Baloncesto Superior Nacional
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 Baloncesto Superior Nacional logo |
|
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1933 |
| Commissioner | Carlos J. Beltran |
| Motto | "Pura Pasión"' |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country(ies) |  Puerto Rico |
| Most recent champion(s) | Vaqueros de Bayamon(14) |
| Most championships | Vaqueros de Bayamon (14) |
| TV partner(s) | CV24 ,Media sports tv , DirecTV |
| Official website | http://www.bsnpr.com |
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional or BSN (lit. "National Superior Basketball") is the main Puerto Rican men's basketball league. It currently has 11 teams, but has had many teams in several cities of the island. The league was established in 1932. It has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, European Leagues, and other leagues.
For the 2009 season, each team will play 30 games in a sinlge table format. The regular season is followed by a round robin with the best 8 teams divided in two groups based on regular season standings (1,8,4,5 and 2,7,3,6). The teams play against each other, then the best four teams compete in a semi-final series playing for the best of seven games. The season concludes with the finals, here two teams compete in the best of seven games.
The Vaqueros de Bayamón are the current leaders in all time championships with fourteen. The Atléticos de San Germán have thirteen, and the Leones de Ponce have twelve.
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[edit] History
The BSN was a struggling league economically until the 1980s, when, with Genaro 'Tuto' Marchand as President, an explosion of basketball popularity happened all over Puerto Rico. Basketball overtook baseball as the Puerto Rican fans' second favorite sport after boxing at that time.
The fact that WAPA-TV Channel 4 transmitted six games a week for the whole island to see, was a major contributor to this change in popularity. These games were shown Sundays at 2 p.m., Sundays at 9 p.m., Wednesday nights at 9, Friday nights at 9, and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and at 9 p.m.
During that time, other legends followed in the footsteps of Juan "Pachin" Vicens (Named Greatest Basketball Player in the World at the Basketball World Championship, held in Santiago, Chile, 1959). Among those younger stars, various bright stars soon emerged, such as Mario 'Quijote' Morales, Raymond Dalmau, Jose 'Piculin' Ortiz, Jerome Mincy, Georgie Torres, Angelo Cruz, Angel Santiago, the late Federico 'Fico' Lopez and Ruben Rodriguez showcased their talents to all of Puerto Rico's TV viewers and game goers.
After Hetin Reyes took the league over there were economic problems, but in part this is due to the rise in the cost of living. Nevertheless, the league continues to operate with 13 franchises but is looking at the future with optimism.
Currently, the leagues games are showcased on Puerto Rico's TUTV television channel.
Although some conssesions have been made, even offering Santurce fans free rides on the Tren Urbano train system so that they can attend away games at Bayamon, the league continued suffering monetary loss in 2005, and the basketball tournament was drastically reduced to only nine competing teams. In order to try to attract more fans to the venues in which the tournament is being played.
For the 2007 Season, the Morovis team moved to Fajardo and two teams joined back the league, Mayagüez Indians and Carolina Giants.
[edit] 2008-present
Prior to the inauguration of the 2008 season, Henry Neumann rennounced the president's chair and entered politics. Felix "Felo" Rivera, at the moment owner of the Criollos de Caguas was selected to succeed him. Rivera debuted as president on September 22, 2007, when he presided a reunion with most of the league's staff and other members of the sports community in Puerto Rico.[1] The reunion extended to ten hours and served primarily as a ceremony to officially present him as the BSN president.[1] Several changes to the league's rules were discussed, with two being adopted. The first one being a 50% penalty to franchises with payrolls larger than the $500,000 top.[1] This had been approved before in 2004 and only Santurce and Ponce failed to meet the salary top, however it was abandoned following the conclusion of that season. The main difference was that in the new rule the money that the league received with the penalty would be awarded to teams that dodn't violate the top.[1] The second rule approved was that restrictions on second "reforce" players were dropped, noting that the quality of immigrant players was supposed to rise.[1] In the reunion the league announced that the 2008 tournament would be inaugurated on March 1, 2008, earlier than in previous years. When September concluded Miguel Laborde was replaced by Juan Trinidad as the BSN's tournament director.[1]
