Brandone Francis-Ramirez, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound combo guard from the Dominican Republic, says Texas Tech and Rutgers “are working the hardest to get me” after he announced his transfer from Florida.
“I’ve set visits to Texas Tech (June 3) and Rutgers (June 10),” Francis-Ramirez said Thursday by phone.
Francis-Ramirez will have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2016-17 season as per NCAA transfer rules.
He averaged just 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds and struggled to remain in coach Mike White’s rotation due to shooting woes and defensive lapses, according to one report.
Prior to that, he redshirted the 2014-15 season due to academic issues.
Rutgers associate head coach Karl Hobbs is the lead recruiter.
“I’m very famliar with the coaching staff,” Francis-Ramirez said. “Karl Hobbs, he recruited me when he was at UConn and I like the Big Ten Conference as well.”
As for Chris Beard’s staff at Tech, they are also in the mix.
“Texas Tech is a great school as well,” Francis-Ramirez said. “Their basketball program and their conference is really competitve. The new coaching statff is showing me good energy.”
He said he can play both guard spots.
“I’m a combo guard, I’m really comfortable playing the one or the two,” he said. “I just want to have the ball in my hands and produce.”
Francis-Ramirez said other schools have also reached out, but he’s focusing on these two.
“I have been in touch with other schools but the two schools that I mentioned are working the hardest to get me,” he said.
He added: “I want to make my decision over the next few weeks because it’s a really important decision for me and I’m not going to be going to junior college at all. I have three more years to play.”
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