Puerto Rico men's national basketball team

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico
FIBA ranking 16 Decrease 1
Joined FIBA 1957
FIBA zone FIBA Americas
National federation Federación de
Baloncesto de
Puerto Rico
Coach Eddie Casiano
Nickname(s) 12 Magníficos
Los Gallos
Olympic Games
Appearances 9 (First in 1936)
Medals None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances 13 (First in 1959)
Medals None
FIBA Americas Championship
Appearances 17 (First in 1980)
Medals Gold: 1980, 1989, 1995
Silver: 1988, 1993, 1997, 2009, 2013
Bronze: 2003, 2007
Uniforms
Light
Dark

The Puerto Rico men's national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in international basketball competitions such as the Olympics, the World Championship, and the Americas Championship. The team, selected by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation, historically comprised only players from the National Superior Basketball league, but in the 1990s began to include Puerto Rican players playing abroad professionally.

History

The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation joined FIBA in 1957. Puerto Rico has participated in nine Olympics and 12 World Championships, although they have never won a medal at either competition.

Early years

Puerto Rico´s first appearance at a World Championship was in 1959 in Chile, where, led by Juan "Pachín" Vicéns, who averaged 22 points per game, the team finished 5th with a record of 3–6 . In 1963, at Puerto Rico's second World Championship appearance which took place in Brazil, the team, led by Rafael Valle and Juan "Pachín" Vicéns, opened the tournament winning two straight games. Yet, after losing other six games back to back, ended its participation with a win over Italy, obtaining the 6th place.

Coming back from its 13th place debut at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, in 1964 in Tokyo, the team was able to reach 4th place, in good part because of the contributions of point guard Juan "Pachín" Vicéns. This was, and still is as of 2012, the highest place it has ever reached since the team's birth at any Olympic Games.[1] Three years later in Uruguay, at the 1967 World Championship, the team, led this time by Raymond Dalmau, was only able to finish 12th, ending the decade with a 9th place at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Before the 1970s, regardless of the not-so-good performance at world international tournaments, Puerto Rico started to emerge as a power player at regional tournaments, medaling in all the competitions it participated (the Pan American Games, the CentroBasket tournament and the Central American and Caribbean Games). The medal count included two golds at the 1962 and the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, failing to medal only at the 1967 Pan American Games, where it finished 5th.

1970s

The 1970s brought some memorable moments for the team, particularly a dramatic one-point loss to the United States at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal,[1] where a win by Puerto Rico would have been the first undisputed basketball loss for the United States team at an Olympic competition. Also, the 1974 World Championship and the 1979 Pan American Games were held in San Juan, promoting local enthusiasm for international basketball and Puerto Rico's presence in it. The 7th and 10th places at the 1974 and 1978 World Championships, where the team, led by Hector Blondet and Rubén Rodríguez respectively, saw 2–5 and 4–3 finishes, became turning points for the Puerto Rican team. The 4–3 showing in 1978 in the Philippines was the first time ever the team finished with a positive record at a World Championship. These achievements were accompanied by golds at the 1973 CentroBasket and the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games. In all, Puerto Rico continued its regional success and was able to medal in all regional competitions.

1980s

The 1980s were very good for the team,[1] attaining gold at two of the first four FIBA Americas Championships in 1980 and 1989, and at the 1985, 1987 and 1989 CentroBasket tournaments. The silver medal at the 1988 Americas Championship held in Montevideo, Uruguay, secured the team's first Olympic participation since 1976.[2] Having qualified and earned the right to participate, the Puerto Rican team chose not to do so at the 1980 Olympic Games, held in Moscow, due to the American boycott of that competition (being an autonomous nation sportswise, the team could have participated, but decided to respect the boycott instead). It wouldn't participate either at the 1984 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles, because the team failed to qualify for it. Eight years after its last showing, Puerto Rico was able to advance to the second round and finished 7th at the 1988 Olympic Games, held in Seoul. Two years earlier, at the 1986 World Championshipat in Spain, Puerto Rico's performance granted it the 10th place, having failed to qualify for the 1982 Championship in Colombia.

