Bryant Lands Francis

New England Recruiting Report | Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Alex Francis, a six-foot-six forward from the Holderness School in New Hampshire, made a verbal commitment to attend Bryant University last week. 

Francis made the move from New York to New England three years ago when he transferred into Holderness.  He has been one of the top players in Class C ever since, leading his team to three consecutive winning seasons, a trip to the NEPSAC finals in his junior year, and the semi-finals this past season. 

He ran with the New England Playaz on last year’s grassroots circuit and becomes the latest member of that group to commit to a division I school. 

Francis becomes the fourth member of the Bulldogs’ recruiting class for next season joining fellow New England forward Troy Robinson from Brimmer & May as well as six-foot-four swingman Corey Maynard from Australia and six-foot-two shooting guard Matthew Lee from New Jersey.  Local swingman Tim McKinney will also be eligible next season after arriving at Bryant for the second semester of this past season as a redshirt. 

Bryant began their transition from the division II to the division I level two years ago as they left the Northeast 10 Conference and joined the Northeast Conference.  They made a big splash in their first year at the division I level, winning 8 games including 5 against future NEC foes. 

But with the focus undeniably on the future for Bryant, Francis may well prove to be an ideal fit. 

While Francis has the ability to come in and challenge for immediate minutes in head coach Tim O’Shea’s line-up, his best basketball is still ahead of him with a very high upside. 

He is an absolutely phenomenal athlete who flourishes in the open floor and can make plays with his head above the rim on both ends of the court.  With a multitude of other physical gifts (length, speed, quickness, etc…) and a very high motor, Francis is a player who could develop into a double figure scorer and versatile defender before his career is done. 

Francis’ name had been a popular one among college coaches as of late as their simply weren’t many players left available who could match his physical tools and long term potential.

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