The Santurce Cangrejeros will work –as of next week– in the making of a new team while they still play in the National Superior Basketball (BSN).
Santurce aims to present a team similar to the one they play in the local league when they debut in the FIBA Basketball Champions League – formerly known as the Liga de las Américas – in December. The leader and ex-canastero Elías “Larry” Ayuso was confirmed by the Santurcina management.
For his part, the former Mayaguez Nebeist José Juan Barea remains in doubt because he wants to share with his family after the BSN season is over.
Santurce auscultates the possibility of requesting the venue for one of the tournament phases.
“We are going to try to bring the core of players in our team because the goal of the league is also to keep the team as long as we can to prepare for next year, continue to grow and start with new projects. We will try to compete and go as far as possible. It is the first year and we want to be of impact. We are in those areas ”, explained the general manager of the team, René Morales.
“One of the goals is to have one of the venues,” said Morales, who did not know whether they would play at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico or at the Roberto Clemente, both in San Juan.
The Cangrejeros will try to bring between six or seven Puerto Rican players, in addition to reinforcements. “I have to see what the commitments of Thomas (Robinson) and (Frank) Gaines are because we have not spoken with them … If we can take the team with the largest number of Puerto Rican players, we will do it,” Morales said.
The Basketball Champions League is played in phases in different countries of America. It will have 12 teams and will run until April 2022.
Los Cangrejeros were invited in an unusual edition that will not necessarily feature the champions of each country, as in the case of the Vaqueros de Bayamón.
The other participants will be Obras Basket, Boca Juniors and Quimsa (Argentina), Flamengo, Minas and Sao Paulo (Brazil), Stingers (Canada), Universidad de Concepción (Chile), Real Estelí (Nicaragua) and Bigua y Nacional (Uruguay).
The Capitanes de Arecibo were the first Puerto Rican team to compete in the League of the Americas. They were in each of their first 12 editions and were runners-up in 2011. In addition, the Ponce Lions played in two editions and achieved a third place, in 2017.
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