1990s

During the 1990s, the team's successes continued as usual. Led by José Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Jerome Mincy, Fico López, and Edgar León.[1] the decade began with a 4th-place finish at the 1990 World Championship in Argentina. This is Puerto Rico's best showing at a World Championship so far, defeating teams such as Yugoslavia, Argentina and the USA, but losing to the USSR and then, losing by two points the rematch in overtime to the USA. In 1991, led by Raymond Gause, besides earning gold at the CentroBasket tournament, the team also won, for the first time in basketball, the gold medal at the Pan American Games,[3] which were held in Cuba. The team also qualified for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where it reached the second round, unluckily having to face, in its first game of the elimination round, a United States National team composed of NBA players (the Dream Team), finishing at the end in 8th place.In 1993, Puerto Rico signed its Caribbean supremacy at this sport by winning gold at both the CentroBasket and the Central American and Caribbean Games. This victory at CentroBasket was the last of a 5 gold medal streak at the tournament. In 1994, the team finished in a 6th place at the World Championship in Canada, but won the gold at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, defeating teams such as Croatia, Russia, Brazil and Italy. It was then when Puerto Rico began to be classified as one of the top 10 international teams. Having won gold in 1995 at the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Championship, in 1996 at the Olympics Games, the team placed 10th in Atlanta, while in 1998, it placed 11th at the World Championship in Greece.

2000–2004

This Olympic cycle did not go well for the team at the International level, although it did have great moments and it performed well at the local level. Having failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia with its 4th place at the 1999 Tournament of the Americas hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2001 the team was able to recover its CentroBasket title, with a triumph in Mexico. Later that year, the team repeated its 4th place at the 2001 FIBA Americas tournament in Argentina. In 2002, the team had a strong showing at the World Championship held in Indianapolis, USA. In a tournament full of well-known professionals, including NBA superstars, the team beat the top 3 European teams at the time; eventual champion Yugoslavia, Turkey and Spain. Puerto Rico, with a 5–1 record entering the quarterfinals, lost its chance to get into the medals round only by a dramatic 2-points loss to New Zealand, eventually placing 7th. It is worth mentioning that Carlos Arroyo debuted at this tournament. In 2003, the team also won gold at the CentroBasket tournament, held in Mexico, but was only able to achieve the bronze medal at the Tournament of the Americas and the Pan American Games. Reaching its 16th final at the CentroBasket tournament, Puerto Rico conquered the silver medal at the 2004 CentroBasket tournament, losing to the host Dominican Republic, 75–74, in the championship game. On August 15, 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the Puerto Rico National Basketball Team became the second team in history to defeat the United States Olympic basketball team, recording only the third loss in an Olympic competition for the U.S. team, and the first since NBA players were allowed to compete. The 92–73 outcome of that game is, as of 2012, the most lopsided victory against the U.S. (collegiate or professional players) in the history of Olympic/World Championship basketball. The other team to defeat the U.S. had been the Soviet Union at the 1972 gold medal game (which outcome is still disputed) and the 1988 semifinals.

