Scottie James led Carolina with 18 points and 9 rebounds. By THE STAR STAFF The Osos of Manatí and the Gigantes of Carolina won their respective Superior National Basketball league (BSN by its initials in Spanish) games on Saturday night. At Juan Aubin Cruz Coliseum in Manatí, the Osos defeated the Criollos of Caguas, 94-89, to break a three-game losing streak. After taking a slim 38-36 lead into halftime, Manatí took control of the game in the second half, extending the adva

José Soriano of the Los Angeles Angels, from the Dominican Republic, made some adjustments in the off-season and has become one of the best pitchers in baseball to start the year, dominating most of the teams he has faced. (Wikipedia) By JIM BOWDEN / THE ATHLETIC One of the most valuable commodities in MLB is a true No. 1 starter. A team ace can be a stabilizing force, giving his team a reliable six or seven innings every five days and often being the one who prevents a short

Later this month, members of the national preliminary roster will begin preparations for the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Four, to be held June 5-7 at Salvador Dijols Arena in Ponce. By THE STAR STAFF The Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation (FPV) earlier this week announced the national preliminary roster that will begin preparations for the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Final Four, to be held June 5-7 at Salvador Dijols Arena in Ponce. Official practices are scheduled to begin in mid-Ma

The Atléticos of San Germán on Wednesday night retired the number 4 jersey worn by the late José Rafael “Piculín” Ortiz Rijos, whose storied professional basketball career began with the team. By THE STAR STAFF The Atléticos of San Germán retired the number 4 jersey -- worn by the late José Rafael “Piculín” Ortiz Rijos, who died of cancer on Tuesday at age 62 -- during Wednesday night’s Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) game between the Atléticos a

The Criollos of Caguas pulled out a 100-99 overtime victory over the Vaqueros of Bayamón on Tuesday night while wearing uniforms honoring one of Puerto Rico’s roundball legends, José “Piculín” Ortíz, who died of cancer early in the day. By THE STAR STAFF The Criollos of Caguas defeated the visiting Vaqueros of Bayamón 100-99 in overtime on Tuesday night at Roger Mendoza Coliseum. As a tribute to Puerto Rican basketball great José Rafael “Piculín” Ortíz Rijos, who died early

Rudy Gobert has been the person most responsible for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ evolution into a defensive-minded team. (Reddit via r/Timberwolves) By JARED WEISS / THE ATHLETIC After an NBA game in January, Rudy Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves center, racked his brain for a message to send to his protege, Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, in the opposing locker room. “Ask him if he can beat me at chess without the timer bailing him out,” Gobert suggested to a r

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “... [I]t kind of starts with Shai,” Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said of his team’s need to excel on defense against the NBA’s premier defenders. “We’ve got to do a good job of making everything uncomfortable for him.” (Instagram via shai) By DAN WOIKE / THE ATHLETIC There is no point in being disillusioned about what the Los Angeles Lakers have to do, coach JJ Redick said. To keep their season alive, they will

Right-hander Ramón Garriga pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win as Guayama punched its ticket to the postseason. (Alondra Bermúdez) By THE STAR STAFF The Brujos of Guayama and the Gigantes of Carolina notched victories on Monday in the Double-A Superior Baseball League. The Brujos defeated the Potros of Santa Isabel, 10-3. The result eliminated the Potros (8-12) from contention and secured a postseason berth for both the Brujos (10-10) and the Pe

Derrick Walton helped Arecibo turn back Mayagüez with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Mets beat Osos in Gurabo By THE STAR STAFF The Capitanes of Arecibo and the Mets of Guaynabo both recorded victories on Monday night in Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) league games. At the Palacio de Recreación y Deportes in Mayagüez, the Capitanes defeated the Indios 87-85 in a game decided in the final seconds, thereby putting together back-to-back victo

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (X via NBA) By JARED WEISS / THE ATHLETIC To be an NBA player is to be a professional in compartmentalization. When you come up short, you don’t fail just in front of the people you see, but also the abstract world at large. Success and failure hinge on split-second decisions as you try to focus on trusting the training rather than fearing judgment. The weight of internal expectations and upholding the responsibility to the team is a