2025–26 Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball team

2025–26 Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record7–24 (5–13 NEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachDevin Sweetney
Assistant coaches
  • Tanner Massey
  • Kyle Polce
Home arenaDeGol Arena
2025–26 NEC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
LIU † 15 – 3   .833 24 – 11   .686
Central Connecticut 12 – 6   .667 18 – 12   .600
Mercyhurst * 10 – 8   .556 17 – 17   .500
Le Moyne * 10 – 8   .556 15 – 17   .469
New Haven ** 9 – 9   .500 14 – 17   .452
Stonehill 8 – 10   .444 12 – 21   .364
Fairleigh Dickinson 8 – 10   .444 11 – 21   .344
Wagner 8 – 10   .444 14 – 17   .452
Chicago State 5 – 13   .278 7 – 25   .219
Saint Francis 5 – 13   .278 7 – 24   .226
† 2026 NEC tournament winner
* ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II

The 2025–26 Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball team represented Saint Francis University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Red Flash, led by first-year head coach Luke McConnell, played their home games at the DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pennsylvania in their final season as members of the Northeast Conference.

This season was Saint Francis' last as an NCAA Division I member, as on March 25, 2025, the school announced that it would start reclassification to NCAA Division III in July of 2026, joining the Presidents' Athletic Conference.[1]

Eight of the conference's ten teams would qualify for the tournament. New Haven is ineligible for the tournament due to their transition from Division II. [2][3] The Red Flash finished 5–13 and in tenth (last) place in the conference standings. Thus, they finished off their final Division I season by missing the NEC tournament and in turn being eliminated from making the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Previous season

The Red Flash finished the 2024–25 season 16–18, 8–8 in NEC play, to finish in a tie for fourth place.[4] They defeated Wagner,[5] LIU,[6] and upset top-seeded Central Connecticut in the NEC tournament championship game, earning the Red Flash just their second ever NCAA tournament appearance, and their first since 1991.[7] In the NCAA tournament, they would receive the #16 seed in the South Region,[8] where they would be defeated by fellow #16 seed Alabama State in the First Four.[9]

Shortly after their aforementioned move to DIII, head coach Rob Krimmel announced that he would be retiring from coaching after 13 seasons with the team, with associate head coach Luke McConnell being named Krimmel's successor.[10]

Preseason

On October 27, 2025, the NEC released their preseason coaches poll. Saint Francis was picked to finish seventh in the conference.[11]

Preseason rankings

NEC Preseason Poll
Place Team
1 LIU*
2 Central Connecticut
3 Stonehill
4 Mercyhurst
5 Fairleigh Dickinson
6 Chicago State
7 Saint Francis
8 Wagner
9 Le Moyne
10 New Haven
(*) Unanimous selection

Source:[11]

Preseason All-NEC Team

No players were named to the All-NEC Preseason Team.[12]