2005–2008

In 2005, Puerto Rico was invited to play at the 2005 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup in Beijing, where it lost all five games and ended up finishing in 6th place. Still, having failed to qualify directly to the 2006 World Championship by achieving a 7th place at the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship in Santo Domingo, due to its great tradition, on November 2005, Puerto Rico received an invitation to participate in the World tournament as a wildcard, along with Italy, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey. En route to the World Championship, Puerto Rico won bronze at the 2006 CentroBasket, losing the automatic classification to the 2008 tournament, but recovering in time to earn gold at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games. Later, at the group play stage of the 2006 World Championship, which was contested in Japan, Puerto Rico started with victories over Senegal and the People's Republic of China, but lost ties against the United States, Italy and Slovenia. The application of a second tiebreaker by points differential to Slovenia, China and Puerto Rico, each with a winning percentage of .400, placed Puerto Rico fifth in Group D, preventing the team from advancing to the knockout round for the first time since 1986; Puerto Rico ultimately placed 17th out of twenty-four, that being its shyest performance in a long time. The following year began with Puerto Rico earning its fifth silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, followed by the team's first participation in a CaribeBasket[4] tournament, debuting against Trinidad & Tobago. Although the team didn't have the participation of Daniel Santiago or Rick Apodaca, Puerto Rico won the tournament undefeated, which meant its classification to the 2008 CentroBasket tournament. Later that year, Puerto Rico started to host an exhibition tournament called the Marchand Continental Championship Cup in order to prepare for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. After playing against Brazil, Canada and Argentina, Puerto Rico lost all three games, ending up in fourth place. The year ended with a bronze at the FIBA Americas Championship. On January 31, 2008, a draw took place for the FIBA Preolympic tournament, which placed Puerto Rico in the same group as Croatia and Cameroon, where its winner would have to face the second place of Group C.[5] Following this event, the president of the National Superior Basketball League confirmed that the team would play exhibition games at the 2008 Bamberg Super Cup in Germany against Greece, Slovenia and the host, beginning on July 4, 2008.[5] Then, a second set of exhibition games would follow, scheduled to start on July 8, 2008, in Slovenia: the 2008 Alpos International Cup, where the team would face New Zealand, Iran and the hosts. After these preparatory tournaments, the team would train until the Preolympic tournament's beginning.[5] The team began practicing on May 19, 2008, and included several players that were under consideration for inclusion by Cintrón.[6] On June 4, 2008, Daniel Santiago confirmed that he would abandon his international retirement and play with Puerto Rico in the Preolympic tournament.[7] Santiago announced that he would join the team in July, following an exhibition game.[7] Javier Mojica, Alejandro Carmona and Joel Jones were included in as potential members in the preliminary team.[8] On July 1, 2008, hours before the team was scheduled to travel to Europe, Ángelo Reyes was excluded after not establishing communication with the directives.[9] Reyes was replaced with Alex Falcón.[9] Subsequently, Reyes asked for a dispensation to attend personal matters, noting that he intended to join the team in a week; however, he was not included due to time constraints.[10][11] In the first game at the Bamberg Super Cup, Puerto Rico defeated Germany with a team composed mostly of reserve players, as Carlos Arroyo, Santiago, Larry Ayuso and Carmelo Lee were attending other compromises.[12] Puerto Rico continued playing with these players, finishing 2nd, after losing the final game to Greece, who entered the cup with their entire lineup.[13][14] Santiago and Ayuso joined the practices on July 5, 2008, when Puerto Rico traveled to Slovenia, where the Alpos International Cup was being held. The first match in the tournament was a victory against New Zealand,[15] followed by another victory in the semifinals over Iran.[16] At the end, Puerto Rico finished second, losing to Slovenia in the finals.[17][18] The Preolympic tournament began on July 14, 2008, but Puerto Rico's debut came the following day, when the team defeated Cameroon and advanced to the second round, due to a loss that the African team had suffered during the first day of competition. On its second game, the team lost to Croatia, but in the quarterfinals, defeated Slovenia.[19] The team didn't qualify to the Olympics, after losing to Greece in the semifinals and to Germany in the tournament's bronze medal game.[20]

2008–2012

This Olympic cycle began with the 2008 CentroBasket competition. After having failed to classify directly to it, Puerto Rico's spot was secured after its first and only participation in the 2007 CaribeBasket tournament, where Puerto Rico won all round one games by over 25 points and went on to win gold. The 2008 Centrobasket was scheduled to take place before the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but due to time constraints it was postponed. A group of prospects was included in the roster to replace Peter John Ramos and Ricky Sanchez, who were injured. Among those included was Ángel Daniel Vassallo, who played as a small forward in Virginia Tech. In the first game of the tournament, Puerto Rico defeated Costa Rica.[21] In the other two games of the first round, the team defeated Cuba and Panama.[22][23] During the course of the event, Carlos Arroyo and Larry Ayuso were forced to rest a game due to injuries.[24] In the semifinals, the team scored a win over the Dominican Republic.[25] Puerto Rico won the gold medal by defeating the United States Virgin Islands in the finals. The team has secured a spot for the 2010 FIBA World Championship by finishing in 1 of the top 4 spots in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship. At the end, Puerto Rico finished the tournament with the silver medal, having lost the game against Argentina in the group stage, and losing the final against Brazil. Pending the performance at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, this cycle has had Puerto Rico with a record of 19–2 (Caribebasket 6–0, Centrobasket 5–0, FIBA Americas 8–2), not counting the 2nd-place finish at the 2009 Marchand Continental Championship Cup, where Puerto Rico won the exhibition games against Argentina and Canada, but lost the final to Brazil.

