Santurce Crabbers (basketball)
Encyclopedia
The Cangrejeros de Santurce (lit. "Santurce Crabbers") 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. They are the 2007 BSN Champions, after beating the Capitanes de Arecibo in a thrilling 7-game series.
of the PR
national basketball team in the times when Puerto Rico
and Brazil
where the two most dominant teams in the America
s outside the USA
. Valle, #5, arguably the best power forward
in BSN history, played actively in 8 seasons finishing MVP and first in points per game in 1956. He was active in 2 Olympic games
, where he led Puerto Rico in scoring both times. After 2 championships, and several finals, the Santurce Crabbers played their last season in 1976.
acquired the Aguadilla Sharks and the San Juan Capitalinos, merged them and acquired other free agents (in a time where there was no Free Agency in the BSN) to revive the Cangrejeros, who started playing in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum
. The team featured players like: Jose "Piculin" Ortiz, Carlos Arroyo
, Orlando "Guayacan" Santiago and Jeffrey Aubry. Besides those players, Santurce featured as a coach Julio Toro
, who was the coach of the national team and had previously won a championship in the league. The team went on to defeat the Ponce Lions
in the final.
Rolando Hourruitiner
would join the Cangrejeros in 1999. Santurce won the BSN championship in 2000, 2001 and 2003. In all those championships the team was led by Ortiz, Arroyo and Horrutinier, the 3 then members of the national team. For the 2007 season, the Crabbers once again became BSN champion.
, decided that the Cangrejeros could no longer play in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum because the assistance was low and it was not worth playing there., and offered them the Pedrin Zorrilla Court, which is used for volleyball. The mayor of Guaynabo, Hector O'Neil, offered Medina use of the Mario Morales Coliseum
, located in Guaynabo, and Medina decided to split home games between the recently opened Puerto Rico Coliseum
. The games at the Puerto Rico Coliseum
averaged an attendance of 10,000. Santini and the municipality of San Juan insisted that the Pedrin Zorrilla should be used, and even had a giant billboard in front of the coliseum that read We want this (the Pedrin Zorrilla) to be the new home of the Cangrejeros. The use of the "Quijote" Morales contributed to the return of a professional team in Guaynabo (Guaynabo Conquistadors).
In 2007, the Cangrejeros advanced to the league's round robin, following a 73-70 victory over Fajardo. In this game Robert Traylor
scored the first triple-double in the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds and ten blocks. This total established a new record in blocks for a single game, breaking the previous record of nine. With less than a minute remaining Orlando Santiago scored a free throw and subsecuently stole a ball to secure a win. The Cangrejeros would reach the finals and face the Arecibo Captains
, defeating them in the series to win the league's championship.
To this date, the team remains playing home games in Guaynabo and the Puerto Rico Coliseum. The Puerto Rico Coliseum is only used in playoffs and regular season games against teams that attract a large crowd such as the Arecibo Captains, Ponce Lions
and Bayamon Cowboys.
In 2008, the Cangrejeros advanced to the league's "Super 6" semifinals. They began a series against the Arecibo Captain on June 5, 2008. Santurce won the first game, but lost the second. This was followed by a series against the Gigantes de Carolina, winning the first game.
1962, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007
(#13)José Ortiz
(#4)Carlos Arroyo
(#7)José Juan Barea
(#55)Elias Ayuso (#10)
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...
team from the Santurce
Santurce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
area of San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. They currently play at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
The José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, officially named "Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot" , is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment...
and Mario Morales Coliseum
Mario Morales Coliseum
Mario Morales Coliseum is an indoor sporting arena located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The coliseum opened in 1983 and is named after renowned basketball player Mario Morales....
, they have been playing there since 2005. They are the 2007 BSN Champions, after beating the Capitanes de Arecibo in a thrilling 7-game series.
The first years
The team has included name players such as Teófilo Cruz, and Rafael Valle. Cruz, #13, played for 25 seasons being MVP in 4 seasons and leading the BSN in points per game 2 times. He was the starting centerCenter (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...
of the PR
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...
national basketball team in the times when 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...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
where the two most dominant teams in the America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
s outside the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Valle, #5, arguably the best power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
in BSN history, played actively in 8 seasons finishing MVP and first in points per game in 1956. He was active in 2 Olympic games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, where he led Puerto Rico in scoring both times. After 2 championships, and several finals, the Santurce Crabbers played their last season in 1976.
The return
On 1998, Angelo MedinaAngelo Medina
Angelo Medina is an international Music Manager/Producer/Promoter.He was former manager of Ricky Martin and is current manager of Latin Rock giants as Maná, Ednita Nazario,Calle 13 and other well-known Latin artists. He is president of "Empresas Angelo Medina" & Gianfi Co...
acquired the Aguadilla Sharks and the San Juan Capitalinos, merged them and acquired other free agents (in a time where there was no Free Agency in the BSN) to revive the Cangrejeros, who started playing in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum
Roberto Clemente Coliseum
The Roberto Clemente Coliseum is a sporting events and concert arena in San Juan, Puerto Rico.It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and it continues being one of the largest....
