Arecibo Captains
Encyclopedia
The Capitanes de Arecibo (in English, "Arecibo Captains") are a team in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), Puerto Rico
's main basketball
league. In 2010, the team also played in the Premier Basketball League
(PBL) under the name Capitanes de Puerto Rico.
On August 19, 1959, the Capitanes won their first basketball championshinp against the Rio Piedras Cardinals at the Rodríguez Olmo Stadium in Arecibo. They were coached by Lou Rossinni, and the heroes of that series were Francisco Pancho Padilla, Felipito Colón, Bill MacCadney, José (Fufi) Santori Coll, Moisés Navedo, José Rodríguez Gómez, Eddie Martínez, José Vázquez, José Aponte, Angel Morales, Jaime Miranda, Joe Phillip Padilla hijo, Ramón Siraguza, Enrique Miranda, and Sitín García.
In 1992, coached by Alfred “Butch” Lee, the Capitanes returned to the BSN Finals with elite players Ferdinand Morales, Rafael Hernandez, Giovanni Colón, Fitz Roy Brow, Juan Griles, Orlando Febres, Bryan and Mark Santiago, losing a hard-fought series against the Ponce Lions.
In 2005, general manager Regino Babilonia hired Carlos Mario Rivera as head coach and the Captains again won the BSN Championship (4-0) over the Bayamón Cowboys.
In 2007, with David Rosario at the command of the Captain Ship, and the fiery players Rafael “Pachy” Cruz, Ángel “Buster” Figueroa, David Cortes, Carlos Payano and Marcus Fizer as reinforcement, the Capitanes returned to the BSN Finals. In a historic, sold-out Game 7 at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, where 75% of the attendees were from Captain Correa City, the Arecibo Captains came back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to force an overtime. In a hard-fought and emotional series of plays and calls, the Captains came up just short of another championship.
During the 2008 season, the Capitanes advanced again to the finals against the Carolina Giants. The series went to seven games, with both teams winning three games at home. Arecibo won the seventh game, 99-94, for the third championship in the franchise's history. Ángel Figueroa
was selected the Finals' Most Valuable Player.
and Bonzi Wells
. Other international players signed by the Capitanes during the off-season were Elías Larry Ayuso
, Angelo Reyes
and Walter Hodge. Antonio Látimer and José Rosario completed the signings, while Hodge left during the season to join the Cangrejeros. Their performance earned the team constant inclusion in MLN Sports' basketball rankings, debuting in the fourth spot. During the undefeated streak, David Rosario was named PBL Coach of the Month for January.
The team won its first series against the Maryland GreenHawks, with scores of 109:100 and 99:91. The Capitanes subsequently won their first contests against the Manchester Millrats
(116:104) and Vermont Frost Heaves
(114:103), establishing a lead in the league's standings. The Capitanes' next game was against the team that held the second place in the standing, the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (3-0), winning with scores of 101:94. The team won its first contests against the Buffalo Stampede
(114:89), Halifax Rainmen (108:101) and Quebec Kebs (93:86). After two weeks of inactivity, the Capitanes began a series of away games defeating the GreenHawks 111:93.On march 21 2010 the game between the rainmen from Halifax and the capitanes was played since the game was canceled due to bad weather the last time it was scheduled.The score was (106:94) final.
, along with the BSN-champion Santurce Crabbers
. Before the competition began, the Capitanes' coach, David Rosario, stated that the team's preparation was intense so that they would be able to adapt in order to match the advantage expected to be presented by Fuerza Regia
and Halcones Xalapa, since the tournament occurred in the middle of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
season.
The Capitanes responded by hiring one of Puerto Rico's top litigation attorneys, Lee Sepulvado of the law firm Sepulvado & Maldonado. The team's lawyers filed a complaint seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction before federal court in Puerto Rico. The PBL hired O'Neill & Borges, one of Puerto Rico's top law firms and was represented by attorney Salvador Antonetti Stutts whom attended Harvard Law School and is a former Solicitor General of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
After the attorneys conducted oral arguments before Federal Judge Juan Perez Gimenez the court entered a temporary restraining order against the PBL instructing the league to immediately reinstate the Capitanes and allow them to participate in the 2010 playoffs. Shortly thereafter the PBL agreed to the issuance of a preliminary injunction order formally reinstating the team.
The matter received extensive media coverage and the PBL was forced to accept its wrongdoing by setting aside the expulsion of the team. The Capitanes vehemently denied the charges and all along insisted their only goal was to win in the basketball court and not the legal court.
Capitanes de Arecibo win 2 straight Championships (2010, 2011) and their fourth championship in 7 years.
Angel Figueroa
(#7) Marcus Fizer
(#23) Tony Massenburg
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's main basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
league. In 2010, the team also played in the Premier Basketball League
Premier Basketball League
The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in January 2008. The league had ten teams for the 2008 season and thirteen teams for the 2009 season. Nine teams from Canada and the United States...
(PBL) under the name Capitanes de Puerto Rico.