At the 2010 CentroBasket, Puerto Rico won Group B with Cuba finishing second.[26] The team defeated Panama in semifinals and the Dominican Republic in the final to win the gold medal. Arroyo and Barea were included in the tournament's All-Star Team.[27]

In 2010, the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation relieved Manolo Cintron of his coaching duties, and on June 8, 2011, the Federation officially announced the new head coach of the national team, Flor Melendez, which will be Melendez's second stint with the team as head coach.

On August 27, 2011, a chartered airplane carrying the team as well as the Canadian, Dominican and Brazilian national basketball teams from Foz de Iguacu, Brazil, to Mar del Plata, Argentina, made an emergency landing at Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, after experiencing severe weather conditions mid-flight. The plane left for Mar del Plata an hour and a half after it landed.[28]

Uniform

During most of the 1980s and up until the late 1990s, the team wore a solid color uniform, with accent lines and the word "Puerto Rico" written in stylized cursive. Nowadays, the national team's uniform resembles a Puerto Rican flag, but also includes the usual Puerto Rico sign in cursive. The uniforms are red or blue for "visitor" status, and white for "host."

Performance

Olympic Games

Year Position Tournament Host
1904 1904 Summer Olympics (Demonstration Sport) St. Louis, United States
1936 1936 Summer Olympics Berlin, Germany
1948 1948 Summer Olympics London, United Kingdom
1952 1952 Summer Olympics Helsinki, Finland
1956 1956 Summer Olympics Melbourne, Australia
1960 13 1960 Summer Olympics Rome, Italy
1964 4 (Best) 1964 Summer Olympics Tokyo, Japan
1968 9 1968 Summer Olympics Mexico City, Mexico
1972 6 1972 Summer Olympics Munich, Germany
1976 9 1976 Summer Olympics Montreal, Canada
1980 Boycott 1980 Summer Olympics Moscow, Soviet Union
1984 Not Qualified 1984 Summer Olympics Los Angeles, United States
1988 7 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul, South Korea
1992 8 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona, Spain
1996 10 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, United States
2000 Not Qualified 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia
2004 6 2004 Summer Olympics Athens, Greece
2008 Not Qualified 2008 Summer Olympics Beijing, China
2012 Not Qualified 2012 Summer Olympics London, United Kingdom

Since joining FIBA in 1957, Puerto Rico has participated in nine Olympic tournaments, coming in fourth in 1964 and achieving history in 2004 when it became the first team in Olympic history to defeat a United States' team composed of NBA players. Up to this day, Puerto Rico's win over Team USA represents their biggest margin of loss (19 points) in international competition ever. Since its debut in Olympic basketball in 1960, it has only been absent from five Olympic tournaments (1980 because of the boycott, 1984, 2000, 2008, and 2012).

FIBA World Cup

Year Position Tournament Host
1950 1950 FIBA World Championship Buenos Aires, Argentina
1954 1954 FIBA World Championship Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1959 5 1959 FIBA World Championship Santiago, Chile
1963 6 1963 FIBA World Championship Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1967 12 1967 FIBA World Championship Montevideo, Uruguay
1970 Not Qualified 1970 FIBA World Championship Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
1974 7 1974 FIBA World Championship San Juan, Puerto Rico
1978 10 1978 FIBA World Championship Manila, Philippines
1982 Not Qualified 1982 FIBA World Championship Cali, Colombia
1986 13 1986 FIBA World Championship Madrid, Spain
1990 4 (Best) 1990 FIBA World Championship Buenos Aires, Argentina
1994 6 1994 FIBA World Championship Toronto, Canada
1998 11 1998 FIBA World Championship Athens, Greece
2002 7 2002 FIBA World Championship Indianapolis, United States
2006 17 2006 FIBA World Championship Saitama City, Japan
2010 18 2010 FIBA World Championship Istanbul, Turkey
2014 19 (Worst) 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Madrid, Spain

Joining FIBA in 1957, Puerto Rico has only been absent from two world championships since its debut in 1959 (1970 and 1982). It failed to qualify for the 2006 Championship, but received one of the four invitations to play. The best performance was at the 1990 Championships, reaching semifinals, but failing to win a medal.

