Indios de Mayagüez (basketball)

Indios de Mayagüez
Leagues	BSN
Founded	1940
Arena	Palacio de Recreación y Deportes (Capacity: 5,500)
Location	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Team colors	Flag-Green, Intense Red, Gold and Light Green
President	Luis Vargas
Head coach	Eddie Casiano
Championships	1 (2012)
Website	http://www.indiosdemayagüezbsn.com/
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate

The Indios de Mayagüez (lit. "Mayagüez Indians") are a basketball team in the BSN league. They play in the municipality of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Under the new ownership of Luis Vargas who bought the team in 2009. Their record in the past three seasons are: 2009 (14-16), 2010 (7-22) and 2011 (10-20). In 2009 their first season under Luis Vargas and ex Puerto Rico's national team player Eddie Casiano saw them reached their first semi finals in franchise history. They lost to eventual BSN champions, Vaqueros de Bayamón in the semi finals series 4-2. Luis Vargas won the Owner of the Year Award and Eddie Casiano won the Coach of the Year Award.

In 2010, Mayagüez started the season 0-10 due in part to injuries to key players including a season-ending injury to their captain, Giovanni Jimenez. Their first win of the season came in April, 3rd 2010 against fellow rivals Atléticos de San Germán in a game played in the Rebekah Colberg Arena in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The game ended 87-83 in a win for Mayagüez. The Indios de Mayagüez finished the season with a 7-22 mark, one of their worst in franchise history.

During the 2011 season, Mayagüez where determined to turn things around and forget their horrendous 2010 season. They signed Venezuela's national team player, Héctor "Pepito" Romero as their key addition. Also added some role players as Eric Rodríguez and Héctor Valenzuela in the off season. They selected, Carlos Rivera from the special draft from Leones de Ponce and former Siena's player Edwin Ubiles in the BSN new players Draft. Their key lost was losing Mayagüez's own Alex Galindo to the Gallitos de Isabela.

Mayagüez started the 2011 season with two loses to Piratas de Quebradillas and Gallitos de Isabela. Their struggles continued, but in their third game of the season in the Palacio de Recreación y Deportes Coliseum they finally got their first win of the season against power house Cangrejeros de Santurce by final 80-68 to the delight of all of the fans in attendance. By mid season Mayagüez would confront problems with Héctor Romero (knee injury) and Herve Laminaza (family problems) and lose two important players. The team would signed Dwayne Jones, Sean Williams, Lee Nailon and Brandon Robinson to substitute theses players. Mayagüez would be in race for the eight and final spot of the playoffs but the team had two games confiscated and reschedule to be replayed for an ineligible player change for Herve Laminaza. The league ruled that the substitution of Lee Nailon for Herve Laminaza surpassed the team's maximum player change and ruled that the games played by Nailon be played again. This determination was devastating for the team's aspirations for the playoffs and lost one of those two games with the Piratas de Quebradillas and the team fell short by two games to make it to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Mayagüez finished with a 10-20 record in 2011.

Bompy, the mascot for both of Mayagüez's basketball and baseball teams.

During the 2012 season, Mayagüez would beging the season with only 9 players signed. The Puerto Rican press had put them as the worst team in the BSN League. With no major stars in the team, Eddie Casiano who won the Mexican's League Championship this year with Halcones Rojos de Veracruz would be optimistic about these team's bunch of unknowns. Their first meeting of the season was against the defending two times champions of BSN, Capitanes de Arecibo. Everyone predicted a blowout win for Arecibo, Eddie Casiano's troops didn't. Mayagüez shocked the champions and ruined their opening game celebrations with an 80-70 win against Arecibo.

The Indios started the season 2-0, before falling to Vaqueros de Bayamón on march, 6 2012 (90-83). After blowing an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter with Guaynabo on march, 9 2012 for a (95-94) lost, Mayagüez won three straight to put their record to 5-2. Another lost to Bayamón on march, 17 2012 dropped them to 5-3. The Indios then went on an 8-game winning streak, the longest for any team this season to obtained the first position on the standing's with a 13-3 mark. Their rivals and fellow neighbors the Atléticos de San Germán beat Mayagüez on April 7, 2012 (87-79) stopping the Indio's 8-game winning streak.

Another three-game winning streak puts the Indios record on 16-4. Another showdown against San Germán on April 16, 2012 marked the worst lost of the season for the Indios de Mayagüez a (107-75) lost in the Palacio de Recreación y Deportes Coliseum of Mayagüez dropped their record to 16-5. After a lost to Guayama on April 19, 2012, Mayagüez have won three straight games until April 24, 2012 when they beat for the third time on the season the Capitanes de Arecibo.

On June 8, 2012, they defeated the Capitanes of Arecibo 72-61 in Game 5 of the Finals to win their first BSN Championship in team history.

Current roster (2013 season)

The current roster in the 2012 season features:

BSN (2012 season)

2012 BSN Standings

References

BSN Capitanes de Arecibo Vaqueros de Bayamón Maratonistas de Coamo Brujos de Guayama Mets de Guaynabo Caciques de Humacao Atenienses de Manatí Indios de Mayagüez Leones de Ponce Piratas de Quebradillas Atléticos de San Germán Cangrejeros de Santurce