The Dominican Republic continues to cultivate optimal young talents around the globe that have the potential to represent them in the world stage. First, it was Luis Felipe López and Francisco “El Flaco” García. Then, Edgar Sosa and Charlie Villanueva and, more recently, Al Horford and Karl Anthony Towns as NBA starts.

All sights are now set on NCAA's collegiate basketball, specifically at Texas Tech, where senior player Brandone Francis has been outstanding for the last couple of years, demonstrating that the Dominican generational change is well on its way.

The 6’5” and 215 lbs. shooting guard was born in La Romana and is a key piece for his team's journey up to the Final Four Championship after a regular season with a 31-6 record. Francis was responsible for 6 points and 2 rebounds per game for the Red Raiders in 2019. With a solid defense presence, he’s also left no room for doubt that he has the qualities to contribute to the Dominicans’ interests no matter what cards are shuffled for him.

On Monday, in his last ever college performance, the 24-year-old shooting guard was outstanding, with 17 bench points in a losing game against the University of Virginia. On occasions Francis seemed to be the strongest man in the court, something that helps him when the time comes to create the offense to go in near the basket, which is an asset that adds to his graceful long-distance shot and his defensive strength.

“Brandone Francis is a very talented player,” said Fedombal President Rafael Uribe to FIBA.basketball. “He started to pave his way in a camp that Al Horford organized in the city of Santo Domingo. He's a young guy that has a lot of international presence, we hope that he's there [with the national team] for the Pan American Games. We, the Federation, have yet to see [all] his potential, because he has a great potential and a great future.”

When searching the FIBA archives, there’s evidence that Francis had already showcased his value in the youth national team. In 2011, with just 16 years of age, he offered a major offensive display during the U17 Centrobasket, where he averaged 16.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Francis also wore the Dominican jersey during the 2013 Jenaro “Tuto” Marchand Cup.

Brandone Edward Francis Ramírez (the baller's whole name) moved to Texas in 2016 after a rookie year with the University of Florida, which took away one year from his collegiate career. He stood out in his high school in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was considered among the best 35 prospects of 2014. His father also played basketball in Boston College in the 80’s.

Francis is a testimony of the hard work that Fedombal has been making to popularizing and developing basketball in the Caribbean nation and establishing themselves as world leaders.

FIBA
Photo - Texas Tech