Roster

2025–26 Saint Francis Red Flash men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Chris Moncrief 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Evansville Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania
G 1 KJ Swain Jr. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) RS Sr Cincinnati Christian Schools Hamilton, Ohio
G 2 Zion Russell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Niagara Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G 3 Brandon Russell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Archbishop Ryan High School Hamilton, New Jersey
G/F 4 Ralph Martino Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Maryland Eastern Shore Lanham, Maryland
G 7 Paris Papadatos 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Fr St. Thomas Aquinas High School Alimos, Greece
G/F 8 Skylar Wicks 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr UTSA Jersey City, New Jersey
G 11 Melvin Weaver III 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Hampton Unionville, Connecticut
F 13 Kam Wylie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Mt. Zion Preparatory Academy Baltimore, Maryland
G 15 Victor Payne 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Cromwell High School Cromwell, Connecticut
F 20 Cam Tweedy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Fairleigh Dickinson Waldorf, Maryland
F 21 Gestin Liberis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr George School Havertown, Pennsylvania
G 22 Ryen Gresko 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Penns Manor High School Penn Run, Pennsylvania
G 24 Carson Rhodes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Hollidaysburg Area High School Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania
G 30 Trey Weiand 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Trinity High School Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
C 32 Kofi Asare 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Orion International Academy Bradwell, England
G 33 Brandon Rabish 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Fr Penn Cambria High School Cresson, Pennsylvania
G 55 Ahmad Harrison 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Notre Dame (MD) Baltimore, Maryland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 18, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
8:30 pm, SECN+ 		at Oklahoma L 66–102  0–1
  20 – Wicks   5 – Tied   3 – Wicks  Lloyd Noble Center (6,476)
Norman, OK
November 6, 2025*
8:00 pm, TNT/TruTV 		at TCU L 63–104  0–2
  18 – Wicks   6 – Wicks   5 – Liberis  Schollmaier Arena (4,432)
Fort Worth, TX
November 11, 2025*
7:00 pm, NECFR 		Mount St. Mary's L 66–74  0–3
  23 – Russell   13 – Wicks   4 – Russell  DeGol Arena (827)
Loretto, PA
November 18, 2025*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Lehigh L 62–79  0–4
  24 – Wicks   12 – Wicks   5 – Russell  Stabler Arena (572)
Bethlehem, PA
November 24, 2025*
1:30 pm, FloCollege 		vs. Belmont
Coconut Hoops Royal Palm Division 		L 57–94  0–5
  17 – Harrison   7 – Wicks   3 – Martino Jr.  Alico Arena (212)
Fort Myers, FL
November 26, 2025*
11:00 am, FloCollege 		vs. Troy
Coconut Hoops Royal Palm Division 		L 64–74  0–6
  21 – Wicks   9 – Wicks   3 – Wicks  Alico Arena (101)
Fort Myers, FL
November 29, 2025*
2:00 pm, NECFR 		Franciscan W 85–60  1–6
  16 – Liberis   10 – Liberis   6 – Harrison  DeGol Arena (384)
Loretto, PA
December 1, 2025*
7:00 pm, truTV 		at Xavier L 74–96  1–7
  19 – Wicks   8 – Russell   6 – Wicks  Cintas Center (9,143)
Cincinnati, OH
December 3, 2025*
7:00 pm, NECFR 		Penn State Shenango W 100–41  2–7
  19 – Papadatos   10 – Liberis   7 – Swain Jr.  DeGol Arena (665)
Loretto, PA
December 7, 2025*
2:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Radford L 56–89  2–8
  15 – Papadatos   6 – Russell   2 – Tied  Dedmon Center (924)
Radford, VA
December 14, 2025*
12:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Temple L 67–95  2–9
  22 – Wicks   6 – Tied   7 – Russell  Liacouras Center (2,043)
Philadelphia, PA
December 17, 2025*
6:30 pm, SECN 		at No. 23 Florida L 61–102  2–10
  22 – Wicks   5 – Russell   3 – Russell  O'Connell Center (9,023)
Gainesville, FL
December 20, 2025*
1:00 pm, NECFR 		Robert Morris L 70–79  2–11
  19 – Wicks   8 – Wicks   4 – Wicks  DeGol Arena (385)
Loretto, PA
NEC regular season
January 2, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		Le Moyne L 58–84  2–12
(0–1) 		 12 – Russell   7 – Wicks   5 – Russell  DeGol Arena (375)
Loretto, PA
January 4, 2026
4:00 pm, NECFR 		Fairleigh Dickinson W 85–82  3–12
(1–1) 		 24 – Wicks   6 – Wicks   6 – Harrison  DeGol Arena (381)
