Brandone Francis
Brandone Edward Francis Ramírez (born September 10, 1994) is a Dominican professional basketball player for Acunsa GBC of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Florida Gators.
Francis with Florida in 2015 | |
No. 0 – Acunsa GBC | |
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Position | Shooting guard / Small forward |
League | Liga ACB |
Personal information | |
Born | La Romana, Dominican Republic | September 10, 1994
Nationality | Dominican |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Florida) |
College |
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NBA draft | 2019 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019 | Metros de Santiago |
2019–2020 | Iowa Wolves |
2020–present | Gipuzkoa |
Career highlights and awards | |
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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]
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.[14] 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.[15]
References
- Norlander, Matt (October 15, 2014). "Florida suspends Chris Walker 3 games; Brandone Francis out for year". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Guard Brandone Francis-Ramirez decides to transfer from Florida". ESPN. Associated Press. May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- Falcone, Sam (June 15, 2016). "Brandone Francis-Ramirez To Transfer To Texas Tech". Stadium. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- Adamakos, Tess (April 9, 2019). "TEXAS TECH'S BRANDONE FRANCIS REVEALS THE SPECIAL MEANING BEHIND HIS EMOGI INK". Inked Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- Guinan, Eleanor (April 10, 2019). "Bench proves valuable asset in teams success". The Daily Toreador. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Metros seleccionan Brandone Francis como primer pick". Hoy Digital (in Spanish). August 15, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Félix Santana, Rafael (August 22, 2019). "Brandone Francis se integra a Metros de Santiago". Pio Deportes (in Spanish). Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Hunt, Steve (February 23, 2020). "Waiting for his time: Former Tech guard Francis enjoying competition in G League". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- "Brandone Francis". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Nutting, Seth (November 20, 2019). "Wolves Acquire Brandone Francis and Jaylen Johnson". NBA G League. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- "Brandone Francis G-League Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Silva Jr., Carlos (June 20, 2020). "Former Texas Tech guard Francis recovered from COVID-19". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Brandone Francis is a newcomer at Gipuzkoa". Latinbasket.com. August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- Eisenberg, Jeff (April 5, 2019). "Inside the special bond between late rapper Nipsey Hussle and Texas Tech's Brandone Francis". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- Janower, Jacob (March 5, 2019). "Texas Tech's Brandone Francis reunites with his mother on senior night". Sporting News. Retrieved September 18, 2020.