FIBA Americas Championships

Year Position Tournament Host
1980 1st 1980 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) San Juan, Puerto Rico
1984 6 1984 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) São Paulo, Brazil
1988 2nd[2] 1988 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) Montevideo, Uruguay
1989 1st 1989 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) Mexico City, Mexico
1992 4 1992 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) Portland, United States
1993 2nd 1993 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995 1st 1995 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) Tucumán, Argentina
1997 2nd 1997 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) Montevideo, Uruguay
1999 4 1999 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001 4 2001 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) Neuquén, Argentina
2003 3rd 2003 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005 7 2005 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007 3rd 2007 Tournament of the Americas (Pre-Olympic) Las Vegas, United States
2009 2nd 2009 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011 4 2011 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-Olympic) Mar del Plata, Argentina
2013 2nd 2013 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-World) Caracas, Venezuela
2015 5 2015 FIBA Americas Championship (Pre-Olympic) Mexico City, Mexico

Puerto Rico has participated in all of the FIBA Americas Championships and has gone all the way to the semifinals in all but the 1984 and 2005 tournaments. It has a total of 9 medals.

Gold Silver Bronze Total
3 5 2 10

Since its inception in 2000, joining together the champions from each of the FIBA Federations, Puerto Rico is yet to participate at the FIBA Diamond Ball Championship, as the USA and Brazil teams have won all the Pre-Olympics tournaments.

Pan American Games

Year Position Tournament Host
1951 1951 Pan American Games Buenos Aires, Argentina
1955 1955 Pan American Games Mexico City, Mexico
1959 2nd 1959 Pan American Games Chicago, United States
1963 3rd 1963 Pan American Games São Paulo, Brazil
1967 5 1967 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada
1971 2nd 1971 Pan American Games Cali, Colombia
1975 2nd 1975 Pan American Games Mexico City, Mexico
1979 2nd 1979 Pan American Games San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983 6 1983 Pan American Games Caracas, Venezuela
1987 3rd 1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States
1991 1st 1991 Pan American Games Havana, Cuba
1995 6 1995 Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina
1999 3rd 1999 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada
2003 3rd 2003 Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007 2nd 2007 Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011 1st 2011 Pan American Games Guadalajara, Mexico
2015 6 2015 Pan American Games Toronto, Canada

Since joining FIBA in 1957, Puerto Rico has participated in the basketball competition for all editions of the Pan American Games since 1959, obtaining medals in all but the 1967, 1983, 1995 and 2015 games. It has a total of 11 medals.

Gold Silver Bronze Total
2 5 4 11

CentroBasket Championships

Year Position Tournament Host
1965 2nd 1965 CentroBasket Championship Mexico City, Mexico
1967 1967 CentroBasket Championship San Salvador, El Salvador
1969 3rd 1969 CentroBasket Championship Havana, Cuba
1971 2nd 1971 CentroBasket Championship Caracas, Venezuela
1973 1st 1973 CentroBasket Championship San Juan, Puerto Rico
1975 2nd 1975 CentroBasket Championship Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1977 2nd 1977 CentroBasket Championship Panama City, Panama
1981 2nd 1981 CentroBasket Championship San Juan Puerto Rico
1985 1st 1985 CentroBasket Championship Mexico City, Mexico
1987 1st 1987 CentroBasket Championship Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1989 1st 1989 CentroBasket Championship Havana, Cuba
1991 1st 1991 CentroBasket Championship Monterrey, Mexico
1993 1st 1993 CentroBasket Championship Ponce, Puerto Rico
1995 3rd 1995 CentroBasket Championship Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1997 2nd 1997 CentroBasket Championship Tegucigalpa, Honduras
1999 2nd 1999 CentroBasket Championship Havana, Cuba
2001 1st 2001 CentroBasket Championship Toluca, Mexico
2003 1st 2003 CentroBasket Championship Culiacán, Mexico
2004 2nd 2004 CentroBasket Championship Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2006 3rd 2006 CentroBasket Championship Panama City, Panama
2008 1st 2008 CentroBasket Championship Cancún, Mexico
2010 1st 2010 CentroBasket Championship Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2012 2nd 2012 CentroBasket Championship San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 2nd 2014 CentroBasket Championship Nayarit, Mexico
2016 TBA 2016 CentroBasket Championship TBA

Puerto Rico has a great record at the CentroBasket Championships, having participated in all of them but 1967, and obtaining a medal in all.

