Carmelo Betancourt Is A Big Time D1 Point Guard

Sometimes when a player doesn't score more than 20 points or dish out more than 10 assists people who don't really know the game fail to recognize the impact a player can have without recording big numbers in those two areas. This is most especially true of the point guard position. A great point guard leads by example, makes those around him better, controls the tempo of the game, never takes a possession off and has the ability to knock down an open jumper. Most college coaches will tell you that finding a point guard who can do all those things is almost impossible to find. Especially in an environment where kids think that scoring points is the only way to help their team win.

With the success of VCU's Joey Rodriguez, USC's Jio Fontan, NC State's Javier Gonzales and Akron's Alex Abreu a lot of high major school are taking a close look at Montrose Christian Class of 2011 PG, Carmelo Betancourt. Puerto Rico has a long history of producing really good points guards and finally major colleges are recognizing that an undersized, high IQ point guard can be an asset.

Betancourt has been putting up numbers since he was a little kid in Puerto Rico. He recognized that in order for him to continue to get better and prove that he is a high major point guard he needed to go to a school that would test him and push him everyday. Betancourt selected powerhouse Montrose Christian recognizing that he would be sharing the ball with All American Tyrone Johnson who signed with Villanova. He understood that his stats would not be anywhere close to what they would be if he went to a different school or stayed in Puerto Rico but Betancourt wanted to compete against the best everyday and prepare himself for the next level. He knew that being battled tested and playing for a program like Montrose would benefit him in the long run. Betancourt wanted a challenge and at Montrose he knew he would have to fight for playing time but this experience would prepare him for the next level.

"I have so much respect for Melo as he is not the type of kid who is willing accept mediocrity. Melo could have stayed in PR and averaged 30 a game but he knew that he wasn't going to get any better playing in a league where he is the best player. He could have signed with several really good mid major programs. Melo wanted to keep his options open much like we did with Gary Browne and allow coaches to come in and see him workout after the season is over. Gary Browne will be making a verbal commitment to West Virginia next week. His season ended about a month ago and he benefitted from coaches seeing him workout so Melo will have a similar opportunity once his season ends to do the same", said Todd Washington, Founder of PR Playmakers and mentor to both Betancourt and Browne.


Betancourt and Montrose play today on ESPN2 at 3:30pm against New York City Public School Champs, Boys and Girls High School. This is the semifinals of the ESPN Rise, National High School Invitational. For those of you who have not seen him play you are in for a treat. Betancourt is the next undersized PG to rep Puerto Rico in a big way! The question is not if he is going to show up at the next level but where.

Gary Browne Could Announce His Decision Next Week

Class of 2011 PG Gary Browne is getting close to making a decision on where he is going to college. University of West Virginia, University of Miami, University of Central Florida and Texas Tech are all very interested in Browne with West Virginia probably being the first school to make their offer official as soon as next week. Sources close to WVU confirmed that Associate Head Coach Larry Harrison who has been recruiting Browne all year is simply waiting for their NCAA Compliance Department to give the Basketball Department the green light to make the offer official. University of Miami has recently made a strong push for Browne and sources close to the coaching staff told IPRB that Miami will also offer as soon as they complete the NCAA Compliance process. NCAA Division 1 late signing period is in two weeks so Browne will only be able to make a verbal commitment until the first day of the signing period.


"Since the season has ended things have really picked up in terms of recruiting. A lot of schools really didn't know who Gary was and when they saw him play they liked what they saw. Most people don't realize how much time goes into schools making decisions on what players they decide to recruit. This is especially true of the PG position. In essence, they will be handing the keys to Gary and letting him drive and direct the offense. WVU has seen him at least 3 times and they have done a great job spending the time evaluating Gary. All four schools have communicated their interest in offering him a scholarship, said Todd Washington, Founder of PR Playmakers and Browne's mentor.


Browne is back in Puerto Rico on Spring Break and spoke to IPRB earlier today. "I'm real excited about making my decision. A lot of schools have come to see me since the season is over and I am real confident that I'm going to end up at a great school. I'm going to sit down with my family, and Todd and make a decision shortly. All of the schools interested in me are great schools and I am thankful to have the opportunity to go to college and get an education", said Browne.