. The team featured players like: Jose "Piculin" Ortiz, Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard who last played for the Boston Celtics. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA...
, Orlando "Guayacan" Santiago and Jeffrey Aubry. Besides those players, Santurce featured as a coach Julio Toro
Julio Toro
Julio Toro is a Puerto Rican basketball coach. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, he made history by becoming the first non-Soviet coach to defeat the United States during Olympic competition, and the first coach to defeat an American team composed of NBA players at an Olympics...
, who was the coach of the national team and had previously won a championship in the league. The team went on to defeat the Ponce Lions
Ponce Lions
Ponce Lions refers to several related club sports teams in Ponce, Puerto Rico, including:*Leones de Ponce , a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League...
in the final.
Rolando Hourruitiner
Rolando Hourruitiner
Rolando Hourruitiner Ortiz was a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican National Basketball Team which defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games.-References:...
would join the Cangrejeros in 1999. Santurce won the BSN championship in 2000, 2001 and 2003. In all those championships the team was led by Ortiz, Arroyo and Horrutinier, the 3 then members of the national team. For the 2007 season, the Crabbers once again became BSN champion.
Move from the Roberto Clemente Coliseum
In 2005, the mayor of San Juan, Jorge SantiniJorge Santini
Jorge Santini Padilla in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an Puerto Rican Politician and current Mayor of San Juan City.-Biography:...
, decided that the Cangrejeros could no longer play in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum because the assistance was low and it was not worth playing there., and offered them the Pedrin Zorrilla Court, which is used for volleyball. The mayor of Guaynabo, Hector O'Neil, offered Medina use of the Mario Morales Coliseum
Mario Morales Coliseum
Mario Morales Coliseum is an indoor sporting arena located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The coliseum opened in 1983 and is named after renowned basketball player Mario Morales....
, located in Guaynabo, and Medina decided to split home games between the recently opened Puerto Rico Coliseum
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
The José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, officially named "Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot" , is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment...
. The games at the Puerto Rico Coliseum
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
The José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, officially named "Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot" , is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment...
averaged an attendance of 10,000. Santini and the municipality of San Juan insisted that the Pedrin Zorrilla should be used, and even had a giant billboard in front of the coliseum that read We want this (the Pedrin Zorrilla) to be the new home of the Cangrejeros. The use of the "Quijote" Morales contributed to the return of a professional team in Guaynabo (Guaynabo Conquistadors).
In 2007, the Cangrejeros advanced to the league's round robin, following a 73-70 victory over Fajardo. In this game Robert Traylor
Robert Traylor
Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor was an American professional basketball player.-High school and college:...
scored the first triple-double in the season with 17 points, 15 rebounds and ten blocks. This total established a new record in blocks for a single game, breaking the previous record of nine. With less than a minute remaining Orlando Santiago scored a free throw and subsecuently stole a ball to secure a win. The Cangrejeros would reach the finals and face the Arecibo Captains
Arecibo Captains
The Capitanes de Arecibo are a team in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional , Puerto Rico's main basketball league. In 2010, the team also played in the Premier Basketball League under the name Capitanes de Puerto Rico....
, defeating them in the series to win the league's championship.
To this date, the team remains playing home games in Guaynabo and the Puerto Rico Coliseum. The Puerto Rico Coliseum is only used in playoffs and regular season games against teams that attract a large crowd such as the Arecibo Captains, Ponce Lions
Ponce Lions
Ponce Lions refers to several related club sports teams in Ponce, Puerto Rico, including:*Leones de Ponce , a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League...
and Bayamon Cowboys.
In 2008, the Cangrejeros advanced to the league's "Super 6" semifinals. They began a series against the Arecibo Captain on June 5, 2008. Santurce won the first game, but lost the second. This was followed by a series against the Gigantes de Carolina, winning the first game.
Trophies
BSN Championship : 81962, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007
Notable former players
Teófilo CruzTeófilo Cruz
Teófilo Cruz Downs was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Cruz has played in the NCAA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with Santurce Crabbers, Guaynabo Mets, Canovanas Indians, Río Piedras Cardinals, and Mayagüez Tainos. Cruz has played internationally in...
(#13)José Ortiz
José Ortiz
José Rafael Ortiz , better known as Piculín or Picu, is a retired Puerto Rican professional basketball player...
(#4)Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard who last played for the Boston Celtics. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA...
(#7)José Juan Barea
Jose Juan Barea
José Juan "J.J." Barea Mora is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. He most recently played as a point guard for the National Basketball Association's 2011 champion Dallas Mavericks. Barea has played in the NBA, NBA Development League, NCAA and the BSN with Indios de Mayagüez and the...
(#55)Elias Ayuso (#10)