Puerto Rico men's national basketball team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Puerto Rico women's national basketball team.

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico
FIBA ranking19 Steady (1 March 2022)[1]
Joined FIBA1957
FIBA zoneFIBA Americas
National federationPuerto Rican Basketball Federation
CoachNelson Colón
Nickname(s)12 Magníficos
Los Gallos
Olympic Games
Appearances9
MedalsNone
FIBA World Cup
Appearances14
MedalsNone
FIBA AmeriCup
Appearances18
MedalsGold medal america.svg (1980, 1989, 1995)
Silver medal america.svg (1988, 1993, 1997, 2009, 2013)
Bronze medal (Americas).svg (2003, 2007)
Pan American Games
Appearances16
Medals (1991, 2011)
(1959, 1971, 1975, 1979, 2007, 2019)
(1963, 1999, 2003)
Centrobasket
Appearances24
Medals (1973, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2016)
(1965, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2012, 2014)
(1969, 1995, 2006)
Kit body thinredsides.png
Home jersey
Kit shorts redsides.png
Team colours
Home
Kit body thinnavysides.png
Away jersey
Kit shorts bluesides.png
Team colours
Away
First international
 Puerto Rico 26–39 Mexico 
(San Salvador, El Salvador; 1935)
Biggest win
 Puerto Rico 171–72 Belize 
(Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; March 7, 1974)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
FIBA Basketball World Cup 0 0 0
FIBA AmeriCup 3 5 2
Centrobasket 11 10 3
Pan American Games 2 6 4
Central American and Caribbean Games 6 6 4
FIBA CBC Championship 1 0 0
Goodwill Games 1 0 0
Total 24 27 13

The Puerto Rico national basketball team (Spanish: Selección de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico) represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (Spanish: Federación de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico), The team represents both FIBA and FIBA Americas.

Since joining FIBA in 1957, the Puerto Rican national team has been mostly composed by Puerto Rican-born players and players of Puerto Rican descent born in the United States such as Raymond Gause, Rick Apodaca, Georgie Torres, Héctor Blondet, Renaldo Balkman, Ramón Clemente, Maurice Harkless, Tyler Davis and many others.

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 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 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 Vicéns. This was, and still is as of 2016, the highest place it has ever reached since the team's birth at any Olympic Games.[2] 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 non-remarkable 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,[2] 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,[2] 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.[3] 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. Twelve years after its last Olympic 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.[2] 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 United States, but losing to the USSR and then, losing by two points the rematch in overtime to the US. 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,[4] which were held in Cuba. The team also qualified for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where it reached the second round, losing to the US in its first game of the elimination round, 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 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 Olympic Games, the team placed 10th in Atlanta, while in 1998, it placed 11th at the World Championship in Greece.

In 1994, Puerto Rico's national basketball team won the gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in Russia, beating Italy, 94–80, in the gold medal game.[5]

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. 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 2016, the most lopsided victory against the U.S. (collegiate or NBA players) in the history of Olympic basketball. The other team to defeat the U.S. had been the Soviet Union at the 1972 gold medal game (the outcome of which 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, in 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 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[6] 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.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7] The team began practicing on May 19, 2008, and included several players that were under consideration for inclusion by Cintrón.[8] On June 4, 2008, Daniel Santiago confirmed that he would abandon his international retirement and play with Puerto Rico in the Preolympic tournament.[9] Santiago announced that he would join the team in July, following an exhibition game.[9] Javier Mojica, Alejandro Carmona and Joel Jones were included in as potential members in the preliminary team.[10] 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.[11] Reyes was replaced with Alex Falcón.[11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14] Puerto Rico continued playing with these players, finishing 2nd, after losing the final game to Greece, who entered the cup with their entire lineup.[15][16] 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,[17] followed by another victory in the semifinals over Iran.[18] At the end, Puerto Rico finished second, losing to Slovenia in the finals.[19][20] 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.[21] 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.[22]

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.[23] In the other two games of the first round, the team defeated Cuba and Panama.[24][25] During the course of the event, Carlos Arroyo and Larry Ayuso were forced to rest a game due to injuries.[26] In the semifinals, the team scored a win over the Dominican Republic.[27] 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.[28] 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.[29]

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.[30]

2019[]

On February 26, 2019, Puerto Rico defeated the Uruguayan national basketball team 65–61, securing their entrance into the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China[31] They were drawn to Group C, facing 2nd-ranked Spain, alongside Iran and Tunisia, with Puerto Rico facing Iran and Tunisia for the very first time.

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 traditional Puerto Rico letters in cursive. The uniforms are red or blue for "home" status, and white for "away."

