In mid-March the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash had an opportunity to do something every small D-1 college basketball program dreams of: play in an NCAA tournament game. They ended up losing a heartbreaking, 70-68, decision to Alabama State in a First Four game in Dayton. It was still a huge moment for the program and a classic game that highlighted the beauty of the First Four games.
It was also probably the last time — at least for the foreseeable future — that St. Francis will ever have that opportunity.
Exactly one week later, the program made the shocking announcement on Tuesday that it is dropping from Division I athletics all the way down to Division III.
The primary reason given: The changing college sports landscape that is now being driven by NIL and the transfer portal.
Here is what school chairman Rev. Joseph Lehman said in the school’s statement regarding the decision:
“This was not an easy nor a quick decision for the Board of Trustees. The governance associated with intercollegiate athletics has always been complicated and is only growing in complexity based on realities like the transfer portal, pay-for-play, and other shifts that move athletics away from love of the game. For that reason, as a Board, we aim to best provide resources and support to our student-athletes in this changing environment that aligns with our mission, Catholic institution, and our community’s expectations.”
In a lot of ways, it is understandable for a school like St. Francis.
It was always one of the smaller D-I schools, and in 2024, it had fewer than 2,000 students enrolled. It is also located in the small town of Loretto, Pennsylvania, with a population of just 1,168 people, and is hours away from another major city. Pittsburgh is roughly two hours away, while Philadelphia is four hours away. It doesn’t have the money or name-brand power to attract players, it’s not in an ideal location, it doesn’t have the facilities to compete with power schools and success has always been difficult to come by.
Despite being a D-I basketball school since the mid-1950s, this year’s tournament appearance was only the second in program history (having also gone during the 1990-91 season). It did not win a game in either appearance.
The only reason the Red Flash made it this season is because they went on a completely unexpected conference tournament run to win the NEC title. They had a losing record during the regular season (16-17) and have not actually had a winning record since winning 22 games during the 2019-20 season. Overall the program has had just six winning seasons since the 1990-91 season.
The bigger-picture question is if other smaller schools in St. Francis’ position will follow a similar path.
The lack of upsets in this year’s tournament is already being attributed to the NIL and transfer portal landscape, making it nearly impossible for smaller schools to keep the type of high-end talent who can swing a game and lead to a Cinderella-type run through the tournament.
St. Francis (PA) could just be the tip of the iceberg for what is about to happen in college sports with smaller schools.
