St. Francis (PA)
It was a chutes and ladders season once again for head coach Bobby Jones and his St. Francis (PA) team in 2004-05 - up at home, down on the road. The Red Flash enjoyed a distinct home court advantage, as St. Francis finished with an 11-2 mark at the Stokes Center, including wins over NCAA-bound Ohio and Fairleigh Dickinson. But it was a different story on the road, however, as St. Francis struggled to a 4-11 mark, despite a terrific early season win at Bucknell, which went on to upset Kansas in first round NCAA play. So despite posting a 21-3 record at home the last two years, and 30-7 mark over the past three years - both are the best in the NEC over the respective time frames - the Red Flash have finished tied for fourth place in each of the last three seasons. Jones hopes to reverse this trend in 2005-06 with a slew of new talent making its debut, one or more of whom he hopes can replace Darshan Luckey, the cornerstone of the program the last three seasons. Luckey, a former NEC Rookie of the Year and two- time all-NEC award winner, decided to forego his final season of eligibility after graduating last spring. A dominant offensive force in the conference during his time in Loretto, he finished his career 18th on the all-time conference scoring list and fifth on the St. Francis chart with 1,699 points. Along with Luckey (21.5 ppg in 2004-05), the departure of Jason Osborne - the Red Flash?s second leading scorer (12.5 ppg) and top rebounder (6.2 rpg) - along with defensive stopper Joey Goodson and sixth man Rodney Gibson, hastened the need for Jones to retool the lineup, though he does bring back a proven backcourt in seniors Garrett Farha and Rahsaan Benton. In his first year with the Red Flash, Farha was exactly the type of creative playmaker Jones had envisioned when he plucked the 5-10 point guard from the JUCO ranks. A pinpoint passer who pushes the ball in transition and excels in feeding the post, Farha led the NEC with 6.9 apg and a 2.28:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His ability to take defenders off the dribble also stems in part from the respect he commands as a shooter as Farha also ranked first in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (.467). One of the prime beneficiaries of Farha?s drive-and-kick mentality is Benton (11.4 ppg), whose smooth stroke from the outside resulted in a team-high 57 trifectas - including eight in a game against Wagner last January - on the season. In the paint, Jones expects 6-10 junior center J.R. Enright to make major strides in his game this season. After transferring from Nebraska, Enright (3.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg) showed a nice touch from mid-range and with the departure of so many veteran players, should receive more touches on offense. Senior forward Winston Robinson, as well as sophomore guard Darnell Evans, who sat out last season with injuries, will also be given a chance to contribute. With Benton the team?s only returning double figure scorer, the Red Flash?s relative success this year will rest in the hands of the program?s seven newcomers. Jones addressed a number of needs with the incoming class, the most obvious of which is bolstering the team?s depleted frontcourt. To that end, 6-6 forward Jelani Lawrence, a transfer from South Plains CC who began his career at UNC-Greensboro, should challenge for a starting spot. Also in the mix up front will be 6-6 swingman Devin Sweetney, a Maryland native with an impressive all-around game who is the cousin of current New York Knick Mike Sweetney The Red Flash may be able to create matchup problems in the backcourt with the signing of 6-5 Grant Suprenant and 6-5 Stephen Profeta. Suprenant is another Chicago area product who enjoyed a terrific scholastic career, while Profeta comes from the Pittsburgh high school ranks. Serving as understudies to Farha at the point this season will be LaShawn Hammett, a Bronx native who was conference Player of the Year in each of his two seasons at Luzerne CC, and Marquis Ford, a two-time all-County player from St. Petersburg.
St. Francis (PA) By The Numbers
Quick Facts
2004-05 Overall Record: 15-13
2004-05 NEC Record/Finish: 10-8/Tie-4th
NEC Tournament Finish: Lost In QF
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/6
2004-05 Final RPI: 248
Games Decided By 5 or Less: 3-1
NEC Record
Last Two Years: 20-16 (.556)
Last Three Years 30-24 (.556)
Last Four Years: 35-39 (.473)
Last Five Years: 44-50 (.468)
Overall Record
Last Two Years: 28-28 (.500)
Last Three Years 42-42 (.500)
Last Four Years: 48-63 (.432)
Last Five Years: 57-81 (.413)
Leading Returning Scorers
Rahsaan Benton: 11.4 ppg
Garrett Farha: 5.9 ppg
J.R. Enright: 3.7 ppg
Leading Returning Rebounders
Garrett Farha: 3.1 rpg
Winston Robinson: 2.2 rpg
Rahsaan Benton: 2.1 rpg
Leading Returning Assists
Garrett Farha: 6.9 apg
Rahsaan Benton: 1.8 apg
Cale Nelson: 0.9 apg