[edit] Teams
[edit] Championships
Complete list of BSN Championship winners
| Season | BSN Champion | Coach |
| 1930 | Capitalinos de San Juan | Manuel Iglesia |
| 1931 | Capitalinos de San Juan | Manuel Iglesia |
| 1932 | Atléticos de San Germán | Ubladino Ramirez |
| 1933 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Onofre Carballeira |
| 1934 | Vega Baja | Rodrigo 'Guigo' Otero |
| 1935 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Onofre Carballeira |
| 1936 | Vega Baja | Rodrigo 'Guigo' Otero |
| 1937 | Vega Baja | Rodrigo 'Guigo' Otero |
| 1938 | Atléticos de San Germán | Ubladino Ramirez |
| 1939 | Atléticos de San Germán | Felicio Torregrosa |
| 1940 | Capitalinos de San Juan | Adolfo Porrata |
| 1941 | Atléticos de San Germán | Raul Aniceto Gonzalez |
| 1942 | Atléticos de San Germán | Armando 'Armandito' Torres Ortiz |
| 1943 | Tortuguero | Arquelio Torres Ramirez |
| 1944 | University of Puerto Rico | Felicio Torregrosa |
| 1945 | Capitalinos de San Juan | Adolfo Porrata |
| 1946 | Río Piedras | Ramon 'Monchito' Cestero |
| 1947 | Atléticos de San Germán | Armando 'Armandito' Torres Ortiz |
| 1948 | Atléticos de San Germán | Victor Murati |
| 1949 | Atléticos de San Germán | Raul Gonzalez |
| 1950 | Atléticos de San Germán | Luis F. Sambolin |
| 1951 | University of Puerto Rico | Victor Mario Perez |
| 1952 | Leones de Ponce | Tex Winter |
| 1953 | cancelled | cancelled |
| 1954 | Leones de Ponce | Tex Winter |
| 1955 | Río Piedras | Victor Mario Perez |
| 1956 | Río Piedras | Victor Mario Perez |
| 1957 | Río Piedras | Victor Mario Perez |
| 1958 | Capitalinos de San Juan | Floyd Brown |
| 1959 | Capitanes de Arecibo | Lou Rossini |
| 1960 | Leones de Ponce | Howard Shamon |
| 1961 | Leones de Ponce | Jack McKenney |
| 1962 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Fufi Santori |
| 1963 | Río Piedras | Lou Rossini |
| 1964 | Leones de Ponce | Red Holzman |
| 1965 | Leones de Ponce | Red Holzman |
| 1966 | Leones de Ponce | Red Holzman |
| 1967 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Fufi Santori / Roy Rubbins |
| 1968 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Lou Rossini |
| 1969 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Art Loche |
| 1970 | Piratas de Quebradillas | Erick Geldart |
| 1971 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Art Loche |
| 1972 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Tom Nissalke / Fufi Santori |
| 1973 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Del Harris |
| 1974 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Del Harris |
| 1975 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Tom Nissalke / Del Harris |
| 1976 | Río Piedras | Bernie Bickerstaff |
| 1977 | Piratas de Quebradillas | Ray Amalbert |
| 1978 | Piratas de Quebradillas | Ray Amalbert |
| 1979 | Piratas de Quebradillas | Ray Amalbert |
| 1980 | Mets de Guaynabo | Julio Toro |
| 1981 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Gene Bartow / Robert Corn |
| 1982 | Mets de Guaynabo | Julio Toro |
| 1983 | Indios de Canovanas | Herb Brown |
| 1984 | Indios de Canovanas | Julio Toro |
| 1985 | Atléticos de San Germán | Flor Melendez |
| 1986 | Polluelos de Aibonito | Charlie Bermudez |
| 1987 | Titanes de Morovis | Miguel Mercado |
| 1988 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Robert Corn |
| 1989 | Mets de Guaynabo | Julio Toro |
| 1990 | Leones de Ponce | Miguel Mercado |
| 1991 | Atléticos de San Germán | Carlos Morales Matos |
| 1992 | Leones de Ponce | Julio Toro |
| 1993 | Leones de Ponce | Julio Toro |
| 1994 | Atléticos de San Germán | Carlos Morales Matos |
| 1995 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Flor Melendez |
| 1996 | Vaqueros de Bayamón | Flor Melendez |
| 1997 | Atléticos de San Germán | Miguel Mercado |
| 1998 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Julio Toro |
| 1999 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Julio Toro |
| 2000 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Julio Toro |
| 2001 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Julio Toro |
| 2002 | Leones de Ponce | Carlos Mario Rivera |
| 2003 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Julio Toro |
| 2004 | Leones de Ponce | Manolo Cintron |
| 2005 | Capitanes de Arecibo | Carlos Mario Rivera |
| 2006 | Criollos de Caguas | Leonell Arill |
| 2007 | Cangrejeros de Santurce | Tony Ruiz |
| 2008 | Capitanes de Arecibo | David Rosario |
| 2009 | Vaqueros de Bayamon | Julio Toro |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official site (Spanish)
