Kai the new Porzingis?

The man who came close to bringing Johnny Abarrientos to the NBA over 25 years ago is conjuring visions of opening the door for Kai Sotto to do what he failed to accomplish with the Flying A.  Multi-titled coach Joe Betancourt is involved with a financial group looking to buy an NBA franchise and said if he’s successful, Sotto will be a top priority for recruitment.

“Kai’s very impressive, a la (Kristaps) Porzingis,” said Betancourt, who was once the Charlotte Hornets’ international scout and the Mexican and Saudi Arabian national team coach. Porzingis is a 7-3 center playing for Washington in the NBA. His idea isn’t just to cater to the Filipino community in the US. Betancourt has serious plans for Sotto and is convinced of his potentials. Assuming the NBA deal pushes through, Betancourt will be the team’s managing partner with a 10 percent stake. There is speculation that Asian billionaires are Betancourt’s partners but nothing could be confirmed until the sale is sealed. Obviously, those negotiating the purchase are tight-lipped about the transaction. It’s been several months since talks were initiated but from all indications, the parties are close to an agreement.

As a coach, Betancourt has won championships at every conceivable level from high school to the pros. When he called the shots for the Mexican squad in 2000, Omar Quintero was his point guard. The same Quintero is now the Mexican national coach and will be on the bench for the FIBA World Cup this year. Quintero’s assistant Kaleb Canales is a native of Laredo, Texas, where Betancourt comes from. “Kaleb grew up going to my basketball camp in Laredo,” said Betancourt. “He was the interim head coach for a short time with the Portland Trailblazers.” Mexico will be competing in its sixth FIBA World Cup. In 1936, Mexico took the bronze medal in the inaugural Olympic men’s basketball tournament.

After actively coaching basketball for over four decades, Betancourt has earned an enviable reputation as a investment adviser and IPO financial investor. He travels around the world in a private jet, attended to by his own staff and meets with partners and investors in financial capitals wherever the money trail leads to. Although he’s now a self-made billionaire who made a fortune outside of basketball, Betancourt still has a special place in his heart for the game he loves.

Betancourt recently established the JB Instituto del Basquetbol in Mexico with branches in Chihuahua with coach Martin Renteria, Playa del Carmen with advisor Miguel Ramon Martin Azueta and coach Edwin Sanchez, Monterrey with advisor Fernando Gomez and coach Daniel Bazua and Villahermosa Tabasco with advisor Manuel Santandreu and coach Adolfo Sanchez Rede. Betancourt is the CEO with Jorge Ramirez Mota, secretary.

The Instituto has a seed capital of a million Mexican pesos and is laying the groundwork for a series of basketball camps aimed at developing young players at an early age with the right fundamentals. Betancourt said he will tap his close basketball friends Larry Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Mike Krzyzewski and Geno Auriemma to participate in the camps. He’s also keen on collaborating with PBA coaches Chot Reyes and Tim Cone. Another Instituto project is establishing a Mexican Basketball Hall of Fame to honor legends like Rodolfo Choperena, Raul Fernandez, Gustavo Ayon, Manuel Raga and Eduardo Najera. In 1997, Betancourt came to Manila and met with Cone (then Alaska coach), Abarrientos and FEU team owner Anton Montinola in trying to bring the first full-blooded Filipino to the NBA. The dream fizzled out when then Charlotte coach Dave Cowens traded for point guard David Wesley while Betancourt was away. Now, Betancourt has a chance to revive the dream with Sotto.