Leones de Ponce (basketball)

This article is about the Ponce basketball team. For the baseball team of the same name, see Leones de Ponce (baseball).
Leones de Ponce
League BSN
FIBA Americas League
Founded 1946
History Leones de Ponce
(1946–present)
Arena Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns
Location Ponce, Puerto Rico
Team colors Red, black, white
              
Head coach Nelson Colón
Ownership Gerardo Misla
Abel Misla
Oscar Misla
Ramón Misla
Championships 14 (1952, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015)
Website Official website
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate

Leones de Ponce is a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Ponce, Puerto Rico. They are a member of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league (BSN). The team was established in 1946 and has become one of the most successful clubs in league history, winning a record fourteen championships (a number also matched by the Atléticos de San Germán and the Vaqueros de Bayamón), the most recent being the 2015 championship acquired after defeating the Capitanes de Arecibo in the finals.[1]

The team's home court is Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, named after the Ponce basketball legend who brought several titles to Ponce and was even declared to be the Best Player of the World during the 1959 FIBA World Championship in Chile.[2][3][4]

Franchise history

The 50s and 60s

The Leones successes have always been periodical: their first championship came in 1952, 22 years after the beginning of BSN tournaments. They repeated as champions in 1954, but the 1953 championship did not finish when players from Ponce and San German were involved in a brawl which BSN officials could not control. The Leones did not win any more championships until 1960. The 1960s were a glorious decade for the Leones, who repeated in 1961 and then won three peat titles in 1964, 1965 and 1966. The presence of guard Juan "Pachín" Vicens greatly helped the Leones to reach the success they had. He was the key player in an already great roster. His impact can be evidenced by the fact that the Lions venue is named after him. Tex Winter, an assistant coach with the NBA Chicago Bulls championship teams of the 1990s, coached the Leones to their two 1950s titles, while Red Holzman was the main architect of the titles won from '64 to '66.

The 80s

The Leones could not win a championship for 24 years after the 1966 title. In 1984 they reached rock bottom when it was discovered that they had proceeded against the BSN's rules to sign David Ponce. Ponce was an American born Puerto Rican, and he had not spent the three years in Puerto Rico that are necessary for a BSN player to be nationalized, therefore, he was not eligible to play in the league. When this was discovered, a league wide scandal broke out, and the league determined to close the tournament that year by carrying out the Copa Olimpica championship instead of the normal championship finals. The Leones were excluded from participating in the Copa Olimpica.

The 1990s

Ponce Lions (Basketball team logo)

The Leones started rebuilding, acquiring such players as José "Papote" Agosto, Charlie Lanauze, Cesar Bocachica, Francisco "Papiro" León, Julian Rodriguez and their star player, Toñito Colón. With these players, the Leones, contended for the 1989 title, losing in seven games to Mario "Quijote" Morales and the Guaynabo Mets. With the acquisition of veteran Bobby Ríos in 1990, however, the Leones formed one of the most feared roster line-ups in the league. The four key players (Agosto, Lanauze, Colón, and Ríos) were known as the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in local media for their sharpshooting accuracy. They returned to the finals along with Julian Rodriguez and beat Guaynabo in a rematch. In 1992, coached by Julio Toro, the Leones returned to the throne, beating the Capitanes de Arecibo for the title. A rubber match with Mario Morales and his Mets was played at the 1993 finals, and the Leones prevailed, beating the Mets four games to one. They also reached the finals in 1995, 1996, and 1998.

The 21st century

After 1993, Ponce took nine more years to win a title. With the acquisition of Eddie Casiano and Bobby Joe Hatton in 2001, the team started re-building around them, with remaining key veteran players like Toñito Colón. In 2002, they beat the Vaqueros for the title in seven games. In 2003, the Leones signed former Vaqueros player Jerome Mincy, but they could not repeat as champions despite reaching the finals again. In 2004, in a series marred by controversy (Ponce almost threatened to pull out of game six during the fourth quarter), the Leones won their twelfth championship, defeating the Coamo Marathon Runners in seven games, with a game seven score of 92-77. They dedicated the championship to the city mayor, Hon. Rafael Cordero, who died in January of that year.

Financial Difficulties

Due to financial difficulties the team did not participate in the season of 2011 and 2012

The Return

On November 2, 2012 an agreement was reached for the sale where Dr. Oscar Santiago acquired the franchise. Under his guidance the team did extremely well after hiring fellow ponceño Nelson Colón as coach from the San Germán Athletics and signing forward Mike Harris and guard Mike Rosario. By the end of the 2013 season, the Lions reached the finals against the Quebradillas Pirates but after a six-game series they failed to win a championship trophy.

A New Era

In 2014 the Lions made their second consecutive finals appearance. This time they defeated the Arecibo Captains in 6 games to achieve their thirteenth championship and the first title in a decade. A year later, the team returned in a rematch of the 2014 finals against the Capitanes. The Lions made their back-to-back title after six games and tied the BSN record, along with the Bayamón Cowboys and the San Germán Athletics, for most overall championships.

Score history

Following are the scores for the Ponce Leones basketball team.[5]

Ponce professional sports teams
Club Sport League Venue League Championships
Leones de Ponce Basketball Baloncesto Superior Nacional Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium BSN Championships (14)

Team roster

Leones de Ponce roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt.
G/F 30 Puerto Rico Emory, Carlos 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
G 31 Puerto Rico Rivera, Carlos 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg)
G 32 United States Curry, Terrence 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
F 40 Puerto Rico Vassallo, Ángel Daniel 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 216 lb (98 kg)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)
  • Puerto Rico Gilberto Alvarado
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured

Youth team

Leones de Ponce also has a youth team.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Luis Santiago Arce. 23 de julio de 2015. Retrieved 25 de julio de 2015.
  2. ↑ Gems, Gerald R. (2006). The Athletic Crusade: Sport And American Cultural Imperialism. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-2216-5.
  3. ↑ Ponceños conmemoran natalicio de Juan “Pachín” Vicéns. 29 August 2011. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  4. ↑ La YMCA: Coronada en el Baloncesto Infantil. Junior Lugo Marrero. 30 de marzo de 2011. Retrieved 3 de marzo de 2012.
  5. ↑ Campeonatos Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Retrieved 27 February 2012.

External links

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