Horacio Llamas
Encyclopedia
Horacio Llamas Grey known in non-Spanish-speaking countries as Horacio Llamas, is a Mexican
professional basketball
player. He is a 7'0" and 250 lb center
.
Llamas moved to the United States
as a teenager. He played for two years at Pima Community College
in Tucson, Arizona
, where he earned Arizona Community College Athletic Conference All Conference honors his freshman and sophomore seasons. Instead of attending an NCAA
Division I college
, like most NBA players, Llamas chose NCAA
Division II Grand Canyon University
where he earned NCAA
Division II Player Of The Year honors during his senior season.
Llamas had already made a mark on Mexican basketball when he graduated from Pima Community College
: Having played in the Mexican league many years, he was named the Mexican national team's starting center, and he participated in such international events as the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games
, held in Ponce, Puerto Rico
.
When Llamas played at Pima Community College
, he played well enough to make Phoenix Suns
scouts feel impressed. In 1996, he was signed by the Suns. When he made his Suns debut, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to participate in an NBA game. He chose to wear jersey number 17 which is the date of his birthday.
Llamas had an impact in the Phoenix
community, partly because of the large amount of Hispanic
s who live there. Soon after he began playing with the Suns, he was featured on the cover of the Suns' magazine, Fastbreak. Hoping to keep on bringing Hispanic fans to their home games, the Suns acquired Puerto Rico
's Daniel Santiago
soon after Llamas was released.
Llamas played in 20 games during his debut season, scoring 34 points for an average of 1.7 points per game, with 18 rebounds for 0.9 rebounds per game and 4 assists, for 0.2 assists per game. He made his NBA debut at Renunion Arena against Dallas on March 2, 1997 just after signing for the Suns and played 4 minutes, scoring on his only attempt in a 109-108 win and played in most of the games. His first career start saw him play a career best 24 minutes with 6 points, 4 reb, 1 ast and 1 stl in a 109-96 home win over the Houston Rockets.
In the 1997-98
, he played in eight games, three games in November, one game in February and four games in April, scoring 24 points for a total of 3.0 points per game, with 18 rebounds for a total of 2.3 rebounds per game, and 1 assist, for 0.1 assists per game and never saw any more than 8 minutes on the court. He had an NBA best 7 points including a 3-pointer in his final game for the Suns in a 123-93 thrashing at Houston in the final game of the regular season.
After 28 games in two seasons with the Suns, Llamas was released after the 97-98 season. His production totals may have been adversely affected by his not playing many minutes as a member of the Suns: in his 28 games, he only saw action a total of 143 minutes, for an average of 5 minutes played per game. On the other hand, local newspapers reported during his stint that his conditioning was said to be poor, at least initially.
Llamas continued on playing basketball, playing in various international leagues as well as in the Mexican league.
In 2004, Llamas tried to make a comeback to the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks
. The Bucks had Santiago playing at center, however, and they decided not to sign Llamas.
Currently, Horacio Llamas plays with Pioneros de Quintana Roo
in the Mexican Basketball League. (http://www.lnbp.com.mx/)
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
professional 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...
player. He is a 7'0" and 250 lb center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
.
Llamas moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a teenager. He played for two years at Pima Community College
Pima Community College
Pima Community College is an American two-year institution of higher education in Pima County, Arizona serving the Tucson metropolitan area. The community college district consists of six campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learning centers. It provides traditional and...
in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where he earned Arizona Community College Athletic Conference All Conference honors his freshman and sophomore seasons. Instead of attending an NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, like most NBA players, Llamas chose NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University is a for-profit Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Grand Canyon Education . GCU was founded in 1949 as a non-profit liberal arts college. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. purchased Grand Canyon University in February 2004...
where he earned NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II Player Of The Year honors during his senior season.
Llamas had already made a mark on Mexican basketball when he graduated from Pima Community College
Pima Community College
Pima Community College is an American two-year institution of higher education in Pima County, Arizona serving the Tucson metropolitan area. The community college district consists of six campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learning centers. It provides traditional and...
: Having played in the Mexican league many years, he was named the Mexican national team's starting center, and he participated in such international events as the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games
Central American and Caribbean Games
The Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
, held in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
.
When Llamas played at Pima Community College
Pima Community College
Pima Community College is an American two-year institution of higher education in Pima County, Arizona serving the Tucson metropolitan area. The community college district consists of six campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learning centers. It provides traditional and...
, he played well enough to make Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
scouts feel impressed. In 1996, he was signed by the Suns. When he made his Suns debut, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to participate in an NBA game. He chose to wear jersey number 17 which is the date of his birthday.
Llamas had an impact in the Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
community, partly because of the large amount of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
s who live there. Soon after he began playing with the Suns, he was featured on the cover of the Suns' magazine, Fastbreak. Hoping to keep on bringing Hispanic fans to their home games, the Suns acquired Puerto Rico
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 Daniel Santiago
Daniel Santiago
Daniel Gregg Santiago is a American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player, currently playing at the center position for the Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. Santiago is the fourth player from Puerto Rico to play in a NBA game...
soon after Llamas was released.
Llamas played in 20 games during his debut season, scoring 34 points for an average of 1.7 points per game, with 18 rebounds for 0.9 rebounds per game and 4 assists, for 0.2 assists per game. He made his NBA debut at Renunion Arena against Dallas on March 2, 1997 just after signing for the Suns and played 4 minutes, scoring on his only attempt in a 109-108 win and played in most of the games. His first career start saw him play a career best 24 minutes with 6 points, 4 reb, 1 ast and 1 stl in a 109-96 home win over the Houston Rockets.
In the 1997-98
1997-98 NBA season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 1998 NBA Finals...
, he played in eight games, three games in November, one game in February and four games in April, scoring 24 points for a total of 3.0 points per game, with 18 rebounds for a total of 2.3 rebounds per game, and 1 assist, for 0.1 assists per game and never saw any more than 8 minutes on the court. He had an NBA best 7 points including a 3-pointer in his final game for the Suns in a 123-93 thrashing at Houston in the final game of the regular season.
After 28 games in two seasons with the Suns, Llamas was released after the 97-98 season. His production totals may have been adversely affected by his not playing many minutes as a member of the Suns: in his 28 games, he only saw action a total of 143 minutes, for an average of 5 minutes played per game. On the other hand, local newspapers reported during his stint that his conditioning was said to be poor, at least initially.
Llamas continued on playing basketball, playing in various international leagues as well as in the Mexican league.
In 2004, Llamas tried to make a comeback to the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
. The Bucks had Santiago playing at center, however, and they decided not to sign Llamas.
Currently, Horacio Llamas plays with Pioneros de Quintana Roo
Pioneros de Quintana Roo
The Pioneros de Quintana Roo are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Cancún, México playing in Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional . During the 2010-2011 season the team made it to the finals. They became subchampions after losing to the Toros de Nuevo Laredo.-External links:* *...
in the Mexican Basketball League. (http://www.lnbp.com.mx/)