Bertz Transfers to the University of Central Florida
MONTEREY PARK, CA — East Los Angeles College sophomore Frank Bertz was among the first prospects this year for the class of 2020 men’s basketball team at the University of Central Florida.
Bertz, who signed his National Letter of Intent on April 18, graduated from ELAC this week and has just transferred to UCF to join the NCAA Division I school’s men’s basketball team.
“UCF is the perfect fit for me to earn my degree in Business Management, build a future and play basketball at the next level with a goal of playing professional basketball,” said Bertz. “It’s a big change for me but I’m looking forward to it and my family coming out for some games.”
This season Bertz shot 47.6 percent from 3-point land, 79-of-166, which was 8th best in the state from well over 1,000 community college men playing CCCAA basketball. Bertz was instrumental in helping the Huskies to a 24-6 record and their third straight South Coast Conference North Division title.
“The community college level was so intense my first year at ELAC, that I learned a lot quickly from the men’s basketball program — coach Mosley and the coaches and my experience with my teammates — such as how to keep my stamina, improve my game as a team player and collectively all around,” said Bertz. He continued to improve this year while the team played top opponents including a few Top-10 ranked teams in the state as well as Southern California.
Bertz scored double digits 18 times this season and connected on 64 treys in those games, which included six or more 3-pointers in four games. This included eight shots from beyond the arc in which he scored a season-high 30 points during a 131-81 ELAC win over Cerro Coso College. According to Bertz, as a prep he scored a season-high 51 points in one game and more than 1,000 points at Sultana High School.
The highlight of Bertz’s ELAC tenure from an individual standpoint was when he earned a spot this year on the South Coast Conference North Division All-Conference First Team.
“Frank will bring some versatility to our program with his length on the perimeter,” said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins on the UCF men’s basketball website. “He has a really good basketball IQ, a good feel for the game, and he's a knock-down three-point shooter, so I think he'll provide a lot for us. He's a team guy and he’ll contribute in a lot of ways, both offensively and defensively.”
Bertz moves to a program whose games are regularly covered on ESPN with a large-crowd fan base. “I’m looking forward to this. The crowds won’t bother me because I don’t get nervous in games,” said Bertz. “I’ll just do my best both defensively and on offense and work on the game plan at hand in each game.”
“Whenever I am able, I will visit ELAC men’s basketball, which has prepared me for many things in life. And I have to give a shout out to our ELAC counselor Dorothy Teola who worked with me to stay on course to graduate in two years,” said Bertz. “I came to ELAC for a good education and to work my way up to a full-ride with a D-I school. With that said, I feel extremely fortunate to have UCF in my future as well.”
Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index or on Facebook at ELAC Huskies Athletics (@elachuskiesathletics).
story submitted by Tadzio Garcia