Gold Silver Bronze Total
10 10 3 23

Central American and Caribbean Games

Year Position Tournament Host
1926 1926 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico
1930 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games Havana, Cuba
1935 3rd 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador, El Salvador
1938 4 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games Panama City, Panama
1946 5 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Barranquilla, Colombia
1950 5 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games Guatemala City, Guatemala
1954 3rd 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico
1959 2nd 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games Caracas, Venezuela
1962 1st 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games Kingston, Jamaica
1966 1st 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 3rd 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games Panama City, Panama
1974 2nd 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1978 1st 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games Medellin, Colombia
1982 2nd 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Havana, Cuba
1986 2nd 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
1990 2nd 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico
1993 1st 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games Ponce, Puerto Rico
1998 6 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Maracaibo, Venezuela
2002 2nd 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador, El Salvador
2006 1st 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Cartagena, Colombia
2010 1st 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
2014 3rd 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Veracruz, Mexico

Since its basketball debut in the 1935 Games, Puerto Rico has only failed to medal in the 1938, 1946, 1950, and 1998 Games. The team has a total of 16 medals.[29]

Gold Silver Bronze Total
6 6 4 16

CaribeBasket Championships

Year Position Tournament Host
2007 1st 2007 CaribeBasket Championship Caguas, Puerto Rico

Since the founding of the CaribeBasket tournament in 1981 as a CentroBasket qualification stage for Caribbean countries, Puerto Rico has only participated in the 2007 tournament, after failing to classify directly to CentroBasket 2008. In this tournament, it won all round one games by over 25 points and went on to win gold.

Goodwill Games

Year Position Tournament Host
1986 13 1986 Goodwill Games[30] Moscow, Soviet Union
1990 6 1990 Goodwill Games[31] Seattle, Washington, United States
1994 1st 1994 Goodwill Games[32] St. Petersburg, Russia
1998 4 1998 Goodwill Games[33] New York City, New York, United States
2001 2001 Goodwill Games[34] Brisbane, Australia

Because the 1986 FIBA World Championship was scheduled to be held at the same time as the 1986 Goodwill Games, the inaugural men's Goodwill Games basketball title was based on results from the World's.[35] For the 2001 games, although scheduled to compete with seven other teams, Puerto Rico was not able to make it to the tournament, being replaced by Mexico, which finished 7th.[34][36]

FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Year Position Tournament Host Comment
1960 N/A 1960 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament Bologna, Italy Qualified – 1959 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1964 N/A 1964 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament Yokohama, Japan Qualified – 1963 Pan Am Games – 3rd place
1968 N/A 1968 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament Monterrey, Mexico Qualified – 1964 Olympic Games – 4th place
1972 N/A 1972 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament Augsburg, Germany Qualified – 1971 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1976 N/A 1976 Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament Hamilton, Canada Qualified – 1975 Pan Am Games – 2nd place
1980–2004 Did not take place.
2008 4 2008 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament Athens, Greece Did not qualify – reached Semi-final.
2012 5 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament Caracas, Venezuela Did not qualify – reached Quarter-final.
2016 TBA 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament TBA TBA

Marchand Continental Championship Cup

Year Position Tournament Host
2007 4 2007 Marchand Continental Championship Cup San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009 2 2009 Marchand Continental Championship Cup San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011 2 2011 Marchand Continental Championship Cup Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
2013 1 2013 Marchand Continental Championship Cup San Juan, Puerto Rico
2015 2 2015 Marchand Continental Championship Cup San Juan, Puerto Rico

