Saint Francis, dancing again after 34 years, was 'the hottest ticket in town'
When it comes to the NCAA March Madness tournament, there are always intriguing storylines that come out of mid-major programs some who will have the chance to play on the biggest stage this season.
One of the team’s in this year’s tournament is Saint Francis University, which will be making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1991 when current Sewickley Academy basketball head coach Mike Iuzzolino was a player on the team.
Iuzzolino, who played two seasons with Saint Francis, had a chance to reflect on the program’s berth in the NCAA tournament as he prepares his team for a state semifinal playoff this weekend.
“I can’t be more excited and happy for St. Francis and head coach [Rob] Krimmel,” Iuzzolino said. “He has been coaching there a long time and has a great program. He has been to a lot of conference championship games, and he finally got over the hump and made it.”
It might have been 34 years since Iuzzolino graduated from Saint Francis, but the coach has kept tabs on his alma mater especially during his time as an assistant and associate head coach at Robert Morris from 2016-24 when the team was in Northeast Conference.
The coach knows what it takes to win an NEC championship after helping guide Robert Morris to a conference title in the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach before the COVID-19 pandemic subsequently ended the college basketball season.
“They won two big games against No. 2 seed Long Island University and No. 1 seed Central Connecticut State University in the NEC tournament on the road, which is not easy to do,” Iuzzolino said. “They earned their spot, and I am sure that they are going to have an awesome experience the next couple of days.”
The last time the Red Flash were in the NCAA tournament, Iuzzolino was a senior in college leading the team in scoring averaging 24.1 points per game while also being named the NEC’s player of the year in that season.
The Red Flash, who were the No. 15 seed in the tournament, went on to face No. 2 Arizona in the first round falling 93-80.
Iuzzolino, who grew up close to the Saint Francis campus in Altoona, still has fond memories of that season getting to play in front of a packed house at DeGol Arena each night.
“The great thing about that team was how the community rallied around us,” Iuzzolino said. “With me being so close to campus, the coaching staff did a great job with getting everyone to come to games. Every night during that run, it was sold out, and it was the hottest ticket in town.”
Saint Francis will face Alabama State in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. with the winner facing Auburn on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Former Saint Francis guard Mike Iuzzolino reflects on NCAA tournament berth
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