IPRB confirmed from several reliable sources that Rick Pitino has agreed to be the new Head Coach of the Puerto Rico National Team provided both sides can agree to financial terms. A source close to the negotiations confirmed earlier today that,"it could happen some time this week."
This is a huge move for Puerto Rico basketball and he is the most qualified candidate based on the names we have been hearing from various media outlets. Pitino has a record of building programs and teaching players how to play! Nobody will have the team better prepared for this summer. As the rest of the Caribbean and the world for that matter catches up to Puerto Rico this type of move sends a message that they are serious about qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.
Sources close to Dallas Mavs point guard JJ Barea confirmed that he is supportive of this move and that he may have talked with Pitino within the last week. Kudos to Carlos Beltran (Federation President), Ricardo Carrillo ( Federation Vice President) if they can pull this off!
Monday, December 13, 2010
New Trend Emerging In Youth Basketball In Puerto Rico
There is a new trend emerging in youth basketball in Puerto Rico. That trend is seeing players spending more time working on developing their bodies and working with personal trainers versus playing year round. The youth basketball season is year round and players in PR play more basketball from an early age than anywhere in the world. Many of the best players are playing 60-80 games a year and many of them are on concrete.
IPRB spoke to several orthopedic surgeons and sports psychologists who suggested that playing that many games at a young age to lead to injury and players "burning out" in their mid to late teens.
Dr. Joe Carr is a leading sports psychologist who has worked in Puerto Rico and with several NBA teams said, "Kids everywhere are playing to much and not developing their mind, body and spirit. Most of the kids today really don't know how to play the game because they are being taught by coaches who only care about winning. This is especially true in markets like Puerto Rico where the emphasis has been win at all cost. Coaches are under pressure but Club Presidents to win championships versus teaching kids how to play the game."
With the recent success of travel team basketball in Puerto Rico parents are now seeing that the current system may not be the best place to develop an elite player. Said a parent of a 13U player who recently attended an AAU National Championship last summer," To be honest we were completely unaware how much more competitive the basketball is up in the states. The kids are bigger, stronger and faster. The referees let the kids play and there is more contact which our son had to get used to. Coming back to PR and playing Little Lads seemed like a huge waste of time. We have our son working out with a personal trainer."
Parents and players alike must recognize the importance of developing the players' mind and body. A holistic approach to developing a well rounded player who understands the game is the key to success. The final component is academic enrichment and mastery of the English language. So many players from PR never get a chance to leave the island and secure a scholarship because they never learned English. In some of the poorest parts of Puerto Rico where there is tons of talent, it is frowned upon to learn and speak English. Some of the most at risk kids never get a chance to get out of the "hood".
IPRB spoke to several orthopedic surgeons and sports psychologists who suggested that playing that many games at a young age to lead to injury and players "burning out" in their mid to late teens.
Dr. Joe Carr is a leading sports psychologist who has worked in Puerto Rico and with several NBA teams said, "Kids everywhere are playing to much and not developing their mind, body and spirit. Most of the kids today really don't know how to play the game because they are being taught by coaches who only care about winning. This is especially true in markets like Puerto Rico where the emphasis has been win at all cost. Coaches are under pressure but Club Presidents to win championships versus teaching kids how to play the game."
With the recent success of travel team basketball in Puerto Rico parents are now seeing that the current system may not be the best place to develop an elite player. Said a parent of a 13U player who recently attended an AAU National Championship last summer," To be honest we were completely unaware how much more competitive the basketball is up in the states. The kids are bigger, stronger and faster. The referees let the kids play and there is more contact which our son had to get used to. Coming back to PR and playing Little Lads seemed like a huge waste of time. We have our son working out with a personal trainer."
Parents and players alike must recognize the importance of developing the players' mind and body. A holistic approach to developing a well rounded player who understands the game is the key to success. The final component is academic enrichment and mastery of the English language. So many players from PR never get a chance to leave the island and secure a scholarship because they never learned English. In some of the poorest parts of Puerto Rico where there is tons of talent, it is frowned upon to learn and speak English. Some of the most at risk kids never get a chance to get out of the "hood".
Puerto Rico Basketball Federation Focused in Finding Talent for 16U Team
IPRB has learned that the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation will be holding try outs in both New York and Chicago for the 2011 16U team. These tryouts will be held sometime in early January. Recently, several impact players from the New York area including Mike Rosario, Jio Fontan, Devon Collier and Emma Andujar have represented Puerto Rico in FIBA events.
More information on dates and locations once it becomes available.
More information on dates and locations once it becomes available.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Angel Garcia To Play In Spain
IPRB has learned that Angel Garcia will drop out of the University of Memphis to play professionally in Spain. Sources close to the situation suggested that Garcia has been exploring this possibility for quite some time and leaning towards leaving since last year.
Garcia who is still coming back from a serious knee injury played in front of over 20 NBA Scouts last week in NYC at the Jimmy V Classic against Kansas. Said an NBA Scout who spoke to IPRB at the game last week, " Garcia has huge upside but he is still favoring his knee and seems to be a step slow. He is a classic example of a kid who should stay in school, get a degree and develop his game. He is not even close to being ready to play in the NBA."
Although IPRB thinks Garcia should have stayed in school, we support any player who needs to take care of his family. Sources close to Garcia have told many in the Puerto Rican basketball community that Garcia needs to take care of his family financially and this was something he felt strongly about.
We wish Angel nothing but the best of luck and will be routing for him as he begins his career as a professional.
Garcia who is still coming back from a serious knee injury played in front of over 20 NBA Scouts last week in NYC at the Jimmy V Classic against Kansas. Said an NBA Scout who spoke to IPRB at the game last week, " Garcia has huge upside but he is still favoring his knee and seems to be a step slow. He is a classic example of a kid who should stay in school, get a degree and develop his game. He is not even close to being ready to play in the NBA."