Competitive record[]

Summer Olympics[]

Year Position Pld W L
Italy 1960 13th 3 0 3
Japan 1964 4th 9 5 4
Mexico 1968 9th 7 3 4
Germany 1972 6th 7 5 2
Canada 1976 9th 7 3 4
Soviet Union 1980 Boycotted – – –
United States 1984 Did not qualify – – –
South Korea 1988 7th 8 4 4
Spain 1992 8th 8 3 5
United States 1996 10th 7 2 5
Australia 2000 Did not qualify – – –
Greece 2004 6th 7 3 4
China 2008 Did not qualify – – –
United Kingdom 2012 – – –
Brazil 2016 – – –
Japan 2020 – – –
France 2024 To be determined – – –
United States 2028 – – –
Total 63 28 35

FIBA World Cup[]

Year Position Pld W L
Chile 1959 5th 9 3 6
Brazil 1963 6th 9 3 6
Uruguay 1967 12th 8 2 6
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1970 Did not qualify – – –
Puerto Rico 1974 7th 7 2 5
Philippines 1978 10th 7 4 3
Colombia 1982 Did not qualify – – –
Spain 1986 13th 5 2 3
Argentina 1990 4th 8 6 2
Canada 1994 6th 8 3 5
Greece 1998 11th 8 3 5
United States 2002 7th 9 6 3
Japan 2006 17th 5 2 3
Turkey 2010 18th 5 1 4
Spain 2014 19th 5 1 4
China 2019 15th 5 2 3
Philippines/Japan/Indonesia 2023 To be determined – – –
Total 98 40 58

FIBA AmeriCup[]

FIBA Americas Qualification
Year Pos. Pld W L Pld W L
Puerto Rico1980 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 5 1 Directly qualified
Brazil 1984 6th 8 3 5
Uruguay 1988 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 8 6 2
Mexico 1989 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 7 1
United States 1992 4th 7 4 3
Puerto Rico 1993 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 5 2
Argentina 1995 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 9 1
Uruguay 1997 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 5 4
Puerto Rico 1999 4th 10 6 4
Argentina 2001 4th 9 5 4
Puerto Rico 2003 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 6 4
Dominican Republic 2005 7th 8 4 4
United States 2007 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 5 5
Puerto Rico 2009 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 8 2
Argentina 2011 4th 10 6 4
Venezuela 2013 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 10 7 3
Mexico 2015 5th 8 4 4
Argentina/Colombia/Uruguay 2017 5th 3 2 1
2021 Qualified
Total 151 97 54
1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
3 5 2 10

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 place, silver medalist(s) 1959 Pan American Games Chicago, United States
1963 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1963 Pan American Games São Paulo, Brazil
1967 5 1967 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada
1971 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1971 Pan American Games Cali, Colombia
1975 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1975 Pan American Games Mexico City, Mexico
1979 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1979 Pan American Games San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983 6 1983 Pan American Games Caracas, Venezuela
1987 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States
1991 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1991 Pan American Games Havana, Cuba
1995 6 1995 Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina
1999 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1999 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada
2003 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2003 Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2007 Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011 1st place, gold medalist(s) 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[]

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

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
11 10 3 24

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 place, bronze medalist(s) 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 place, bronze medalist(s) 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico
1959 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games Caracas, Venezuela
1962 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games Kingston, Jamaica
1966 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games San Juan, Puerto Rico
1970 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games Panama City, Panama
1974 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1978 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games Medellin, Colombia
1982 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Havana, Cuba
1986 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
1990 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico
1993 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games Ponce, Puerto Rico
1998 6 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Maracaibo, Venezuela
2002 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games San Salvador, El Salvador
2006 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Cartagena, Colombia
2010 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
2014 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Veracruz, Mexico
2018 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games Barranquilla, Colombia

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.[32]

Gold Silver Bronze Total
6 6 4 16

CaribeBasket Championships[]

Year Position Tournament Host
2007 1st place, gold medalist(s) 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[33] Moscow, Soviet Union
1990 6 1990 Goodwill Games[34] Seattle, Washington, United States
1994 1st place, gold medalist(s) [35] St. Petersburg, Russia
1998 4 1998 Goodwill Games[36] New York City, New York, United States
2001 – 2001 Goodwill Games[37] 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.[38] 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.[37][39]

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 2 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament Belgrade, Serbia Did not qualify – reached Final.

