Brandone Francis and the Aftermath of March Madness
By: Sports Editor Jordie Clark ‘19
One of the top players to watch in this NCAA tournament was redshirt senior Brandone Francis, who is originally from La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Before his college career, Francis played high school basketball at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Florida. As a four-star recruit and rated a top 35 player by ESPN.com, Francis was one of the highest-rated recruits with many players shaking in their basketball shoes as they face this 6’5 player.
Though being one of Texas Tech’s top athletes, he had a rough start in his college career. He did not originally sign with the Red Raiders; his first school was actually University of Florida. His time there was short, and due to NCAA rules, he had to sit out a year, which left him almost alienated from his teammates.
However, in his senior season, Francis is coming out with a bang due to a combination of a lot of factors. Between his high school fame, moving to a different country as a child to work toward a better future for his entire family, he has a lot lying on the table.
From playing at Florida, to the negatives of anticipations not working out and feeling left behind during a coaching change. His journey brought him to Texas Tech and offered him with an opportunity that he almost lost before ever stepping on the court in a game for the Red Raiders because he was dwelling on the past. It all plays into who he is and who he wants to become.
Many athletes similar to Francis struggle with transition from high school all-star to just another college athlete at a huge school. Not that Francis lost his talent, but he certainly had his work cut out for him in many aspects.
A lot of college athletes don’t have the chip on their shoulder of having to come to a new country as a child, learn the culture, the language, and the become equally successful as his peers.
Francis has been knocked down, and yet learned to assert himself and takes life’s blows to become one of the best basketball players to ever play at Texas Tech.
His journey wasn’t the smoothest, in fact, many coaches and players wouldn’t have been surprised if he quit. Francis showed just how much perseverance plays a role in college sports. When you have a dream, you don’t let setbacks break you down, instead you let them build you up and make you a better person, and Francis can attest to that concept.
His story may be motivation for others, but to Francis, it’s just what life handed to him, and he has used everything as fuel to help his team in the NCAA championships. His drive and sportsmanship was be revealed for the last time playing in March Madness.