Early years
In 1946, coached by Wilfredo Franco, Tingo Díaz, Piro Méndez and for a pre-Olympic tournament, the Capitanes emerged. A group of young athletes, mostly from Arecibo, like: Manuel Gilberto (Petaca) Iguina, Quicón Iguina, Abdiel de la Rosa, Alberto Rentas, Joaquín Balaguer, Armando Villamil, y Pipe Beníquez showed themselves to be a part of it and dominated the sport in Puerto Rico, finishing in second place.On August 19, 1959, the Capitanes won their first basketball championshinp against the Rio Piedras Cardinals at the Rodríguez Olmo Stadium in Arecibo. They were coached by Lou Rossinni, and the heroes of that series were Francisco Pancho Padilla, Felipito Colón, Bill MacCadney, José (Fufi) Santori Coll, Moisés Navedo, José Rodríguez Gómez, Eddie Martínez, José Vázquez, José Aponte, Angel Morales, Jaime Miranda, Joe Phillip Padilla hijo, Ramón Siraguza, Enrique Miranda, and Sitín García.
In 1992, coached by Alfred “Butch” Lee, the Capitanes returned to the BSN Finals with elite players Ferdinand Morales, Rafael Hernandez, Giovanni Colón, Fitz Roy Brow, Juan Griles, Orlando Febres, Bryan and Mark Santiago, losing a hard-fought series against the Ponce Lions.
Restructuring
The Capitanes in 2002 wrote another page in the history of their city and the BSN when the so-called "kids" broke the predictions of the media and basketball analysts by taking a semi-final series to Game 7 with young talents Giovanni Jiménez, Rick Apodaca, Buster Figueroa, Pachy Cruz and David Cortes; and veterans Félix Javier Perez, Javier Rolón and Oscar Chiaramello.In 2005, general manager Regino Babilonia hired Carlos Mario Rivera as head coach and the Captains again won the BSN Championship (4-0) over the Bayamón Cowboys.
In 2007, with David Rosario at the command of the Captain Ship, and the fiery players Rafael “Pachy” Cruz, Ángel “Buster” Figueroa, David Cortes, Carlos Payano and Marcus Fizer as reinforcement, the Capitanes returned to the BSN Finals. In a historic, sold-out Game 7 at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, where 75% of the attendees were from Captain Correa City, the Arecibo Captains came back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to force an overtime. In a hard-fought and emotional series of plays and calls, the Captains came up just short of another championship.
During the 2008 season, the Capitanes advanced again to the finals against the Carolina Giants. The series went to seven games, with both teams winning three games at home. Arecibo won the seventh game, 99-94, for the third championship in the franchise's history. Ángel Figueroa
Ángel Figueroa
Ángel Luis "Buster" Figueroa Sepúlveda is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who currently plays for the Mets Guaynabo of the BSN league in Puerto Rico...
was selected the Finals' Most Valuable Player.
Premier Basketball League (PBL)
The PBL began its third season in 2010 with nine teams. The Capitanes were one of three expansion teams. For PBL play, the Capitanes take the name of Puerto Rico rather than their home city. The Capitanes established two different talent pools. As well as the original BSN team, they had a roster for PBL play that included selections in that league's player draft. Their subsequent first signings were Andrés RodríguezAndrés Rodríguez (basketball)
Andrés Rodríguez is a professional basketball player currently playing in the Liga ACB with Obradoiro CAB....
and Bonzi Wells
Bonzi Wells
Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 5" shooting guard, he last played for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the main Puerto Rican basketball league. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the...
. Other international players signed by the Capitanes during the off-season were Elías Larry Ayuso
Elías Larry Ayuso
Elías "Larry" Ayuso is a Puerto Rican-American professional basketball player...
, Angelo Reyes
Angelo Reyes (basketball)
Angelo Reyes is a Puerto Rican/American professional basketball player. Reyes has played with the ABA and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with Carolina Giants. Reyes has played internationally in Australia...
and Walter Hodge. Antonio Látimer and José Rosario completed the signings, while Hodge left during the season to join the Cangrejeros. Their performance earned the team constant inclusion in MLN Sports' basketball rankings, debuting in the fourth spot. During the undefeated streak, David Rosario was named PBL Coach of the Month for January.
The team won its first series against the Maryland GreenHawks, with scores of 109:100 and 99:91. The Capitanes subsequently won their first contests against the Manchester Millrats
Manchester Millrats
The Saint John Mill Rats are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball League of Canada based in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Mill Rats started as the Manchester Millrats, an expansion team in the American Basketball Association in 2007 based in Manchester, New Hampshire. For the...
(116:104) and Vermont Frost Heaves
Vermont Frost Heaves
The Vermont Frost Heaves were a professional basketball team in Vermont, United States that last played in the Premier Basketball League, last coached by Joe Salerno. The formation of the team was announced in December, 2005 by founding owner Alexander Wolff, a Cornwall, Vermont resident and...
(114:103), establishing a lead in the league's standings. The Capitanes' next game was against the team that held the second place in the standing, the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry (3-0), winning with scores of 101:94. The team won its first contests against the Buffalo Stampede
Buffalo Stampede
The Buffalo Stampede was a Roller Hockey International team based in Buffalo, NY that was founded in the second season of the RHI. The team played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from 1994-1995. The team won the 1994 RHI Murphy Cup....
