San Lorenzo de Almagro (basketball)

Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is the men's professional club basketball section of the homonymous sports club based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The team plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB), which is the first tier level division of the Argentine basketball league system, and Pan-America's premier men's basketball league, the Basketball Champions League Americas. Their home arena is the Estadio Ciudad de Santiago del Estero. The team is currently coached by Silvio Santander. In the period 1942-1973, he stood out for what he did at the amateur and semi-amateur level, in which he won 29 regional titles, won the Argentine Club Championship, and was South American runner-up in 1958. In addition, he was one of the founding clubs of the National League, playing the opening game of said tournament on April 26, 1985. Although the club is known mainly for its soccer part, it is also one of the most important basketball clubs in the country and South America, being a multi-champion at various times in its history. He has to his credit five Leagues (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21), two Liga de las Américas, and other titles such as a Super 4, and two Super Cups. San Lorenzo is the first, and so far, the only Argentine basketball team to face an NBA team. It is the only club that has been four-time and five-time champion of the National League.

San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo logo
NicknameAzulgrana
ConferenceSur
LeaguesLNB
Champions League Americas
Founded1935; 89 years ago (1935)
(Basketball section)
ArenaPolideportivo Roberto Pando[1]
Capacity2,700
LocationBuenos Aires, Argentina
Team colors   
PresidentMarcelo Tinelli
Head coachSilvio Santander
Championships2 FIBA Americas League
5 Argentine Leagues
1 Argentine Club Championship
1 Súper 4
Websitesanlorenzo.com.ar/basquet
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away

History

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Beginning and golden years

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San Lorenzo affiliated to the Argentine Association in the 1930s decade, and won a large number of championships from the 1930s to the 1970s, being nicknamed The Cathedral of Basketball. 1942 was the year when San Lorenzo achieved its first titles, winning the Torneo Apertura (Opening Tournament) and the Official championship, organised by the Buenos Aires Basketball Association. One year later, the team won another Apertura title, and they then won the 1946, 1949, and 1950 Apertura official titles. The club's most notable players of that era were Alfredo Belli, Salvador Capece, and Alberto Trama. Other notable members of the team were Armando Bo and Francisco Sommariva.

 
The 1956 champions posing for El Gráfico

In 1951, San Lorenzo played against The Harlem Globetrotters, at the Estadio Luna Park, in Buenos Aires. That same year, the team won the Apertura championship (and repeated again in 1952), and the Official in 1954. Two years later, the team won another Official title, remaining unbeaten, and its first Torneo Metropolitano (Metropolitan Tournament) title. In 1957, San Lorenzo made its first international tour of Brazil, where the squad won 8 of 12 games played. Players on the tour were: Ricardo Lanzillotta (team captain), Herberto Fagnani, Edgar Parizzia, Oscar Zagatti, Carlos Vasino, Vicente Lazzara, Erio Cassetai, and Carlos Marranzino, with Francisco del Río being the head coach of the team.

San Lorenzo won its first national title in 1958, the Campeonato Argentino (Argentine Championship of Clubs). That allowed the team to play its first official tournament outside of Argentina, as the club competed in the South American top-tier level South American Championship of Champions Clubs, where San Lorenzo finished second, behind Defensor Sporting. At the Argentine national domestic level, San Lorenzo won the 1958 Apertura title, and finished third in the Buenos Aires championship (although the squad won the 1959 and 1960 titles). In 1966, San Lorenzo won the Apertura title finishing unbeaten, and both the Metropolitano and Buenos Aires championships, in 1968.

The 1970s began with the 1970 Metropolitano championship, and the club then winning two titles else in 1971. That same year, San Lorenzo toured in Europe, marking the first time that an Argentine team played there. The club's layers were Oscar Visciglia, Gustavo Aguirre, Carlos Perroni, Carlos Garro, Dante Massolini, Norberto Pacheco, Carlos Perales, Abel Rojas, Néstor Delgui, and Emilio Dumani, with Edgard Parizzia acting as the team's head coach. San Lorenzo defeated OKK Beograd, Yugoslavian national league club, and six rivals from Italy. They also played against the Spain national team.[2][3] During that tour, the team was nicknamed, La Catedral (The cathedral), after a speech from team player Emilio Dumani, saying: "This is a team that always fights, and never turns off... like the lights of a Cathedral".

Despite those successful years, the 1973 Buenos Aires championship was their last title until the 2010s.

1971 tour of Europe details
Date City Rival Result (wins in bold)
Spain
30 Apr Balaguer Spain national team 49–94
1 May Balaguer Gillette (USA) 73–75
2 May Balaguer OKK Beograd 78–74
Italy
6 May Bari OKK Beograd 88–89
7 May Bari Fides Napoli 63–93
8 May Bari Tropicali Pesaro 70–72
9 May Roseto Monti Roseto 90–69
12 May Rome Patriarca 89–80
14 May Reggio Emilia La Torre Reggio Emilia 81–57
15 May Brugherio Candy 70–74
16 May Turin Riber 94–79
17 May Genoa Athletic Genova 75–63
19 May Rome Lazio Snadiero 93–85

Liga Nacional and decline

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San Lorenzo (in red uniform) played in the first LNB game ever, vs. Argentino de Firmat in 1985. With the ball, León Najnudel.

On April 26, 1985, San Lorenzo played the opening game of the recently created Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) (National Basketball League), facing Argentino de Firmat at the Obras Sanitarias venue.[4] Nevertheless, the team was relegated that same year.[5]

The basketball section of the club was inactive between 1986 and 1993, returning only at youth levels. In 1996, San Lorenzo's senior squad returned to first division tournaments of the city of Buenos Aires. The club also won the Under-22 championship (2004), and the 2012 Copa De Oyarbide (Oyarbide Cup).

