His memorabilia will be displayed
By The Star Staff
Cayey Mayor Rolando Ortiz Velázquez announced over the weekend that the municipal assembly authorized his initiative to name the Plaza Empresarial Municipal building, which is located at the entrance to the urban center, after former basketball star José Rafael “Piculín” Ortiz Rijos.
“For us it is a joy and satisfaction that we can honor the career of this great Cayeyan, who has generated so many glories in sports,” the mayor said on Saturday. “While studying at Benjamín Harrison High School in Cayey, Piculín began to play basketball, and the rest is history. His outstanding height, 6 feet 11 inches, favored him to perform as a pivot on the court.”
In 1981, the player also known as ‘Picu’ began playing in the Puerto Rico National Superior Basketball League (BSN by its initials in Spanish) with the Atléticos de San Germán, with whom he remained until 1984. Between 1988 and 1990, he was a member of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He then lived in Europe, where he played with several teams: Real Madrid (1990), FC Barcelona (1990-1992), Festina Andorra (1992-1993) and Unicaja Málaga (1993-1994).
Later, he returned to the Atléticos (1994, 1995 and 1996) and then joined the Toritos de Cayey (1994-1995).
“In his extensive career, he was also part of the Guaiqueríes Margarita of Venezuela in 1997. Between 1998 and 2006, he was part of the Cangrejeros de Santurce, with whom he won five championships. In 2006, while playing with the Capitanes de Arecibo, he retired from professional basketball after suffering an injury,” Ortiz Velázquez noted. “Also, as part of the Puerto Rican National Team, he participated in a large number of international competitions such as the Pan American Games of 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1995, and the Olympics of 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2004.”
Piculín Ortiz Rijos is considered one of the best centers in the history of Puerto Rican basketball. In March 2019, he was inducted into the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Hall of Fame.
The municipal legislative resolution was approved unanimously. The Plaza Empresarial building will also house Piculín memorabilia for the enjoyment of Cayeyanos and visitors. The official ceremony will be announced soon, the mayor said, so that the entire town can celebrate with Piculín.
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