Krimmel forced to ‘hit reset button’ at Saint Francis
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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
Rob Krimmel's parents dropped him off at Saint Francis in 1996 -- 27 years ago -- and he never left.
He's respected as an ideal fit who has provided stability to what anyone in the college basketball world knows is a difficult job.
Krimmel had the program on an uphill trajectory, posting four straight non-losing seasons -- 17-17, 18-13, 18-15 and 22-10 from 2017 through 2020 -- before COVID took a serious toll.
In part because he's selective on recruiting players who can adjust to Loretto, in part because most of them had no other Division I offers, Krimmel and his staff weren't gutted by the transfer portal.
Until this year when, combined in some cases with NIL offerings, seven players, including 6-foot-10 Northeast Conference player of the year Josh Cohen, bolted.
It was a gut punch to Krimmel, who prides himself on relationships.
"When you put your heart and soul into something and commit to a family and a young man ... I want to see them exhaust their eligibility at Saint Francis," Krimmel was saying over lunch Thursday. "I know the landscape has changed and decisions have to be made that are in the best interest of the kid, but it does become disappointing. I've come to accept the fact that things have changed pretty quickly.
Covid added an extra year of flexibility for athletes. In Cohen's case, he clearly had multiple opportunities developing as multiple visits were arranged shortly after the season ended, and he landed at Massachusetts.
Krimmel doesn't begrudge Cohen, who only needs one more class to graduate, but "the impact he had on the program and the progress he made" triggered an inevitable transition.
Six other players, including key contributors Maxwell Land, Landon Moore and Brad McCabe, followed.
"We probably lost more (transfers) this year than in the previous 10 years combined," Krimmel said.
The State College native admitted it forced him to "look at yourself in the mirror. You feel like as a coach, did I not do everything I needed to do? What do we need to do better? That's the adjustment period we're working through now. It's a question we haven't had to confront."
Though it was especially difficult to swallow the departures of double-figure scorers who were underclassmen, Krimmel is trying "not to wallow in your miseries."
While he'll explore the portal and has taken one transfer so far, he will remain true to his core values and build through high school recruiting.
"At the heart of what I believe college is about, it's a four-year experience," he said. "And it's about relationships and development, and development isn't a short-term word. It involves time. It takes disappointment and success."
Compounding his end-of-season frustration was SFU's loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the Northeast Conference semifinal game in which the winner advanced to the NCAA Tournament because the league's regular-season champion was ineligible.
That made Krimmel 0-4 in games with the Big Dance on the line.
"In God's time," he said philosophically. "He'll tell me when I'm ready. Apparently, I wasn't ready before. But that's what you put the jersey on for. That's why I came to Saint Francis. They were fresh off that run in (19)'91. It was still on everybody's mind. That's the ultimate goal. When you step into the locker room and you bring kids together, I know it's on their mind, and it's on my mind.
"You have to put yourself in position to play your best basketball for three games in March. There's a lot of pressure at this level because it's one bid (in NEC). There's no at-large bid."
The disappointment of March behind him, Krimmel has turned the page toward summer camps and ongoing recruiting.
"There are plenty of people that fit Saint Francis, and as a staff, it's our job to find those players," he said. "There's only so many times in life where you hit the reset button, and for us this is an opportunity."
James Downer, Red Flash athletic director, remains a staunch believer.
"When we lost that game to FDU, which was kind of the championship game by default with Merrimack ineligible for the NCAA, so many people (in NEC) told me they were pulling for Rob because they wanted to see him get to the tournament," Downer said. "He's universally looked at as one of the good guys in the game."
Downer acknowledged NIL opportunities at bigger schools are further challenging the Flash.
"A lot of the guys we've recruited aren't the most sought after," he said. "And it's easy for them at the end of the year to say there's a better opportunity. And for some of the money that's floating around out there, we're all cognizant of the fact that if we have children in the same situation, it's going to be hard to turn that down. We have to be realistic regardless of the relationships that are formed, money talks in college athletics. Are we disappointed? Naturally. We had individuals (ie: Cohen) that had a chance to go down as an all-time great here but unfortunately that's not as important as it once was. But the foundation is still there. The program is not falling apart."
Downer said the player exodus "was not an accurate reflection of Rob or his staff or their leadership. Rob is the epitome of a great ambassador of the university -- having been a student-athlete here and having two degrees. He lives and breathes everything that makes up Saint Francis. He's one of if not the best person who can truly characterize what the university is all about."
Having evolved from a student-athlete to a longtime assistant to a husband, head coach and now father of two -- he and his wife, Aileen have two sons, Alex (13) and Thomas (11) -- Krimmel remains committed to a personal and professional mission.
"I'm very fortunate to be the head coach of my alma mater," he said. "The familiarity, with the area, the institution, the people, we talk about understanding the fit, not just basketball but from an academic and social standpoint. I love coaching at Saint Francis because I can still be a dad. Having my parents close, my in-laws relatively close makes my job easier. It allows me to be the best father and family man along with being part of a college basketball fraternity and work to impact the lives of the young men entrusted to me."
Despite the defections, Krimmel still believes in Saint Francis, its history, its potential and his ability to climb the NEC mountain.
Krimmel, whose 144 victories are second in school history behind Skip Hughes' 290, will enter his 12th season.
"When you leave Saint Francis, you're prepared for what's next, and that's probably why there's been disappointment (this year)," he said. "We've seen kids leave and go be a professional -- seeing those young men come back to an alumni event, or see us on the road and enjoy their success. It's been rewarding over the last decade. Even former players that I didn't have the opportunity to coach share that passion for Saint Francis basketball -- you go back to the golden era of the '50s and '60s and the '91 team with Mike (Iuzzolino) and Joe (Anderson) and those guys. There's a lot of tradition and a lot of passion, and for our guys to see that has been special. I want to make this place special."
No matter how long it takes. Krimmel has turned down overtures in the past and doesn't plan to entertain those that may arise in the future.
"I will retire as a basketball coach at Saint Francis," he said. "This is home to me."
Rudel can be reached at 814-946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.