Return to glory

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San Lorenzo players celebrating the 2015–16 season LNB title.

In 2014, San Lorenzo debuted in the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (TNA) (National Promotion Tournament), the second tier level division of professional basketball in Argentina.[6] In 2015, San Lorenzo acquired a vacant place in the Argentine top-tier level Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) (National Basketball League), because of a merger with the club 9 de Julio de Río Tercero.[7] 30 years after its debut in the LNB, San Lorenzo returned to the top division on September 22, 2015, and beat Quimsa, by a score of 79–64.[8]

San Lorenzo won its first LNB title in 2016, after beating La Unión, with a 4–0 series sweep in the league's finals. San Lorenzo player, Walter Herrmann, was chosen as MVP of the Finals.[9]

In the following season, San Lorenzo won its 2nd consecutive Argentine League title, after defeating Regatas Corrientes, 4–1 at the finals. The team became the most winning team in the LNB's history, with a 23–3 record. Gabriel Deck was chosen as the Final's MVP.[10] Unlike the 2015–16 series, San Lorenzo played its home games at Roberto Pando arena, in Boedo, Buenos Aires.[11]

Arena

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San Lorenzo plays its home games at the Polideportivo Roberto Pando, which is located in Boedo, Buenos Aires. The arena has a seating capacity of 2,700 people.

Players

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Current roster

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San Lorenzo roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age
C 1   Caffaro, Agustín 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 29 – (1995-02-06)6 February 1995
SG 2   Tucker, Dar 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 36 – (1988-04-11)11 April 1988
C 3   Williams, Justin 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 40 – (1984-05-12)12 May 1984
SF 6   Mata, Marcos 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 38 – (1986-08-01)1 August 1986
PG 7   Aguirre, Nicolás 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 36 – (1988-03-31)31 March 1988
SF 8   González, Luciano 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 34 – (1990-01-01)1 January 1990
SG 10   Fjellerup, Máximo 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 27 – (1997-11-24)24 November 1997
PG 11   Vildoza, José 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 28 – (1996-01-24)24 January 1996
C 15   Batista, Esteban 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 122 kg (269 lb) 41 – (1983-09-02)2 September 1983
C 18   Piñero, Facundo 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 118 kg (260 lb) 36 – (1988-09-26)26 September 1988
SG 24   Fernández, Lisandro 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 26 – (1998-01-19)19 January 1998
C 50   Anthony, Joel 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 111 kg (245 lb) 42 – (1982-08-09)9 August 1982
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  •   Injured

Updated: 2020–01–01

Notable players

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Walter Herrmann, the club's key player of their Argentine LNB 2015–16 season title.

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Head coaches

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Statistics

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Games versus NBA and European-wide league teams

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Versus NBA teams

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14 October 2016 Toronto Raptors   122–105   San Lorenzo Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
Scoring by quarter: 32–22, 21–33, 34–27, 35–23
Pts: VanVleet 31
Rebs: Poeltl 6
Asts: VanVleet, Heslip 5
Game Report
Box Score
Pts: 22 Meyinsse
Rebs: 7 Aguirre, Mata
Asts: 11 Aguirre
Attendance: 15,113
Referees: Pat Fraher, Lauren Holtkamp, Scott Wall
7 October 2019 Cleveland Cavaliers   120–89   San Lorenzo Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 43–29, 26–21, 30–15
Pts: Clarkson 17
Rebs: Thompson 10
Asts: Osman 5
Game Report
Box Score
Pts: 20 Batista
Rebs: 11 J. Williams
Asts: 7 Aguirre
Attendance: 9,902
Referees: Brent Barnaky, Ken Mauer, Phenizee Ransom

Versus EuroLeague teams (Tier 1)

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12 September 2017 Real Madrid   81–84   San Lorenzo Ciudad Deportiva Príncipe Felipe, Madrid, Spain
Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 23–15, 26–18, 13–25
Pts: Campazzo 16 Game Report Pts: 25 Tucker Attendance: 150
Referees: Fernández, Zamorano, Serrano
15 September 2017 Barcelona   85–95   San Lorenzo Pabellón de Balaguer, Balaguer, Catalonia, Spain
Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 20–25, 23–19, 23–20
Pts: Moerman 21
Rebs: Moerman 5
Asts: Heurtel 7
Game Report Pts: 23 Deck
Rebs: 14 Deck
Asts: 4 Mata
Referees: O. Perea, J. Oyón, V. Mas
7 May 1971 San Lorenzo   63–93   Fides Napoli Bari, Italy
Game Report
15 February 2019 San Lorenzo   64–86   AEK Athens Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Honours

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Copa Confederación Argentina de Deportes (Argentine Sports Confederation Cup).

National

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  • Torneo Súper 4 (1): 2016–17

Regional

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  • Asociación de Buenos Aires Championship (12): 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1971, 1973
  • Torneo Metropolitano (5): 1956, 1967, 1968, 1979, 1971

International

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Others

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  • Arganda del Rey, Spain Invitational Game: 2017

In international competitions

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Latin America

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  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Year Competition Round W L W%
2017 FIBA Americas League Second Group Stage 4 2 .667
2018 FIBA Americas League Champions 8 0 1.000
2019 FIBA Americas League Champions 7 1 .875
2019–20 BCL Americas
Total 2 Titles 19 3 .864

FIBA Intercontinental Cup

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  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Year Round W L W%
  2019 Third place 1 1 .500
  2020
Total 0 Titles 1 1 .500

See also

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References

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