP) - Central Connecticut State used a strong second half run to put away the St. Francis Red Flash 86-79. Losing their second straight contest, the Red Flash were unable to contain CCSU guard Robby Ptacek, who scored 28 points on 9-19 from the field. St. Francis were led by Will Felder with 29 points, yet were unable to overcome 10 turnovers and 6-18 three point shooting.

Along with Felder, the only other Red Flash member to score in double figures was Umar Shannon with 16 points, on just 6-20 shooting. Storm Stanley also contributed 18 rebounds. Central Connecticut had strong performances from their backcourt, combining for 70 of their points and 14 assists.

Red Flash Sweep Robert Morris, 88-60​

Loretta, PA (AP) - Behind 55 combined points from Umar Shannon and Will Felder, the St. Francis completed a seasons sweep of the projected NEC Champions, winning 88-60. Despite 28 points from star guard Karon Abraham, the Colonials were unable to overcome 14 turnovers and a 31-23 rebounding disadvantage.

The Red Flash were led in scoring by forward Will Felder with 31, and guard Umar Shannon with 24 points. Storm Stanley, Mislav Jukic, and Felder also combined for 24 St. Francis rebounds, 3 more than the entire Robert Morris team.

Robert Morris struggled in main part due to Karon Abraham's poor decisions running the offense, turning the ball over 7 times. Also, allowing 21 St. Francis free throw attempts sealed the door on a Robert Morris comeback, with the Red Flash running away in the second half.

 

[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​