It's Official Abdiel Badillo Is Playing In Jordan Classic International Game

IPRB confirmed earlier today that Abdiel Badillo has been invited to play in the 2011 Jordan Classic International Game next month in Charlotte, North Carolina. Badillo will be the second player from Puerto Rico to be selected to play in this game. Current Montrose Christian PG, Carmelo Betancourt played in the game last year.


"I'm so happy for Abdiel, his mother and their entire family. A lot of times kids from that part of the island are over looked and don't get the same chances kids from the San Juan area get. He is so deserving of this honor and PR Playmakers is excited that we could leverage our relationship with Nike and get Abdiel a chance of a lifetime. Mark Bayne from Nike continues to work tirelessly to help Puerto Rico Basketball. The real credit in getting this done should be directed to him. This is the second year in a row he has worked with the people from Jordan Brand to ensure that elite players from Puerto Rico get a chance to showcase their talent on the big stage. Carmelo Betancourt carried the flag for Puerto Rico last year at the Jordan Classic. We are extremely confident that Abdiel is up to the challenge of following in Carmelo's footsteps and representing Pueto Rico to the fullest", said Todd Washington Founder of Nike Sponsored ELite Travel Basketball Club, PR Playmakers.


This years Jordan Classic will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Time Warner Arena which is the home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. In years past, the Jordan Classic has been held at the famed Madison Square Garden. There are three games each year with a "regional game", "international game" and the "all american" game which typically consists of the top 20 players in the country. The All American Game will be televised on one of the ESPN

Abdiel Badillo To Play In Jordan Classic

Class of 2012 SF and National Team prospect Abdiel Badillo is doing big things! He has been working with PR Playmakers, Founder Todd Washington who has introduced Badillo to several prep schools and Badillo may have a chance to play in the Jordan Classic International Game. Class of 2011 PG and former Adianez standout Carmelo Betancourt played in the Jordan Classic last year and put PR back on the map. Betancourt went on to get a scholarship at Montrose Christian (Kevin Durant and Grevis Vasquez went to school there) after playing in last years Jordan Classic International Game.

"My guy Mark Bayne at Nike put it together for Melo last year. Melo went up to the Garden (Madison Square Garden) last year did his thing. He opened the door for other players to follow in his footsteps. I got introduced to Abdiel by Raul Alzaga from Primera Hora Newspaper last year. I've been tracking his progress and the kid can flat out go. Nothing is confirmed but we are going to do everything we can to get him in this years Jordan Classic International Game. Abdiel is a "straight A student" so schools are lining up. Like a lot of kids in PR he just needs someone to open the door for him. We've already got him in a couple of elite camps this summer and then if he and his mom are ready he will attend prep school for the fall semester, said PR Playmakers Founder and Badillo's mentor, Todd Washington.

Badillo is considered to be the top young prospect by many in the country. A local coach whose teams have played against Badillo said, " He is making real progress in terms of being a really special player. He does almost everything really well and if he gets into a program in the states where he can compete against top players he will get even better. He is also a great student and a fantastic young man."

Betancourt Has Big 2nd Half As Montrose Beats Oak Hill In Double Overtime

Two High School basketball powerhouses went into double overtime with Montrose Christian beating Oak Hill 70-62. Montrose traveled over 5 hours to get to what many feel was a must win game if they are going to have a chance at winning a national championship.

For class of 2011 PG Carmelo Betancourt this was the game he had been waiting for all year. When he didn't get much time in the first half he knew when he got in during the second half he wasn't coming out. IPRB spoke with Betancourt right before he boarded the bus after the game. " I'm so happy right now! I was kind of angry that I couldn't do more to help my team in the first half. Coach didn't really play me that much and I was kind of angry. I got in the second half and felt like I changed the game. My teammates were playing so hard and I felt like Quinn Cook (signed to Duke) was having problems staying with me. I think I had like 9 assists in the 2nd half."

As several top 20 programs have expressed interest in recruiting Betancourt this was an important game for him and his recruitment. Showing that he could play with a All American guard like Cook should finally put the question to bed about his ability to create separation.

