Santurce Crabbers (basketball)

BSN
color1 = #f7a311 | color2 = #0719f7
name = Santurce Crabbers

imagesize = 100px
division = Fico Lopez Division
coliseum = Coliseo de Puerto Rico,
Coliseo Mario Morales
city = San Juan, Puerto Rico
colors = White, Orange, Blue
coach = Antonio "Tony" Ruiz
league_champs = 8 (1962, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007)
last = failed to pass the "Super 6"

The Santurce Crabbers ("Cangrejeros de Santurce") are a BSN basketball team from the San Juan area of Santurce. 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 Arecibo Captains 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 center of the PR national basketball team in the times when Puerto Rico and Brazil where the two most dominant teams in the Americas 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.

The Return

On 1998, Angelo Medina 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 Santurce Crabbers, 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 Horrutinier would join the Crabbers in 1999. Santurce won the BSN championship in 2000, 2001 and 2003. In all those championships the team was lead 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 Santini, decided that the Crabbers 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 Crabbers". The use of the "Quijote" Morales" contributed to the return of a professional team in Guaynabo (Guaynabo Conquistadors).

In 2007, the Crabbers advanced to the league's round robin, following a 73-70 victory over Fajardo.cite book| title=El "Tractor" clasifica| author=Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón| publisher=Primera Hora| location=Puerto Rico| chapter=Acción| language=Spanish| date=2007-06-15| pages=88] 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 Crabbers 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 Crabbers advanced to the league's "Super 6" semifinals. They began a series against the Arecibo Captain on June 5, 2008. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/baloncesto/accion_deportiva/ayuso_fue__puro_veneno/197999| title=Ayuso fue puro veneno| author=Lester Jiménez| publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2008-06-06| accessdate=2008-06-13] Santurce won the first game, but lost the second. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/baloncesto/accion_deportiva/arecibo_sigue_vivito/198416| title=Arecibo sigue vivito| author=Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón| publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2008-06-07| accessdate=2008-06-13] This was followed by a series against the Carolina Giants, winning the first game. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/baloncesto/accion_deportiva/¡estan_vivos!/200481| title=¡Están vivos!| author=Lester Jiménez| publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2008-06-13| accessdate=2008-06-13]

Current Roster

The current roster in the 2008 season features:

International performance

As champions of the 2007 BSN season the Crabbers were one of two teams selected to represent Puerto Rico in the first edition of the "League of the Americas", the other team representing the island in this event were the league's runner-up the Arecibo Captains. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/baloncesto/accion_deportiva/cangrejeros_arrancan_en_la_liga_de_las_americas/134699| title= Cangrejeros arrancan en la Liga de Las Américas| author=Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón| publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2007-12-04| accessdate=2007-12-04] The Crabbers classified to the tournament's second round, finishing the first with a record of 2-1. In this round they compited against the Miami Tropics in a three game series. Santurce won the first game of this series with a score of 102-94. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/baloncesto/accion_deportiva/santurce_saco_una_victoria_dorada_ante_los_tropics/148211| title=Santurce sacó una victoria dorada ante los Tropics| author=Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón| publisher=Primera Hora| date=2008-01-17| accessdate=2008-01-17]

Notable Former Players

*Teo Cruz
*José "Piculín" Ortiz
*Carlos Arroyo
*Rolando Horrutinier

The numbers of Cruz (13), and Ortiz (4) have been retired by the team. The retirement of the #4 was held on May 2, 2007 on a ceremony at the home opener. The ceremony included memories of the championships between 1998 and 2003, where Ortiz lead the team, and comments from him with the trophy and at the celebration. The 2007 Crabbers season is dedicated to him.

References