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

Justin Reyes led the Capitanes of Arecibo with 22 points and nine rebounds. (bsnpr.com) By THE STAR STAFF The Gigantes of Carolina-Canóvanas and Capitanes of Arecibo were winners in a pair of Superior National Basketball League (BSN) games on Sunday night. At Carlos Miguel Mangual Coliseum in Canóvanas, the Gigantes defeated the Santeros of Aguada, 98-69. After an even first quarter, the Gigantes held the Santeros to 12 points in the second frame to build a 43-28 halftime lea

Ángel “Gallo” Rosa blasted two home runs and knocked in five runs in the Tigres’ come-from-behind win over the Titanes. By THE STAR STAFF The Tigres of Hatillo scored nine runs in the eighth inning to beat the Titanes of Florida 11-6 and complicate the Titanes’ path to playoff contention in the Superior Double-A Baseball League. Erick Sepúlveda pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win in relief. Offensively, Jay Feliciano hit a home run and drove in four runs, while Án

Jalen Crutcher led the way for Ponce with 26 points and 10 assists. By THE STAR STAFF The Leones of Ponce used a fourth-quarter surge to defeat the Cangrejeros of Santurce 103-92 in a Superior National Basketball (BSN by its initials in Spanish) game Saturday night at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey. Elsewhere, the Vaqueros of Bayamón defeated the visiting Osos de Manatí 95-70 at Rubén Rodríguez Arena. The Leones’ offense was led by Jalen Crutcher, who shined with 26 po