The Maratonistas de Coamo (English: Coamo Marathon Runners) was a Puerto Rican professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team based in Coamo, that competed in the National Superior Basketball (BSN) league from 1985 until 2015 when the team was sold and was relocated to Aguada as the Santeros.Luz verde a la mudanza de los Maratonistas de Coamo para Aguada
on '' Primera Hora''; González, Carlos (December 15, 2015) It is now a member of the

Liga de Baloncesto Puertorriqueña The ''Liga de Baloncesto Puertorriqueña'' (LBP) is the second tier of professional basketball in Puerto Rico. It is a FIBA-sanctioned league, founded by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. The current champions are the Capitalinos de San Juan ...

, and recently won the LBP championship. Their home court was the Edwin "Puruco" Nolasco Coliseum. The team was established as the Cardenales de Rio Piedras (Rio Piedras Cardinals) in 1940. They relocated in 1985 to the town of Coamo in central Puerto Rico. As the Cardinals, the franchise advanced to the BSN Finals 15 times, and won six BSN Championships. In Coamo, the Maratonistas advanced to their first and only finals berth in 2004, appearing there for the sixteenth time in franchise history and first since 1977, when the club was based in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Flo ...

. The team ended up losing to the Ponce Lions in seven games.

Franchise history

1940s-1985: Cardenales de Río Piedras

The Maratonistas' previous incarnation, the Cardenales de Río Piedras, were formed in the 1940s. Early in their history they appeared in several Finals, winning their first championship in 1946 against the

Capitanes de Arecibo The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) ...

. From 1955 to 1957, the team won three championships in a row. The team kept enjoying success during the following years, reaching the Finals in three more occasions (1959, 1960, 1962). The team won a championship in 1963 led by players like

Juan Báez Juan Báez (April 14, 1935 – January 26, 2022), also known as "Johnny" and "El Indio de la Vía", was a Puerto Rican basketball player. He played from 1953 to 1969 in Puerto Rico's Superior Basketball League and from 1957 to 1961 with the Real ...

and others. After that, the team reached the Finals four more times. During the 1970s, the team played their home games at Rubén Zayas Montañez Court. The Cardenales would win another historic championship in 1976 beating the favorite Piratas de Quebradillas. The team, owned by attorney and engineer Rene Aponte Caratini, was one of the best in the league's history. Their roster included center Earl Brown, and guards Butch Lee and the legendary Freddie "Meteor" Lugo. They would return to the finals in 1977 and lose to the Piratas in a thriller. In 1985, the Cardenales de Río Piedras were relocated to Coamo under the name of the Maratonistas de Coamo.

1985-1998: First decade and relocations

After their relocation to Coamo, the Maratonistas enjoyed some success with the arrival of players like Dean Borges, Darryl Cambrelén, William "Memo" Reveron, Gerald Lebron Arrufat, Pablito Alicea, and Joao "Pipoca" Vianna, among others. However, in 1996, the team was relocated again to Villalba, under the name of Avancinos de Villalba. The team remained in Villalba for three years.

1999-2008: Return to Coamo and resurgence

In 1999, the team returned to Coamo under the ownership of Fernando Ortíz. The team included young players like Carlos Escalera, Miguel Ali Berdiel,

Christian Dalmau Christian Dalmau (born August 29, 1975) is a Puerto Rican retired professional basketball player, and current head coach of the Indios de Mayagüez in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He is the second son of the legendary Puerto Rican bas ...

, and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

prospect

Filiberto Rivera Filiberto Rivera (born September 28, 1982), also known as "Fili", is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player for Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), in Puerto Rico. Rivera has played in the NCAA, NJCAA, and has a ...

. In 2004, the Maratonistas had their best season to date. Two of their players, Gabriel Mouneke and Carlos Escalera, were selected

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

and Most Improved Player respectively. Coamo reached the BSN Finals against the Leones de Ponce, but lost on a seventh game to Ponce. In 2008, the team was forced to recess due to financial problems.

2011-2015

In 2011, the team returned to the league led by 2007 Rookie of the Year Johwen Villegas. In 2013, it was announced the team would return to league competition in 2014 after a two-year absence. In 2015, the team was sold and relocated as the

Santeros de Aguada Santeros de Aguada is a Puerto Rican professional basketball team of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. The team was originally based in Aguada, Puerto Rico, and although the team moved to Fajardo in 2021, even changing their name and re-branding ...

Notable players

Justin Keenan Justin Anthony Keenan (born May 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Shonan United of the B.League. He plays at the power forward and center positions. Early life and high school career Keenan was born in Grand Rapi ...

Kevin Sheppard Kevin Sheppard (born 17 September 1979 in St Croix) is a United States Virgin Islands basketball player and former football striker. He became the subject of the documentary '' The Iran Job'' which covers his 2008-2009 season with the A.S. Shir ...

Marcus Landry Marcus Landry (born November 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Goyang Orions of the Korean Basketball League. Landry attended Harold S. Vincent High School, Vincent High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ...

Edwin Ubiles Edwin Ubiles (born November 26, 1986) is a Puerto Rican former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Siena College. A native of Poughkeepsie, New York, he averaged 14.8 points per game over his four seasons at Siena, wh ...

Rolando Frazer Rolando Frazer Thorne (born July 3, 1958, in Panama City, Panama) is a Panamanian former professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. He was an inaugural inductee of the Briar Cliff ...

Carlos Escalera Carlos Escalera (born June 26, 1979 in Mayagüez) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Escalera has played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico ( BSN) with Mets de ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maratonistas De Coamo Baloncesto Superior Nacional teams Coamo, Puerto Rico Basketball teams established in 1940 Basketball teams disestablished in 2015 1940 establishments in Puerto Rico 2015 disestablishments in Puerto Rico