Boricua Ballers

by Big Rich Nadal, "El Oso Blanco"

With the recent passing of the great Hector "El Mago" Blondet, P.R. hoops came back to the forefront. Hector was a 6'5'' guard from Boys High in Brooklyn. His passing ability and scoring powers helped him get drafted by Portland from Murray State in the early '70s. Before the Dream Team broke out in 1992, "amateur" hoop stars couldn't sign or try out for NBA crews. Blondet would've made the NBA easily. However, ballin' overseas Olympics and P.R. was too much to lose. "El Mago" or "The Magician", was an incredible passer! He was a scorer who could spread the wealth.     

The '70s were the Golden Age for Boricua ballers. In 1976 Butch Lee dropped 35 and Neftali Rivera 26 versus Team USA in Montreal. These two guards almost beat the excellent crew from Los Estados Unidos. Ballers like 6'4'' Raymond Dalman, 6'8'' Tio Cruz(who was being courted by the Celtics), high-flying Cesar Fantauzzi fromEl Barrio and many others, put tiny Puerto Rico on the map. From the streets of Manhattan to the courts in Ponce, Puerto Rican players were making noise!     

The Superior League in P.R. was and is a hot bed for coaching. The league has had Red Holzman, Phil Jackson, Herb Brown, Doug Moe, Gene Bartow and many others practice their craft in La Isla Del Encanto. Sure, baseball is still the love of this Island, but basketball was always making noise around the world!     

The influence of hoopsters from New York, Chicago, and Philly help expand the talent base in the league. Players like Jose Paris, Lenny Santiago, John Candelaria, Hector Olivencia, Angel "Monchito" Cruz, and Corky Ortiz gave P.R. teams swagger and style.     

Now Dominican ballers are shining, as are cats from Panama, Mexico and Columbia. The Argentines have shown the world how much talent is in South America. Throw in the great Brazilians and Latinos are doing their thing!     

All this can be attributed to the Puerto Rican ballers who set the pace 3 decades ago.     

Big ups to ALL latinos who are ballin' or have played this beloved game. iQue viva los Latinos y Que viva Puerto Rico!