PR Hoops Update: Rasham "Showtime" Suarez Shows Up

Lets start with a salute to my guy Chino Torres who runs PR Hoops. He does a great job of bringing in top teams from the USA to play against local teams. Hoops fans got a special treat tonight as Jonesboro (GA) played against Marista (Puerto Rico).

It's always exciting when a player gets to come home and play. That plane ride home with team and all the stories about how you "run the town". Seeing your "fam" at the airport and all the good food mom, grandma and auntie cook for you while you're home. And ofcourse, all the bragging about the numbers you are going put up on your friends and former teammates on facebook.

For the last 5 years, we have been tracking Rasham "Showtime" Suarez. A lot of people were surprised when he signed with Georgia Southern but we knew he and his dad understood the "big fish in a small pond" concept. Suarez is very much like Alex Abreu in that he could have signed with a bigger school but knew at a smaller school he could step right in and run the show. Alex Abreu is starting at the University of Akron for those of you who didn't know.

So tonight against Puerto Rican High School, Marista, Suarez put on a show scoring 27 points and proving once again why many feel he is the top PG in the class of 2011. It's always good to see a kid turn into a man and Suarez was exactly that, a man playing amongst boys.

Dominican National Team Interested In Calipari (Updated)

IPRB confirmed this evening through a source who is "actively involved", that communication is on going between both sides. "There have been several conversations between people who are associated with both sides about getting John (Calipari) down there to coach the National Team. This has absolutely nothing to do with what the Puerto Rican Federation has done with Rick (Pitino). The Dominican Republic is on the verge of doing some great things and the hiring of John is something being seriously considered by both sides. Everyone knows that Orlando Antigua (Kentucky Assistant Coach) is a rising star in college coaching and a former National Team player. Orlando and several people close to Dominican Republic Basketball Federation President, Frank Herasme and Treasurer Rafael Uribe initiated contact months ago. Both sides are seriously considering this and a meeting between the two parties could happen in the next two weeks."


A number of questions remain, most importantly, what sort of deal financially can the cash strapped Dominican Federation put on the table to interest Coach Calipari or any serious coach for that matter. A current Division I college coach, who spoke to IPRB on the condition of anonymity disagrees with that premise. "Guys like Cal and Rick don't take jobs like this for the money. Guys at that level have made more money then they can spend in their lifetime so the money is not the issue. Taking this type of job doesn't hurt recruiting or prevent a coach and his staff from running an elite program. In a highly competitive recruiting environment taking a job like this increases exposure for both the coach and the program he is coaching. Most importantly, it helps to develop new recruiting contacts internationally which in today's game is a must."

Rick Pitino confirmed in a press conference today that he would basically work for free and not accept a salary from the Puerto Rican Federation.

Many in the elite youth basketball circuit believe that the Dominican Republic is an under valued market with tons of talent but lacking in both structure and capital. Said a shoe company executive who works in elite basketball," The Dominican Republic and Colombia are the two markets that have the most raw talent in the region. Their prospects are bigger and more athletic than other countries in the region but both countries lack a system that identifies, nurtures and develops elite prospects. A big time coach and development program funded by one of the "big three" apparel companies could change that pretty quickly."

Whether Calipari or the Federation agree to move forward there will surely be other coaches interested in taking the DR job given the current pool of talent and recruiting upside.

Pitino Announced As Puerto Rico National Team Coach

As IPRB reported a week ago, Rick Pinto has agreed to be the Coach of the PR National Team. This is quite a move for the PR Basketball Federation and its National Team who are a little more than 10 months away from the 2011 FIBA Olympic qualifying event in Argentina. Puerto Rico must finish in the top two position with Brazil, Argentina and the Dominican Republic also vying for top 2 spots.

Below is the link from Puerto Rican Newspaper El Nuevo Dia and video of the press conference:

http://www.elnuevodia.com/rickpitinofirmacontratoparadirigirelequiponacional-845636.html

Dominican National Team Interested In Calipari

IPRB confirmed earlier today that the Dominican Republic Basketball Federation is considering retaining the services of University of Kentucky Head Coach, John Calipari. IPRB confirmed through sources that Calipari was contacted over a month ago about the position through a third party and would consider coaching the team given its roster of NBA players and the fact that one of his players, 6'11 Junior, Eloy Vargas is Dominican. IPRB has not been able to confirm if in fact an offer is officially on the table.

Said a reliable source who spoke to IPRB late last night,"If the Dominican Basketball Federation can bring in a well respected coach they have a real chance of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. They have four very good NBA players in Horford, Villanueva, Garcia and Ariza plus a bunch of very talented role players. They put those four NBA guys together with Cal and its a wrap."

Rick Pitino Scheduled To Meet Barea and Arroyo in Miami This Weekend

IPRB has confirmed through several sources that Rick Pitino is scheduled to fly to meet with Carlos Arroyo and JJ Barea this weekend in Miami. Should that meeting be successful, Pitino would then make an announcement either in Miami or fly down to Puerto Rico and make the announcement locally.

There is a buzz in the basketball community about Pitino taking the position of Head Coach. Most are supportive of the move while some in the local basketball community feel that bringing in an American coach is a slap in the face to the local coaches.

As Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis says, "Win baby, just win!"

Manolo Cintron Is A Fantastic Coach And Even Better Person

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!!!!

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."