Gigantes de Carolina (men's basketball)

This article is about the basketball team. For the baseball team of the same name, see Gigantes de Carolina (baseball).

The Gigantes de Carolina is a Puerto Rican professional basketball team in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional based in Carolina, Puerto Rico. After 12 years of inaction, they returned for the 2021 season.^[1][2]

Gigantes de Carolina
Nickname	La C Carola El Calentón
Leagues	Baloncesto Superior Nacional
Founded	1971
History	Gigantes de Carolina (1971–2009; 2021–present)
Arena	Guillermo Angulo Coliseum
Capacity	5,500
Location	Carolina, Puerto Rico
Ownership	Héctor Horta
Championships	1 (4 finals)
Home Away Third Fourth

History

They've participated in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) from 1971 to 2009; with breaks in 1994, '98, '99, '05, '06, and '10. They have made the BSN Finals three times in their history, 1979 (vs. the Piratas de Quebradillas), 1997 (vs. Atléticos de San Germán), and 2008 (vs. Capitanes de Arecibo),^[3] losing them all.

In 2008, the Gigantes advanced to the league's "Super 6" semifinals. The team earned a lead in this phase and came close to receiving a guaranteed spot in the league's final by defeating the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the final stages of the "Super 6".^[4] The Gigantes entered this series with only two games left for qualification.^[5] However, Santurce won the second game with score of 99–83.^[6] Carolina eventually won the series and eliminated Santurce.^[7] The Gigantes and the Capitanes were the teams that advanced to the finals.^[8] The series extended to seven games, with both teams winning three games at home.^[9] Arecibo won the seventh game with scores of 99–94.^[10]

After 12 years of inaction, they returned for the 2021 season.^[11][12]

On July 27 2023, the Gigantes De Carolina defeated the Bayamon Vaqueros 80-60 in Game 5 of the BSN Finals, to become the 2023 BSN Champions.^[13][14]

Current roster

Gigantes de Carolina roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age PG 1 Goodwin, Brandon (I) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 29 – (1995-10-02)October 2, 1995 PG 2 Ortiz, Evander 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 27 – (1997-07-14)July 14, 1997 C 4 Conditt IV, George 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 24 – (2000-08-22)August 22, 2000 PF 5 Romer, JJ 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 25 – (1999-12-09)December 9, 1999 SG 6 Slaughter, A. J. (I) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 37 – (1987-08-03)August 3, 1987 G 11 Maura, K. J. 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 29 – (1995-07-30)July 30, 1995 C 14 O'Bryant III, Johnny (I) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 31 – (1993-06-01)June 1, 1993 SG 15 Cruz, Ismael 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 24 – (2000-09-13)September 13, 2000 G/F 20 Cruz, Jesús 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 26 – (1998-02-12)February 12, 1998 C 25 Torres, Julián 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 27 – (1997-03-18)March 18, 1997 F 31 James, Scottie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 236 lb (107 kg) 28 – (1996-11-07)November 7, 1996 G/F 33 Huertas, David 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 37 – (1987-06-02)June 2, 1987 C 35 Manderson, Isaiah 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 30 – (1994-07-27)July 27, 1994 F 42 Franklin, Alex 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 36 – (1988-07-11)July 11, 1988 PG 51 Waters, Tremont 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 26 – (1998-01-10)January 10, 1998	Head coach Carlos González Assistant coach(es) Leonel Arill Alejandro Carmona Legend (C) Team captain (DC) Dual citizenship (I) Import player Injured Roster Updated: August 13, 2024

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	George Conditt IV	Johnny O'Bryant III	Isaiah Manderson
PF	Scottie James	Julián Torres	JJ Romer
SF	Alex Franklin	Jesús Cruz	David Huertas
SG	Tremont Waters	A. J. Slaughter	Ismael Cruz
PG	Brandon Goodwin	K. J. Maura	Evander Ortiz

Notable players

• Butch Lee
• Joél Curbelo
• Diante Garrett
• Sheldon Mac
• Justin Tillman

References

1. "Con altas expectativas los Gigantes de Carolina en su retorno al BSN". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
2. "2021 - Carolina Gigantes BSN". 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
3. "LA HISTORIA DE LOS GIGANTES DE CAROLINA EN EL BSN". rumboalcamerino.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-07-04.
4. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (2008-06-12). "Los Gigantes hieren de muerte al rey Santurce" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
5. "Carolina y Arecibo tras la final" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
6. Lester Jiménez (2008-06-13). "¡Están vivos!" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
7. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (2008-06-14). "¡GIGANTE! TRIUNFO PARA CAROLINA" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
8. Lester Jiménez (2008-06-16). "Carolina vs. Arecibo: final candente" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
9. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (2008-06-27). "¡Todo o nada en la 'Petaca'!" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
10. Raúl Álzaga Sánchez-Bretón (2008-06-28). "Buster se crece y los Capitanes reinan" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
11. "Con altas expectativas los Gigantes de Carolina en su retorno al BSN". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
12. "2021 - Carolina Gigantes BSN". 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
13. "¡El BSN es del "calentón"! Los Gigantes de Carolina se coronan campeones". 27 July 2023.
14. "Los Gigantes de Carolina celebran su primer campeonato en el BSN".

External links

• BSN Official site (in Spanish)
• Team website (Gigantes de Carolina) Archived 2021-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Profile at Eurobasket.com