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

Record against other teams at the World Cup[]

Country W–L
Argentina Argentina 1–1
Australia Australia 1–2
Angola Angola 2–0
Brazil Brazil 1–7
Bulgaria Bulgaria 0–2
Canada Canada 4–0
Chile Chile 0–1
China China 3–1
Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire 1–1
Croatia Croatia 0–1
Cuba Cuba 1–0
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 0–1
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic 1–0
Egypt Egypt 1–0
France France 0–1
Germany Germany 1–1
Greece Greece 1–3
Italy Italy 1–5
Iran Iran 1–0
Japan Japan 2–1
South Korea Korea 1–0
Lebanon Lebanon 1–0
Mexico Mexico 0–1
New Zealand New Zealand 0–1
Paraguay Paraguay 2–0
Peru Peru 1–1
Philippines Philippines 2–0
Poland Poland 0–1
Russia Russia 0–3
Senegal Senegal 1–1
Soviet Union Soviet Union 0–4
Spain Spain 1–2
Tunisia Tunisia 1–0
Turkey Turkey 1–1
Uruguay Uruguay 1–0
United States United States 1–8
Venezuela Venezuela 1–0
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 2–4
Total record 37–56
Overall historic score 453–487

Last updated: September 4, 2019

Results and fixtures[]

2021[]

28 November 2021 Mexico  90–86  Puerto Rico Chihuahua City, Mexico
Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 19–25, 22–18, 22–20
Pts: Girón 21
Rebs: 12
Asts: Stoll 14 		Boxscore Pts: De Jesús 24
Rebs: Collier 7
Asts: De Jesús 6 		Arena: Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre
Attendance: Juan Fernández (ARG), Carlos Vélez (COL), Fabiano Huber (BRA)
29 November 2021 Puerto Rico  69–60  Cuba Chihuahua City, Mexico
Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 21–16, 16–7, 16–10
Pts: Romero 18
Rebs: Murphy 11
Asts: Howard 7 		Boxscore Pts: 16
Rebs: , Rivero 11
Asts: 6 		Arena: Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre
Referees: Juan Fernández (ARG), Gonzalo Salgueiro (ARG), Jesús López (VEN)

2022[]

24 February 2022 United States  93–76  Puerto Rico
Scoring by quarter: 20-27, 22-17, 32-14, 19-18
Boxscore
27 February 2022 Cuba  62–65  Puerto Rico
Scoring by quarter: 14-12, 22-19, 11-21, 15-13
Boxscore
4 July 2022 Puerto Rico  vs.  Mexico
Boxscore

Team[]

Current roster[]

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Americas)[]

The following is the 15-man roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Americas).

Puerto Rico national basketball team – 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Americas) roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
PG 0 Jordan Howard 25 – (1996-01-06)January 6, 1996 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) SIG Strasbourg France
G 2 Jezreel De Jesús 30 – (1991-05-05)May 5, 1991 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Real Estelí Nicaragua
F 3 Isaiah Piñeiro 24 – (1997-02-28)February 28, 1997 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Darüşşafaka Turkey
G 5 J. J. Barea 37 – (1984-06-26)June 26, 1984 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Cangrejeros de Santurce Puerto Rico
G 6 Jonathan Rodriguez 34 – (1987-11-03)November 3, 1987 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Capitanes de Arecibo Puerto Rico
F/C 7 Devon Collier 30 – (1991-01-20)January 20, 1991 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Capitanes de Arecibo Puerto Rico
PG 9 Gary Browne 28 – (1993-03-24)March 24, 1993 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Petkim Spor Turkey
C 15 27 – (1994-02-09)February 9, 1994 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Gigantes de Carolina Puerto Rico
G 22 29 – (1992-01-27)January 27, 1992 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Cariduros de Fajardo Puerto Rico
G 23 Isaac Sosa 31 – (1990-02-16)February 16, 1990 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Cangrejeros de Santurce Puerto Rico
G 24 Gian Clavell 28 – (1993-11-26)November 26, 1993 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) BC Budivelnyk Ukraine
F/C 28 Ismael Romero 30 – (1991-06-23)June 23, 1991 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Real Estelí Nicaragua
F 32 28 – (1993-04-02)April 2, 1993 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Brujos de Guayama Puerto Rico
SG 33 David Huertas 34 – (1987-06-02)June 2, 1987 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Capitanes de Arecibo Puerto Rico
F 34 Jordan Murphy 25 – (1997-02-28)February 28, 1997 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Austin Spurs United States
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Puerto Rico Carlos González
  • Puerto Rico Rafael Cruz
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club field describes current or most recent club
  • Age – describes age
    on November 28, 2021

Depth chart[]

Based on the recent call-ups and selections:

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Ismael Romero Devon Collier Timajh
Parker-Rivera
PF Isaiah Piñeiro Jordan Murphy Chris Ortiz
SF David Huertas Emmy Andújar Jonathan Rodriguez
SG Gary Browne Gian Clavell Isaac Sosa
PG Jordan Howard J. J. Barea Jezreel De Jesús

Retired numbers[]

Puerto Rico retired numbers
No. Player Pos. Tenure Ref.
4 José Ortiz PF / C 1983–2004
14 Raymond Dalmau PF 1966–1985

Head coach position[]

