Brandone Francis Explained

Brandone Francis
Number:11
Position:Shooting guard / small forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:215
League:IBL
Team:Prawira Harum Bandung
Birth Date:10 September 1994
Birth Place:La Romana, Dominican Republic
High School:Arlington Country Day
(Jacksonville, Florida)
College:
Draft Year:2019
Career Start:2019
Years1:2019
Team1:Metros de Santiago
Years2:2019-2020
Team2:Iowa Wolves
Years3:2020–2022
Team3:Gipuzkoa
Years4:2022–present
Team4:Prawira Bandung
Highlights:

Brandone Edward Francis Ramírez (born September 10, 1994) is a Dominican professional basketball who plays for Prawira Bandung of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Florida Gators.

College career

Francis redshirted his freshman season at Florida for academic reasons.[1] As a redshirt freshman, he averaged two points in 10.8 minutes per game.[2] Francis transferred to Texas Tech, sitting out his following season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules.[3] As a junior, Francis averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.[4] At the 2019 NCAA Division I Championship Game, his final college appearance, he scored a team-high 17 points in an 85–77 overtime loss to first-seeded Virginia. As a senior, Francis averaged 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.[5]

Professional career

On August 15, 2019, Francis was selected by Metros de Santiago with the first overall pick in the Dominican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto draft.[6] One week later, he signed his first professional contract with the team.[7] Francis led Metros to the league championship game.[8] In 21 appearances, he averaged 11.3 points per game.[9] On November 20, 2019, Francis signed with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League.[10] In 20 games, he averaged 2.8 points in 8.4 minutes per game.[11] Francis tested positive for and recovered from COVID-19 in June 2020.[12] On August 9, he signed with Gipuzkoa of the Spanish Liga ACB.[13]

In 2022, Francis signed for Prawira Harum Bandung of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). In regular season, he averaged 23.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 25.3 minutes per game, earning him IBL Foreign Player of The Year as well as leading Prawira Harum Bandung to their first ever championship since 1998. He recorded his IBL career high in a 78-61 win against RANS PIK Basketball scoring 41 points on 12-26 shooting and 15-21 from free throw line.

On February 14, 2024. Prawira Harum Bandung announced that Brandone will return for the rest of 2023-2024 season after a disappointing performance from the team through 5 games of the season in which they went 2-3.[14] In his return debut, he scored 16 points and 5 rebounds on 5-10 shooting in 82-78 win against Borneo Hornbills

Personal life

Francis' father, Bobby, played college basketball for Boston College in the 1980s. Bobby later worked as a brand strategist in the entertainment industry, developing a close relationship with rapper Nipsey Hussle.[15] Francis' mother, Kenia Ramírez, lives in the Dominican Republic. He met her for the first time in two years during senior night at Texas Tech in 2019.[16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Norlander . Matt . Florida suspends Chris Walker 3 games; Brandone Francis out for year . . September 18, 2020 . October 15, 2014.
  2. Web site: Guard Brandone Francis-Ramirez decides to transfer from Florida . . . September 18, 2020 . May 4, 2016.
  3. Web site: Falcone . Sam . Brandone Francis-Ramirez To Transfer To Texas Tech . . September 18, 2020 . June 15, 2016.
  4. News: Adamakos . Tess . TEXAS TECH'S BRANDONE FRANCIS REVEALS THE SPECIAL MEANING BEHIND HIS EMOGI INK . September 19, 2020 . Inked Magazine . April 9, 2019.
  5. Web site: Guinan . Eleanor . Bench proves valuable asset in teams success . . September 18, 2020 . April 10, 2019.
  6. Web site: Metros seleccionan Brandone Francis como primer pick . Hoy Digital . September 2, 2020 . Spanish . August 15, 2019.
  7. Web site: Félix Santana . Rafael . Brandone Francis se integra a Metros de Santiago . Pio Deportes . September 2, 2020 . Spanish . August 22, 2019.
  8. Web site: Hunt . Steve . Waiting for his time: Former Tech guard Francis enjoying competition in G League . . September 2, 2020 . February 23, 2020.
  9. Web site: Brandone Francis . . September 2, 2020.
  10. Web site: Nutting . Seth . Wolves Acquire Brandone Francis and Jaylen Johnson . . September 2, 2020 . November 20, 2019.
  11. Web site: Brandone Francis G-League Stats . Basketball Reference . September 2, 2020.
  12. Web site: Silva Jr. . Carlos . Former Texas Tech guard Francis recovered from COVID-19 . . September 18, 2020 . June 20, 2020.
  13. Web site: Brandone Francis is a newcomer at Gipuzkoa . Latinbasket.com . September 2, 2020 . August 9, 2020.
  14. Web site: Prawira Panggil Brandone Francis Lagi - IBL . 2024-02-16 . iblindonesia.com . id.
  15. Web site: Eisenberg . Jeff . Inside the special bond between late rapper Nipsey Hussle and Texas Tech's Brandone Francis . . September 18, 2020 . April 5, 2019.
  16. Web site: Janower . Jacob . Texas Tech's Brandone Francis reunites with his mother on senior night . . September 18, 2020 . March 5, 2019.