Release via the NABC:

KANSAS CITY – Saint Francis University head men's basketball coach Rob Krimmel has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Guardians of the Game Award for Service presented by CoPeace from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
 
Krimmel will receive the award at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Awards Show on Sunday, April 5, in Atlanta as part of the NABC Convention and the NCAA Men's Final Four®.  The show is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Sidney Marcus Auditorium in the Georgia World Congress Center.
 
Having spent more than half of his life as a player and coach at Saint Francis, Krimmel has had quite an impact on a university with a larger undergraduate enrollment (1,726) than residents (1,255) of its location in Loretto, Pa.
 
As a four-year player for the Red Flash, he was a three-year starter and two-time co-captain who led the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (43.5) as a senior and ranks fifth (39.8) on the school's all-time list in that category.  Krimmel was the NEC men's basketball scholar athlete of the year as a senior and a two-time Academic All-America selection by ESPN The Magazine.
 
A member of the men's basketball staff following graduation, Krimmel was named the 21^st head coach in the school's history in April of 2012. Over the last seven seasons he has put the Red Flash on an upward projectory with three trips to the conference semifinals, two appearances in the NEC championship game and a berth in the NIT in 2019.
 
Krimmel's success at Saint Francis hasn't been limited to his team or the Saint Francis community.  He is in his eighth season as a head coach with the same number of years as a champion for Stay In To Win, a program presented to middle school aged children with a focus on student success and dropout prevention. The program is sponsored by the NABC.
 
"I became involved after receiving a call from program director Al Foderaro from a reference provided by my friend and Lehigh head coach Brett Reed," said Krimmel. "We started as a team working with students at Altoona Junior High School in 2013 and it has grown each year."
 
While the program is focused on the young students, it has been beneficial for the Saint Francis players as well.
 
"This program has provided an opportunity for the players to speak to a large group of students about their own experiences and shape some of their own beliefs," Krimmel said. "They share a wide range of skills and interest with the middle schoolers, including working on academic skills and the importance of an education."
 
"Rob has served as a positive role model to his players by actively participating in the presentation of the Stay in to Win program to over 4,200 Altoona Junior High School students, who have benefited from learning about the Keys to Student Success from Rob and his players," said Foderaro. "When it comes to a coach who has truly been supportive of the Stay in to Win program, Rob is certainly a loyal participant, one who represents the NABC and the coaching community in an extremely positive way on the court and within his community."
 
Krimmel noted a number of success stories for the Stay in To Win program in messages and thank you notes from the young students.
 
"It's interesting to see what messages we provided had the most impact and the notes are very rewarding for our coaches and players," said Krimmel.
 
The Red Flash team joined TEAM IMPACT early in February 2014, just as it was making a turn and showing great improvement on the basketball court.  TEAM IMPACT is a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes.  Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those children by establishing and expanding vibrant team-based support networks.
 
Saint Francis signed 12-year old Jorden McClure to their men's basketball team.  Jorden, afflicted with Larsen's Syndrome, a disorder of the development of the bones, wore number 43 at his first game as a member of the Red Flash when he was introduced to a standing ovation at Gol Arena as a member of the starting lineup.
 
"We have had a birthday party for Jorden and he has come to home and away games," Krimmel said. "He's now a senior in high school and may well follow in the tradition of his mother and sister, both graduates of Saint Francis, when he makes his college choice."
 
 
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas.  Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game.  The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches.  All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes.  The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.  Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (1-8-20) – Saint Francis University head men's basketball coach Rob Krimmel has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Guardians of the Game Award for Service presented by CoPeace from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
 
Krimmel will receive the award at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Awards Show on Sunday, April 5, in Atlanta as part of the NABC Convention and the NCAA Men's Final Four®.  The show is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Sidney Marcus Auditorium in the Georgia World Congress Center.
 
Having spent more than half of his life as a player and coach at Saint Francis, Krimmel has had quite an impact on a university with a larger undergraduate enrollment (1,726) than residents (1,255) of its location in Loretto, Pa.
 
As a four-year player for the Red Flash, he was a three-year starter and two-time co-captain who led the Northeast Conference in three-point field goal percentage (43.5) as a senior and ranks fifth (39.8) on the school's all-time list in that category.  Krimmel was the NEC men's basketball scholar athlete of the year as a senior and a two-time Academic All-America selection by ESPN The Magazine.
 
A member of the men's basketball staff following graduation, Krimmel was named the 21^st head coach in the school's history in April of 2012. Over the last seven seasons he has put the Red Flash on an upward projectory with three trips to the conference semifinals, two appearances in the NEC championship game and a berth in the NIT in 2019.
 
Krimmel's success at Saint Francis hasn't been limited to his team or the Saint Francis community.  He is in his eighth season as a head coach with the same number of years as a champion for Stay In To Win, a program presented to middle school aged children with a focus on student success and dropout prevention. The program is sponsored by the NABC.
 
"I became involved after receiving a call from program director Al Foderaro from a reference provided by my friend and Lehigh head coach Brett Reed," said Krimmel. "We started as a team working with students at Altoona Junior High School in 2013 and it has grown each year."
 
While the program is focused on the young students, it has been beneficial for the Saint Francis players as well.
 
"This program has provided an opportunity for the players to speak to a large group of students about their own experiences and shape some of their own beliefs," Krimmel said. "They share a wide range of skills and interest with the middle schoolers, including working on academic skills and the importance of an education."
 
"Rob has served as a positive role model to his players by actively participating in the presentation of the Stay in to Win program to over 4,200 Altoona Junior High School students, who have benefited from learning about the Keys to Student Success from Rob and his players," said Foderaro. "When it comes to a coach who has truly been supportive of the Stay in to Win program, Rob is certainly a loyal participant, one who represents the NABC and the coaching community in an extremely positive way on the court and within his community."
 
Krimmel noted a number of success stories for the Stay in To Win program in messages and thank you notes from the young students.
 
"It's interesting to see what messages we provided had the most impact and the notes are very rewarding for our coaches and players," said Krimmel.
 
The Red Flash team joined TEAM IMPACT early in February 2014, just as it was making a turn and showing great improvement on the basketball court.  TEAM IMPACT is a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes.  Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those children by establishing and expanding vibrant team-based support networks.
 
Saint Francis signed 12-year old Jorden McClure to their men's basketball team.  Jorden, afflicted with Larsen's Syndrome, a disorder of the development of the bones, wore number 43 at his first game as a member of the Red Flash when he was introduced to a standing ovation at Gol Arena as a member of the starting lineup.
 
"We have had a birthday party for Jorden and he has come to home and away games," Krimmel said. "He's now a senior in high school and may well follow in the tradition of his mother and sister, both graduates of Saint Francis, when he makes his college choice."
 
 
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest "Phog" Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas.  Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game.  The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches.  All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes.  The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.  Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.