Juan "Pachín" Vicéns
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 7, 1934 Ciales, Puerto Rico |
| Died | February 18, 2007 (aged 72) Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Kansas State (1954–1956) |
| Playing career | 1950–1966 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 8 |
| Career history | |
| 1950–1966 | Leones de Ponce |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Juan "Pachín" Vicéns Sastre[note 1] (September 7, 1934 – February 18, 2007) was a Puerto Rican basketball player. Vicéns was famous for his performance with the Leones de Ponce and with the Puerto Rican national basketball team. During the 1959 FIBA World Championship in Chile, Vicéns was declared to be the Best Player in the World.[1][2]
Basketball career
Juan Vicéns Sastre was born in
After moving, he started visiting the practices and filling in for the team when a player was needed. In 1950, he finally debuted in the
Also, from 1954 to 1956, Vicéns played
During his sixteen years with the Ponce Lions, he led them to ten finals, and seven championship titles. In 1958, he was the scoring leader of the league, and was selected the league's
Vicéns was a member of the
In 1966, Vicéns—along with
Post-career
After retiring as an active basketball player in 1966, he kept involved in sports as a radio commentator.
Later years
He was the final torchbearer and lighted the cauldron at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games held in Ponce.
During the second half of 2006, Vicéns' health started to deteriorate to the point that he had to have his legs amputated. Due to his illness he had to be hospitalized several times, and finally died on February 18, 2007, at his home in Ponce at the age of 72.
Legacy
In 1972, the
On May 25, 2007, Vicéns was officially named as a FIBA Hall of Fame candidate.[4] The list of candidates includes a total of 34 world-renowned basketball figures.[5]
In 1992, the city of Ponce once more recognized his achievements with a
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- National Superior Basketball
- Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Notes
- Spanish name, the first or paternal surnameis Vicéns and the second or maternal family name is Sastre.
References
- ISBN 0-8032-2216-5.
- ^ Ponceños conmemoran natalicio de Juan “Pachín” Vicéns. Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine 29 August 2011. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ ABC News (49): Former K-State basketball star dies at 72; February 22, 2007.
- ^ FIBA Hall of Fame - Powered by www.fiba.com Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Canada Basketball | Official Website Archived 2008-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sports. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 18 April 2013.
External links
- Gallery of Pictures of Puerto Rican players Archived 2020-02-22 at the Wayback Machine at enciclopediapr.org
- Biography
- (in Czech) Deaths in February 2007
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