Gary Browne Verbally Commits To West Virginia University

It's official! Class of 2011 PG Gary Browne Ramirez gave a verbal commitment to West Virginia University. Browne played for Bucaplaa and St Francis School before transferring to prep powerhouse Arlington Country Day "ACD", in Jacksonville, Florida. Browne has huge upside given he has only played the position since transferring to ACD.

Reached by phone this afternoon Browne had the following to say, " It's official I"m going to West Virginia! I want to thank all my coaches and all the people who believed in me. I worked really hard and my hard work has paid off. I cannot wait to get on the court with my new teammates and show everyone I can play at this level."

Many felt that Browne could not make the switch from scoring guard to point guard but his performance at ACD this year against some of the top teams in the country proved that Browne is a Top 100 player. Browne is only 17 had he reclassified he would have been one of the top 10 point guards in the Class of 2012.

" Let me start by telling the people in West Virginia that they just got the steal of this years recruiting class! Gary is a high IQ players who has had some great coaches teach him the game. Wichie at Bucaplaa and Charlie at St Francis are great teachers and did a great job developing him over the years. The credit for his development goes to them. I told Coach Morgan at ACD and Larry at West Virginia that Gary is a big time PG. It is his natural position and he will only get better. The thing about Gary is he is a gym rat and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He went to the ACD on a mission. He really had something to prove and from the first day of practice he set the tone for the team. The thing about Gary is he loves to play defense and is a pure shooter with range. On top of that, he is a quick study and loves to watch film. Put that together with his great decision making and you've got one heck of a player. We are so proud of Gary. He is a great player but more importantly, he is a wonderful young man", said Todd Washington, Founder of AAU Program PR Playmakers and Browne's mentor.

Monstrose Beats Oak Hill But Betancourt Gets Knocked Out of Game

Congrats to Stu Vetter and Monstrose for winning the 2011 NHSI Championship. In what many will regard as an instant classic the game went into doublle overtime with Montrose pulling out the win with stellar play from Class of 2012 SG, Justin Anderson and Class of 2011 PG, Tryone Johnson who will be attending Villanova next year.

Puerto Rican PG Carmelo Betancourt came in during the first quarter and made several assists and controlled tempo. He was doing much of the same in the third and four quarter when clearly fouled when driving to the basket even though the referees didn't call the foul. Betancourt was concussed and ended up getting stitches which prevented him from playing for the rest of the game.

Betancourt asked the Head Coach Stu Vetter to play him but the team doctor prevented Betancourt from playing given the possible concussion. Betancourt was going to the hospital to get his eyes checked and take some further tests to see if they are concussed.

Carmelo Betancourt and Montrose Christian vs Oak Hill Tomorrow

Not a lot needs to be said when you mention Oak Hill and Montrose Christian. Two of the most dominant high school basketball programs in the country play tomorrow at 2pm on ESPN. For Puerto Rican PG Carmelo Betancourt this is a dream coming true. High schools players on the island rarely get a chance to show that they can play at this level under the brightest of lights.

Betancourt has played two solid games so far in this years NHSI Tournament and has sacrificed his personal stats for the teams success. He probably had one of his best games against Oak Hill earlier this year against Oak Hill PG and recently selected All American Quinn Cook. He gave Cook fits in the 2nd half. Betancourt got in the paint at will on the offensive and crowded Cook on defense forcing him to shoot and miss most of his shots in the second half.

"I'm not really thinking about Quinn Cook. We are ready for him and Oak Hill and we just have to execute our plan. It's all about winning. It's the biggest stage possible for my last high school game. I'm excited about ending my career against Oak Hill and am ready after we win to focus on where I am going to college, said Betancourt via telephone from his hotel room.


Remember, ESPN tomorrow at 2pm! Montrose Christian vs Oak Hill! Carmelo Betancourt is officially in the building!




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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