FIBAAMERICAS.COM Special issue 01 Feature FIBA-Americas Championship 2009 August 26, 2009 MURATORE a man of in play basquekball their trip for Turkey Photo: José Jiménez/FIBA The story of FIBA Americas President, Horacio Muratore, is interesting and Now at the start of his presidency in FIBA Americas the continent had a great full of success starting in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman as a player for performance in the U19 FIBA World Championship as they finished at the top Tucuman Basketball Club. nine in both men's and women's tournaments. In the women's tournaments USA Muratore, who was named FIBA Americas President in March of 2009, has won Gold and Argentina Bronce. been thru all the divisions in basketball, from club to the organization that rules The key is to have a great base to have good results, says Muratore, who saw the game of basketball in America. Argentina, who is not a women's powerhouse, win in that tournament. "I started as a player in Tucuman Basketball in San Miguel de Tucuman and " Everything is thanks to a good job right at the base with good planification in because I studied in the Economic Science faculty, I was named the treasurer the national team and club competition. This is what we did in all Argentina so of the basketball commission," said Muratore in an interview. the kids could play basketball in the selections and provinces and also in the His long journey in the basketball world started right there where his years of clubs. We have a National League where the young players want to go in order service and leadership have given Muratore recognition around the community to develop," said Muratore who graduated from Accounting from Tucuman where he helped develop basketball in South America and now has the opportunity National University. to do it in all America. His job to develop basketball doesn't rest in the tournament that are already Muratore was President of Tucuman Basketball from 1978-1980 and from 1980 there, now they will continue to work to show the potential of American Basketball to 1983 to the Tucuman Association. Then he passed to the Presidency of the with many tournaments, including the South American Championship for Women;s Tucuman Federation for ten years. On December of 1992 he was elected as Clubs done in Quito, Ecuador. When talking about the FIBA Americas President of the Argentinean Basketball Confederation and he was there for 16 Championship, that begins on August 26 at Coliseo Roberto Clemente of San years. In November of 1993 he was selected as the President of the South Juan, Muratore thinks that it will be a hard and close competition. American Confederation (Consubasquet) for 13 years. "Something will happen this year that has never happened before and that During his presidency in Consubasquet and CABB, Muratore saw the biggest is that the ten teams have high expectations to win. They are preparing well achievements in the region as Argentina won Gold in the 2004 Olympics and and they want to have the best team possible. It will be a very competitive countries like Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, among others, were doing a great job in tournament and good for the people of Puerto Rico who are passionate about continental tournaments. At the same time the club competitions and national basketball." Varejao & Anthony: colossus from Brasil & Canada. teams increased to give players the chance to develop in international The FIBA Americas Championship will qualify the top four teams for the 2010 competitions. FIBA World Championship. Photo: José Jiménez/FIBA STAFF 10 countries from the Americas looks four spots for the FIBA Word Championship 2010 Javier Otero - Director of Comnunication FIBA-Américas in Turk soil. Chu García - Editor Fernando Luis Rolón - Creative Director Luis ModHeightti - Comunications Albert Ortiz - Comunications/IT Assistant SCHUDDLE fibaamericas.com Néstor Rodríguez - Eligibility & Doping Control wednesday 26 thurday 27 friday 28 José Jiménez - Photography FIBA-Américas photo Archive and El Nuevo Día newspaper 1:30 ISV vs URU 1:30 PAN vs DOM 1:30 ARG vs BRA FIBA globAL sponsors 4:00 DOM vs BRA 4:00 CAN vs MEX 4:00 ISV vs CAN 6:30 VEN vs ARG 6:30 BRA vs VEN 6:30 VEN vs PAN 9:00 MEX vs PUR 9:00 PUR vs isv 9:00 URU vs PUR 01 Did you know? eleven games of action y passion The II Marchand Continental Championship Cup, held last week at Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, not only served to show that Brazil repeated the 2007 title, but also they gave Argentina, Canada and Puerto Rico the opportunity to warm up prior to the FIBA Americas Championship. There were many players who had an A: Brazilian Leandro Barbosa, who led in scoring