  • Puerto Rico Víctor Mario Pérez (1959)
  • United States Howie Shannon (1960–1963)
  • Puerto Rico José Garrige (1963)
  • United States Lou Rossini (1964–1967)
  • Puerto Rico Fufi Santori (1967)
  • United States Lou Rossini (1968–1972)
  • United States Gene Bartow (1972–1974)
  • Puerto Rico Armando Torres (1974–1976)
  • United States Tom Nissalke (1976–1978)
  • Puerto Rico Víctor Ojeda (1978–1986)
  • Puerto Rico Ángel Cancel (1986–1988)
  • Puerto Rico Armando Torres Ortiz (1988–1990)
  • Puerto Rico Raymond Dalmau (1990–1994)
  • Puerto Rico Carlos Morales (1994–2002)
  • Puerto Rico Julio Toro (2002–2006)
  • Puerto Rico Manolo Cintrón (2010–2011)
  • Puerto Rico Flor Meléndez (2011–2013)
  • Spain Paco Olmos (2013–2014)
  • United States Rick Pitino (2015)
  • Puerto Rico Eddie Casiano (2016–2021)
  • Puerto Rico Omar González (2019; Pan American Games)
  • Puerto Rico Nelson Colón (2021–present)

Past rosters[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Men's Competition – Puerto Rico". FIBA Americas. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  3. ^ "Brazil defeats P. R. for gold". The San Juan Star. June 1, 1988.
  4. ^ Hiram Martinez, El Nuevo Dia August 18, 1991 pg 206 "Cómodo el triunfo sobre México"
  5. ^ "THIRD MEN'S GOODWILL GAMES -- 1994". Archived from the original on September 7, 2015.
  6. ^ José R. Ortúzar (August 6, 2007). "Deportes". A la cancha. El Vocero (in Spanish). Puerto Rico. p. 62.
  7. ^ a b c Raúl álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (February 1, 2008). "La clasificación está accesible". Primera Hora. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
  8. ^ Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (May 20, 2008). "Muchas ausencias en primera práctica". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Daniel Santiago con el equipo nacional" (in Spanish). Baloncesto Superior Nacional. June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  10. ^ Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (June 30, 2008). "Mojica y 'Bimbo' completan la Selección". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 1, 2008.
  11. ^ a b 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.
  12. ^ Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (July 2, 2008). "Reversazo de Reyes". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  13. ^ Lester Jiménez (July 9, 2008). "Angelo Reyes no irá a Grecia". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  14. ^ Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (July 4, 2008). "Boricuas debutan con triunfo ante Alemania". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2008.
  15. ^ "Derrota ante los griegos". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 5, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
  16. ^ Luis Modestti (July 6, 2008). "Greece beats Puerto Rico to win the Supercup". myFIBA. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  17. ^ "Puerto Rico vence a Nueva Zelanda en baloncesto". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 8, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
  18. ^ "Puerto Rico vence a Irán 83–80". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  19. ^ Lester Jiménez (July 10, 2008). "Pierde nuestra Selección ante Eslovenia". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  20. ^ Luis Modestti (July 11, 2008). "Puerto Rico loses to Slovenia, makes final cut". myFIBA. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  21. ^ Puerto Rico derrota a Eslovenia. El Vocero (in Spanish). July 18, 2008.
  22. ^ José R. Ortúzar (July 21, 2008). Con la cabeza en alto Puerto Rico. El Vocero (in Spanish).
  23. ^ José Ayala Gordián (August 28, 2008). "Los Boricuas arrancaron con una cómoda 'salsa'". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  24. ^ Puerto Rico vence a Cuba. El Vocero (in Spanish). August 29, 2008.
  25. ^ Luce Barea para mantener invicto de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). El Vocero. August 30, 2008.
  26. ^ Alex Figueroa Cancel (August 29, 2008). "Arroyo no jugará hoy tras golpe en ojo". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  27. ^ "Puerto Rico va por el oro". Primera Hora (in Spanish). August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  28. ^ "PUR/BIZ – Puerto Rico vence a Belice para ganar el Grupo B" (in Spanish). FIBA Americas. July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  29. ^ Wilson Tavárez (July 12, 2010). "Puerto Rico campeón de CentroBasket 2010" (in Spanish). DiaDeportivo.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  30. ^ "Pesadilla en el aire para la delegación boricua en Argentina - El Nuevo Día". Archived from the original on September 12, 2011.
  31. ^ FIgueroa, Jorge (February 25, 2019). "Puerto Rico vence a Uruguay y clasifica al Mundial FIBA". El Nuevo Dia.
  32. ^ "Men Basketball Central American and Caribbean Games Archive". Todor Krastev. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  33. ^ "1986 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  34. ^ "1990 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  35. ^ "1994 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on May 19, 2000. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  36. ^ "1998 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  37. ^ a b "2001 Goodwill Games". AOL Time Warner Company. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  38. ^ "First Men's Goodwill Games – 1986". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
  39. ^ "2001 Goodwill Games News". AOL Time Warner Company. Retrieved December 11, 2009.

External links[]

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