Coaching a National Team is not all glitz and glamour. It's a lot of hard work, the pay is not all that great and the level of scrutiny is excessive and many times far to personal. IPRB has watched Manolo Cintron lead the National Team with grace and dignity. He is a fantastic coach but more importantly a better person. He always seemed to have a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. He's the type of person you want to go to battle with as he always believes he can win and will always support his players.
If in fact the decision has been made to replace him, we at IPRB wanted to thank Cintron for his service, professionalism and sacrifice. He coached the team with a since of pride and style and always wore his heart on his sleeve.
Manolo Cintron is a fantastic Coach but he's an even better person!!!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Louisville Spokesperson Denies That Pitino Has Accepted Job
Reports this evening out of Louisville contradict that Pitino has accepted the position or that there is a timetable for his decision. Sources close to the negotiation confirmed to IPRB this evening that," things are moving forward and we are confident that the Federation will complete a deal in the very near future."
USC's Fontan To Debut Saturday Against Jayhawks
Jio Fontan has been waiting for this moment his entire life. The 6'1 Junior transfer from Fordham by way of St Anthonys debuts against Josh Selby and the Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday. We brought he and Mike Rosario down in 2009 to play for the 19U National Team. The did pretty well, leading the world in points and assists. Fontan transferred from Fordham to University of Southern California last December and had to sit out until December 18th.
We are sitting down with Fontan before the game to talk shop and get a feel for what is going through his mind as he is about to suit up for his first game as a Trojan.
We are sitting down with Fontan before the game to talk shop and get a feel for what is going through his mind as he is about to suit up for his first game as a Trojan.
Abreu To Start Against Minnesota
University of Akron Point Guard, Alex Abreu is only 5'9. Two summers ago he was a 17 year old kid trying to make the 19U National Team that had Raymond Cintron, Mike Rosario, Carlos Lopez and Jio Fontan. On one of the first days of tryouts, we watched Abreu pin 6'10 Carlos Lopez's (now attending UNLV) lay up attempt against the glass and that was only one of many things he did that practice which made everyone in the gym ask, "who is that little guy?"
Fast forward to almost a year ago. Alex was attending a prep/post graduate academy that happened to play some of the top ranked teams which were loaded with big time D1 guards. Abreu destroyed every guard who had a name or reputation including Louisville signee Russ Smith who Abreu torched for 27 points and 5 assists. Once again people in the gym asked, "who is that little guy?"
Abreu started getting interest from big schools including Rutgers, Nebraska and Utah but decided to attend Akron. Akron's Head Coach happened to be Lebron James High School Coach and a friend of Alex's mentor and family friend. Alex visited the school last spring and knew right away that Akron was home.
Abreu said about his visit and experience at Akron, " I knew right away it was home for me. My mom and dad really liked "Coach D" and the way the assistant coaches and team were like a family. I spent the summer out here getting focused, taking some classes and working out.
I could have been relaxing last summer in Puerto Rico but I knew I had work to do.
I got in the gym, got stronger and ran, ran and ran some more. That is clearly the biggest transition from High School to College. I thought I was in shape before I got here and now the season has started I am still not where I need to be but I am getting there."
That commitment showed the coaching staff that Alex was mature beyond his years and provided his performance on the court was consistent with his past performances he may have a chance to get major minutes.
Akron got blown out on Sunday against Temple but Abreu showed signs that he was ready to crack the starting line up with a career high of 11 points. We spoke to him as he was landing in Minnesota. "I'm excited about my progress and I'm officially in the starting line up. Minnesota is a great team with some really good guards. I'm excited and ready to play even though it is -5 degrees out here!"
Abreu's attention to detail and drive will ensure his success no matter what he does or where he does it. This is going to be a breakout game for Alex given the brighter the lights, the bigger he plays.
Minnesota vs Akron, Wednesday!
Fast forward to almost a year ago. Alex was attending a prep/post graduate academy that happened to play some of the top ranked teams which were loaded with big time D1 guards. Abreu destroyed every guard who had a name or reputation including Louisville signee Russ Smith who Abreu torched for 27 points and 5 assists. Once again people in the gym asked, "who is that little guy?"
Abreu started getting interest from big schools including Rutgers, Nebraska and Utah but decided to attend Akron. Akron's Head Coach happened to be Lebron James High School Coach and a friend of Alex's mentor and family friend. Alex visited the school last spring and knew right away that Akron was home.
Abreu said about his visit and experience at Akron, " I knew right away it was home for me. My mom and dad really liked "Coach D" and the way the assistant coaches and team were like a family. I spent the summer out here getting focused, taking some classes and working out.
I could have been relaxing last summer in Puerto Rico but I knew I had work to do.
I got in the gym, got stronger and ran, ran and ran some more. That is clearly the biggest transition from High School to College. I thought I was in shape before I got here and now the season has started I am still not where I need to be but I am getting there."
That commitment showed the coaching staff that Alex was mature beyond his years and provided his performance on the court was consistent with his past performances he may have a chance to get major minutes.
Akron got blown out on Sunday against Temple but Abreu showed signs that he was ready to crack the starting line up with a career high of 11 points. We spoke to him as he was landing in Minnesota. "I'm excited about my progress and I'm officially in the starting line up. Minnesota is a great team with some really good guards. I'm excited and ready to play even though it is -5 degrees out here!"
Abreu's attention to detail and drive will ensure his success no matter what he does or where he does it. This is going to be a breakout game for Alex given the brighter the lights, the bigger he plays.
Minnesota vs Akron, Wednesday!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Federation Could Complete Contract With Rick Pitino This Week
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!
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!
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.
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