with a 20.7 point per game averaged and was followed by Luis Scola with 17.7 and Tiago Splitter of Brazil with 15.0 In rebounds Puerto Rican Daniel Santiago led with 8.7 followed by Anderson Varejao with 8 along with Canadian Joel Anthony. Filiberto Rivera of Puerto Rico led assists with 5.7 while Marcelinho Machado had 5.3 and Marcelo Huertas with 3.9 per game. Filiberto Rivera tries to score againts Canada’s Joel Anthony. Photo: José Jiménez/FIBA Filiberto Rivera FIBA Americas President, Horacio Muratore, and Alberto Garcia who is the Secretary General, welcome the ten participating countries for the 2010 FIBA World Championship qualifier. They also thanked the Puerto In free throws Filiberto Rivera had 100% Rican Basketball Federation for salvaging and organizing this tournament who had Mexico as the original by making all eleven of them. Scola and host. Barbosa followed with a 78.9%. Starting today until Sunday, August 30, Coliseo Roberto Clemente serves as the host of four daily games In three point shows Jermaine Anderson starting on 1:30 and ending at 9:00 with intermediate games on 4:00 and 6:30. The Puerto Rican team will of Canada was the bHeight with a 66.7% always play last in the first round. while Machado had 58.7 and Ricky The competition is divided into two groups. Group A has Mexico, Uruguay, Canada, US Virgin Islands and Sanchez 54.5. Puerto Rico. Group B has Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Panama and Venezuela. Carmelo Lee of Puerto Rico had 2.3 blocks August 31 is an off day and starting on September 1, with eight national teams, four from each group, will per game while Anthony also had 2.3 and play in the second round. The semifinals will be played on August 5 and the finals on August 6. Luis Villafañe 1.3. Individual tickets are priced: $35.00 (Palco), $25.00 (Preferencia) and second floor $14.00. The cost doesn't include a 7% tax. 2 7 01 NBA PLAYERS IN san juan Dominican REPUBLIC SHOWS A LOT IMPROVEMENT Key player If it wasn't for the injury of Puerto Rican Jose Juan Barea, who hasn't recovered completely from his left shoulder surgery, the NBA would have had seven NBA players in the FIBA Americas Championhip where the Dominican Republic has three members. They are Al Horford of Atlanta who last season he played in 67 games and averaged 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. Shooting guard Francisco Garcia who had 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 65 games. Charlie Villanueva of Milwaukee registered 16.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in his debut with the Dominican national 15 team after playing with the USA Junior National Team. Meanwhile Argentina has Luis Scola (Houston) as their key Daniel Santiago player who never missed a regular season game (82) and The rank of star in the Puerto Rican averaged 12.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. national team belongs without a doubt Finally Brazil has guard Leandro Barbosa of Phoenix with to Carlos Arroyo by being their main 14.4 points and 88.8% from the free throw and forward offensive weapon and having FIBA and NBA experience, but in the current Anderson Varejao of Cleveland with 8.6 points and 7.2 Francisco García Al Horford edition, center Daniel Santiago is a key rebounds. player because of the extra needed for In paper the ten participants of the FIBA Americas starting center Peter John Ramos. Championship has a legitimate opportunity for the title Santiago, who has been playing in and get one of the four spots in the 2010 FIBA World the last couple of years in the ACB Luis Scola: the fuel that sparks the Houston Rockets. Photo: José Jiménez/FIBA Championship. League with Malaga and Barcelona, has Meanwhile Brazil is going thru a good moment and won two titles and came back to the the Dominican Republic, coached by Julio Toro, has national team after playing with NBA stars like Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, Vaqueros de Bayamon where he had a three puerto rican Francisco Garcia of the Sacramento Kings and Charlie great performance in the semifinals and Villanueva who played with the Milwaukee Bucks. the finals. He faced Ramos in the finals coaches on stage The Dominicans are one of the favorites while you where Vaqueros got their 14 league can't discount Argentina for their winning tradition and title. Puerto Rico because they are the host. Uruguay is It is almost unheard of that three coaches from the same nationality play Despite his inactivity for the last two improved in the middle of a reconstruction period and in an important FIBA competition and two of them are leading nationalists' weeks, Santiago participated in the II Canada who has a solid team and plays great defense.