Betancourts' mentor and PR Playmakers founder, Todd Washington said, " Betancourt is a bonafide top 20 PG! He is the type of player who will come in a do all of the things you want a PG to do. Coach Vetter and the staff at Montrose have done a great job this year getting him ready for the next level. He is going to be one of the steals of this years' recruiting class."

When we asked Carmelo what did he take away from tonights' experience he said," I believe now more than ever that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. Oak Hill may have more talent then us but tonight, we worked harder."

The Facts: National Letter Of Intent (Basketball)

A lot of readers email us asking for more information about the NCAA and scholarships so decided to start a weekly article called "The Facts". Forget about what you have heard or what you think the case may be, IPRB will provide you with the facts! Today we are focusing on the National Letter of Intent. The recruiting process is a mutli-layered process which includes a college expressing interest then moving to a period of some sort of official contact, possibly a visit either by the coach to the school or the home of the player followed by a visit to the college by the player and then typically the school "offers". Until you have an NLI in front you, the "offer" not official. Recruiting doesn't always involve all of these steps one thing remains consistent in every scholarship and that is the binding agreement which is called The National Letter Of Intent. Basically it's an agreement between the school and student athlete which details the terms of the agreement between the two parties.

So parents, players and coaches can have the facts available to them, we have provided two links below,

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/85bbf0004e0dc6ec94fef41ad6fc825/NLI+Guide+2010-11.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=85bbf0004e0dc6ec94fef41ad6fc8b25


www.national-letter.org.

Betancourt Is Committed To Succeed

When Class of 2011 PG, Carmelo Betancourt decided to attend prep school for his senior season at Montrose Christian Academy he knew there would be challenges. His family and he sat down with PR Playmakers founder Todd Washington and they discussed the benefits and burdens of attending an elite program like Montrose and playing for a Coach like Stu Vetter. Coach Stu Vetter has won over 900 games as a high school coach and coached several players in the NBA including NBA All star Kevin Durant and most recently for University of Maryland and current Memphis Grizzlies' PG Grevis Vazques. Montrose and Coach Vetter are one of 5 High School programs sponsored by Jordan Brand. They play a National Schedule and always have several high major D1 players on their roster.

For the first time in his career Betancourt would have to fight for playing time. Since he was a small kid Betancourt was almost always one of the best players on his team. "This is always going to be an issue for players who decide to leave PR and go to the states. You never really know how they are going to respond to playing against kids who are bigger, stronger and equally equipped on the skill side of things. I personally worked Melo out several times before agreeing to work with him so I knew he had all the tools and the internal fortitude to succeed", said PR Playmakers Founder, Todd Washington.

In advance of going to Montrose, Washington leveraged his relationship with Nike/Jordan Brand and got Melo an invitation to the Jordan Classic International Game at Madison Square Garden. "This was a fantastic opportunity for Melo and he took advantage of it. He put his himself on the map and showed he was a player high major schools needed to take a close look at", added Washington.


So when the season started at Monstrose, Betancourt was confident and prepared to put up big numbers. With the December schedule full of "cup cakes", Betancourt didn't have a chance to showcase his talents and began to get frustrated. He was getting the minutes he expected and felt he had earned. He questioned if he had made the right decision.

"Most players who transfer to schools like Montrose end up questioning if they made the right decision during the first several weeks of the season starting. Back home they were superstars and now at schools like Montrose which is full of kids who were "like Melo he would have to show day in and day out that he is willing and able to earn his minutes. Melo is so mature and he reached out and shared his concerns with his parents and I. He was really down about not playing but used it as motivation and started working even harder. What I was really impressed with is the fact that he embraced this reality as being part of his growth process as a player and more importantly as a young adult. He recognized that the being tested and having to fight for what you want is part of life, said Washington.

Washington and Betancourts' parents urged him to request for a sit down with Coach Vetter which he did. Coach explained to Melo that the most important part of the season is front of them and that Melo had done everything he needed to do thus far and that in order for Montrose to compete for a National Championship Melo play is critical.

With the Primetime Shootout in Morgantown, WV this week and a game against his best friend, Gary Browne Ramirez who plays at Arlington Country Day, Melo reached out to IPRB this weekend via text,"I've been killing practice the last week and my shot feels great. I'm ready to go down there and the coaches are telling me how well I am playing. I'm excited to play against Gary and it should be a great game."