Loretto, PA
January 8, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		at Wagner W 71–69  4–12
(2–1) 		 16 – Harrison   9 – Wicks   7 – Wicks  Spiro Sports Center (689)
Staten Island, NY
January 10, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR 		at LIU L 63–67  4–13
(2–2) 		 21 – Wicks   4 – Tied   3 – Russell  Steinberg Wellness Center (224)
Brooklyn, NY
January 17, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR 		Central Connecticut L 90–98  4–14
(2–3) 		 17 – Harrison   9 – Liberis   7 – Harrison  DeGol Arena (768)
Loretto, PA
January 19, 2026
12:00 pm, NECFR 		Stonehill W 63–61  5–14
(3–3) 		 16 – Harrison   8 – Wicks   2 – Tied  DeGol Arena (674)
Loretto, PA
January 23, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		Chicago State W 81–60  6–14
(4–3) 		 20 – Wicks   11 – Wicks   8 – Harrison  DeGol Arena (703)
Loretto, PA
January 31, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		New Haven L 69–81  6–15
(4–4) 		 16 – Harrison   7 – Wicks   5 – Liberis  DeGol Arena (709)
Loretto, PA
February 5, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		at Mercyhurst L 89–98  6–16
(4–5) 		 22 – Moncrief   7 – Wicks   6 – Tied  Owen McCormick Court (932)
Erie, PA
February 7, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR 		at Le Moyne L 84–86  6–17
(4–6) 		 27 – Wicks   7 – Tied   5 – Moncrief  Ted Grant Court (586)
DeWitt, NY
February 9, 2026[a]
3:00 pm, NECFR 		at Chicago State L 75–80  6–18
(4–7) 		 23 – Russell   11 – Tweedy   5 – Russell  Jones Convocation Center (27)
Chicago, IL
February 12, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		at Fairleigh Dickinson L 59–66  6–19
(4–8) 		 14 – Moncrief   7 – Tied   3 – Harrison  Bogota Savings Bank Center (796)
Hackensack, NJ
February 14, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR 		Mercyhurst L 79–94  6–20
(4–9) 		 33 – Wicks   5 – Wicks   5 – Wicks  DeGol Arena (910)
Loretto, PA
February 19, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		LIU L 89–91  6–21
(4–10) 		 25 – Wicks   8 – Liberis   7 – Russell  DeGol Arena (771)
Loretto, PA
February 21, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR 		Wagner L 56–65  6–22
(4–11) 		 21 – Russell   6 – Russell   5 – Harrison  DeGol Arena (1,068)
Loretto, PA
February 24, 2026[b]
6:00 pm, NECFR 		at New Haven W 73–67  7–22
(5–11) 		 19 – Liberis   9 – Liberis   3 – Russell  Hazell Center (50)
West Haven, CT
February 26, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR 		at Stonehill L 77–103  7–23
(5–12) 		 22 – Wicks   6 – Liberis   4 – Wicks  Merkert Gymnasium (307)
Easton, MA
February 28, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR 		at Central Connecticut L 64–69  7–24
(5–13) 		 16 – Moncrief   11 – Liberis   6 – Wicks  William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,018)
New Britain, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[15][16]

Notes

  1. ^ Originally scheduled for January 29[13]
  2. ^ Originally scheduled for January 25[14]

References

  1. ^ "Saint Francis announces move from Division I to Division III". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  2. ^ "2026 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  3. ^ "NEC Men's Basketball Tiebreaker Procedure". Northeast Conference. February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "Parker leads St. Francis over Wagner 58-55 in Northeast Conference Tournament". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Cranford and Saint Francis (PA) defeat LIU in Northeast Conference Tournament 71-68". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "St. Francis beats Central Connecticut State to win NEC tournament". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for the 2025 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "Alabama State takes down Saint Francis, now set to face Auburn". WVTM-TV. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  10. ^ "Krimmel 'at peace' in retiring". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  12. ^ "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  13. ^ https://sfuathletics.com/news/2026/1/28/saint-francis-mens-basketball-game-at-chicago-state-postponed.aspx
  14. ^ https://sfuathletics.com/news/2026/1/29/saint-francis-mens-basketball-announces-new-haven-game-rescheduled-for-february-24.aspx
  15. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Saint Francis University Athletics. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  16. ^ "Saint Francis Red Flash 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
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