Other international events

Year Position Tournament Host
2005 6 2005 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup Beijing, China
2008 2 2008 Bamberg Super Cup Bamberg, Germany
2008 2 2008 Alpos International Cup Maribor, Slovenia
2013 4 2013 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup – Tournament 1 Lanzhou, China
2013 4 2013 Stankovic Continental Champions Cup – Tournament 2 Guangzhou, China

Current roster

Puerto Rico men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Age – DOB Ht. Club
SG 10 Ayuso, Larry 39 – (1977-03-27)27 March 1977 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Piratas de Quebradillas Puerto Rico
PF 13 Balkman, Renaldo 32 – (1984-07-14)14 July 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Capitanes de Arecibo Puerto Rico
PG 5 Barea, José Juan (C) 32 – (1984-06-26)26 June 1984 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Dallas Mavericks United States
G/F 6 Chaney, Richard 32 – (1984-01-23)23 January 1984 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Piratas de Quebradillas Puerto Rico
PF 1 Clemente, Ramon 30 – (1985-12-11)11 December 1985 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Club Ferro Carril Oeste Argentina
G 2 Diaz, Guillermo 31 – (1985-03-04)4 March 1985 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) Capitanes de Arecibo Puerto Rico
C 9 Díaz, Jorge Brian 26 – (1989-11-13)13 November 1989 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Piratas de Quebradillas Puerto Rico
PG 7 Gonzalez, Javier 26 – (1989-04-15)15 April 1989 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Cangrejeros de Santurce Puerto Rico
SF 14 Harkless, Maurice 23 – (1993-05-22)22 May 1993 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Portland Trail Blazers United States
G/F 23 Holland, John 27 – (1988-11-06)6 November 1988 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Boston Celtics United States
PG 31 Rivera, Carlos 33 – (1983-02-05)5 February 1983 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Leones de Ponce Puerto Rico
SF 8 Vassallo, Ángel Daniel 30 – (1986-04-02)2 April 1986 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Leones de Ponce Puerto Rico
C 11 Villafañe, Luis 35 – (1981-06-21)21 June 1981 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Indios de Mayagüez Puerto Rico
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club field describes current pro club
  • Age – describes age
    on 30 August 2015

Depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench 1 Bench 2 Inactive
C Jorge Brian Díaz Luis Villafañe Peter John Ramos
PF Renaldo Balkman Ramon Clemente Ricky Sánchez
SF Maurice Harkless Ángel Daniel Vassallo
SG Devin Booker John Holland Larry Ayuso Alex Franklin
PG José Juan Barea Shabazz Napier Carlos Rivera Carlos Arroyo

Coaches

Rosters

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Men's Competition – Puerto Rico". FIBA Americas. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Brazil defeats P. R. for gold". The San Juan Star. Retrieved June 1, 1988. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. Hiram Martinez, El Nuevo Dia August 18, 1991 pg 206 "Cómodo el triunfo sobre México"
  4. José R. Ortúzar (August 6, 2007). "Deportes". A la cancha. El Vocero (in Spanish) (Puerto Rico). p. 62.
  5. 1 2 3 Raúl álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (February 1, 2008). "La clasificación está accesible". Primera Hora. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  6. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (May 20, 2008). "Muchas ausencias en primera práctica". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Daniel Santiago con el equipo nacional:" (in Spanish). Baloncesto Superior Nacional. June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  8. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (June 30, 2008). "Mojica y 'Bimbo' completan la Selección". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 1, 2008.
  9. 1 2 Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (July 1, 2008). "¡Desplante de Angelo Reyes!: Le dice 'no' a la Selección". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 1, 2008.
  10. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (July 2, 2008). "Reversazo de Reyes". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  11. Lester Jiménez (July 9, 2008). "Angelo Reyes no irá a Grecia" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  12. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (July 4, 2008). "Boricuas debutan con triunfo ante Alemania". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  13. "Derrota ante los griegos". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 5, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  14. Luis Modestti (July 6, 2008). "Greece beats Puerto Rico to win the Supercup". myFIBA'. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  15. "Puerto Rico vence a Nueva Zelanda en baloncesto". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 8, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  16. "Puerto Rico vence a Irán 83–80" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
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