(114:89), Halifax Rainmen (108:101) and Quebec Kebs (93:86). After two weeks of inactivity, the Capitanes began a series of away games defeating the GreenHawks 111:93.On march 21 2010 the game between the rainmen from Halifax and the capitanes was played since the game was canceled due to bad weather the last time it was scheduled.The score was (106:94) final.
International performance
As runner-ups of the 2007 BSN season, the Capitanes were selected to represent Puerto Rico in the first edition of the FIBA Americas LeagueFIBA Americas League
The FIBA Americas League is an international men's basketball club cup competition played annually by clubs of Americas, and is organized by FIBA Americas. The first edition started on December 4, 2007.-Format:The 16 participating clubs are divided in four groups of four teams each...
, along with the BSN-champion Santurce Crabbers
Santurce Crabbers (basketball)
The Cangrejeros de Santurce are a BSN basketball team from the Santurce area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. They currently play at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and Mario Morales Coliseum, they have been playing there since 2005...
. Before the competition began, the Capitanes' coach, David Rosario, stated that the team's preparation was intense so that they would be able to adapt in order to match the advantage expected to be presented by Fuerza Regia
Fuerza Regia
The Fuerza Regia is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional...
and Halcones Xalapa, since the tournament occurred in the middle of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
The Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 11 teams, expanding to 24 as of 2008...
season.
Expulsion from the PBL
In March of 2010, the PBL announced that it was forced to expel the franchise due to an alleged failure to adhere to its rules & guidelines. Among the violations cited were, failing to appear at road games, failure to pay amount owed to the league, and lack of communication with league officers. At the moment, the team held the second best record in the league and had secured a spot in the playoffs.The Capitanes responded by hiring one of Puerto Rico's top litigation attorneys, Lee Sepulvado of the law firm Sepulvado & Maldonado. The team's lawyers filed a complaint seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction before federal court in Puerto Rico. The PBL hired O'Neill & Borges, one of Puerto Rico's top law firms and was represented by attorney Salvador Antonetti Stutts whom attended Harvard Law School and is a former Solicitor General of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
After the attorneys conducted oral arguments before Federal Judge Juan Perez Gimenez the court entered a temporary restraining order against the PBL instructing the league to immediately reinstate the Capitanes and allow them to participate in the 2010 playoffs. Shortly thereafter the PBL agreed to the issuance of a preliminary injunction order formally reinstating the team.
The matter received extensive media coverage and the PBL was forced to accept its wrongdoing by setting aside the expulsion of the team. The Capitanes vehemently denied the charges and all along insisted their only goal was to win in the basketball court and not the legal court.
2008 Championship
On June 28 2008, Capitanes de Arecibo defeated Gigantes de Carolina in 7 games to win their third championship, Angel Luis Figueroa scored 33 points and Roberto Jose Hatton scored 20 points. Ángel Figueroa was selected the Finals' Most Valuable Player.2010 Championship
The reconquest of the National Superior Basketball League Championship is a fact. The Arecibo Capitanes are the new Champions of the BSN. The national title was achieved Saturday, July 3, 2010, beating the "Vaqueros" at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón. Incidentally, the Capitanes became the first team in the history of the BSN, to win a seventh and deciding game as the visiting team. The final score of the game was 73 - 62. The match had to be stopped due to some interference from some of the Vaqueros fans, who began throwing objects onto the court and the game could not be finished. When the game was halted, there was still 1:42 on the clock, but Arecibo had clear dominance of the game on the court. It is noteworthy in that this is the second Championship won by the Capitanes in the past three tournaments of the BSN.2011 Repeating as Champions
On August 1, 2011 Capitanes de Arecibo defeated Piratas de Quebradillas in 5 games (4-1) to win their fifth National Superior Basketball Championship. Guillermo Díaz was chosen as the Most Valuable Player.Capitanes de Arecibo win 2 straight Championships (2010, 2011) and their fourth championship in 7 years.
Trophies
BSN Championship : 5- 1959 - Head Coach: Lou Rossini
- 2005 - Head Coach: Carlos Mario
- 2008 - Head Coach: David Rosario
- 2010 - Head Coach: David Rosario
- 2011 - Head Coach: David Rosario
Notable former players
Fufi SantoriFufi Santori
Jose Santori Coll , better known as Fufi Santori, is a well known former BSN basketball player, coach and television sportscaster. He was also a physical education, basketball and tennis instructor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez for close to thirty years...
Angel Figueroa
Ángel Figueroa
Ángel Luis "Buster" Figueroa Sepúlveda is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who currently plays for the Mets Guaynabo of the BSN league in Puerto Rico...
(#7) Marcus Fizer
Marcus Fizer
Darnell Marcus Lamar Fizer is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.- High school career :Fizer played high school basketball at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Louisiana...
(#23) Tony Massenburg
Tony Massenburg
Tony Arnel Massenburg is an American former professional basketball player. He shares an NBA record with Chucky Brown, Joe Smith, and Jim Jackson for having played with twelve different teams over his career....