Although IPRB thinks Garcia should have stayed in school, we support any player who needs to take care of his family. Sources close to Garcia have told many in the Puerto Rican basketball community that Garcia needs to take care of his family financially and this was something he felt strongly about.
We wish Angel nothing but the best of luck and will be routing for him as he begins his career as a professional.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Coach Rick Pitino and Puerto Rico National Team
IPRB has confirmed that Rick Pitino is seriously considering coaching the Puerto Rico National Team. Clearly, Pitino has the experience to help this team make the Olympics. The team has failed to meet expectations given its talent level and Pitino known for discipline could be exactly what the doctor ordered. There is a strong anti-American contingent within the Puerto Rican community so it will be interesting to see how the public at large reacts to this should Pitino agree to move forward and enter into negotiations with the PR Basketball Federation.
Word out of Louisville is that Pitino would need to get permission from the University and that the school wants Pitino focused on getting Louisville back in the top 20. The school has invested a lot in Rick and does not want anything to distract him although many within the athletic department think this could help with reruiting.
Said a source within the athletic department who asked to not be identified, "We have all seen what coaching an Olympic Team has done for Duke and Coach K. There is no much talent outside of the USA and with 10 current players from the Caribbean in the NBA that part of the world is rich in talent and could be a recruiting gold mine for us."
Word is that is deal is imminent and could be completed before the end of the year. If Pitino were to do this it would make sense for him to get it announced before the start of Big East Conference play.
Word out of Louisville is that Pitino would need to get permission from the University and that the school wants Pitino focused on getting Louisville back in the top 20. The school has invested a lot in Rick and does not want anything to distract him although many within the athletic department think this could help with reruiting.
Said a source within the athletic department who asked to not be identified, "We have all seen what coaching an Olympic Team has done for Duke and Coach K. There is no much talent outside of the USA and with 10 current players from the Caribbean in the NBA that part of the world is rich in talent and could be a recruiting gold mine for us."
Word is that is deal is imminent and could be completed before the end of the year. If Pitino were to do this it would make sense for him to get it announced before the start of Big East Conference play.
Francisco "Furro" Lopez Back From Injury and Looking Good
Francisco "Furro" Lopez is determined to play college basketball and is doing everything he can to make his dream a reality. Lopez is a senior PG at La Salle High School in Miami, Florida. After a strong showing on the summer circuit with AAU team Gold Coast, Lopez suffered a serious hand/wrist injury and then caught a serious case of the flu delaying his return to the court.
This weekend his La Salle team played in the A Rod Classic and Furro has two very solid games with the team going 1-1 in the event. In the first game against Sagemont, Lopez scored 18 points in a big win. In the second game, Lopez scored 19 points and had 3 assists in a loss to Columbus.
Recruiting insiders have questioned his size but not his heart. A South Florida basketball recruiting insider," Lopez is the type of kid who will play his heart out and do the little things to help you win. He can score the ball and is a natural SG who will need to make the transition to the PG position if he is going to have a chance to at playing Division 1 college ball."
Lopez is also getting lots of looks from Division 2 and 3 schools but believes he can play Division 1. He will need to keep putting up big numbers and show both coaches and scouts that he can get his teammates more involved, play lock down defense and continue to show his leaderships skills.
This weekend his La Salle team played in the A Rod Classic and Furro has two very solid games with the team going 1-1 in the event. In the first game against Sagemont, Lopez scored 18 points in a big win. In the second game, Lopez scored 19 points and had 3 assists in a loss to Columbus.
Recruiting insiders have questioned his size but not his heart. A South Florida basketball recruiting insider," Lopez is the type of kid who will play his heart out and do the little things to help you win. He can score the ball and is a natural SG who will need to make the transition to the PG position if he is going to have a chance to at playing Division 1 college ball."
Lopez is also getting lots of looks from Division 2 and 3 schools but believes he can play Division 1. He will need to keep putting up big numbers and show both coaches and scouts that he can get his teammates more involved, play lock down defense and continue to show his leaderships skills.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Jerron Love Wants To Represent Puerto Rico
Those of us who follow elite youth teams and players have known about Jerron Love for a minute now. The Youtube sensation has had basketball insiders and bloggers talking and writing about him for years. IPRB was able to confirm through Senior Advisor to the President of Puerto Rico's Basketball Federation, Todd Washington, that Love is half Puerto Rican ( his mother is Puerto Rican).
Washington said, "I met with Jerron's father while I was in NYC this week and they are interested in having him represent Puerto Rico and hopefully playing on a team next summer. The kid is a game changer who could come in and probably start for the 16U National Team. He's that good!"
IPRB talked to several NYC AAU coaches who confirmed that Love has all the tools to be one of the greats! He is a fierce competitor, loves the game, understands that there are no shortcuts to success and has a strong family led by his father. He could be a great addition to the PR National Team program.
See some Jerron Highlights: Check out the limited edition Nike Hyperfuse he's rocking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2i9WglGoSs&feature=player_embedded
Washington said, "I met with Jerron's father while I was in NYC this week and they are interested in having him represent Puerto Rico and hopefully playing on a team next summer. The kid is a game changer who could come in and probably start for the 16U National Team. He's that good!"
IPRB talked to several NYC AAU coaches who confirmed that Love has all the tools to be one of the greats! He is a fierce competitor, loves the game, understands that there are no shortcuts to success and has a strong family led by his father. He could be a great addition to the PR National Team program.
See some Jerron Highlights: Check out the limited edition Nike Hyperfuse he's rocking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2i9WglGoSs&feature=player_embedded
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