Costa Rican Liga Superior

[mvblair]

Barva won their fifth title in a row.

I got to catch one game of the Opening season, but I didn't follow the Closing season at all. Thanks for the note about this.

Barva is now the only semi-pro team that is paying their players a living wage (and it's barely a living wage, I think). All the other teams have part time players who are working other jobs during the day or (most likely) being supported by family members.

[rikhardur]

Barva won their fifth title in a row.

[mvblair]

What happened to Limon? Always one of the top teams and with the best Spanglish names.

I really don't know what happened to Limon. I read that they just didn't register to be in the league, which is a real shock because they were always one of the best. Another team good team, Goicoechea, didn't register either. Back in '05 or '06, there were something like 12 teams in the league. Now it's down to 8.

I don't know what happened to Limon's players either. I wrote to a friend who is in the league, so we'll see what he says.

[JGX]

What happened to Limon? Always one of the top teams and with the best Spanglish names.

[mvblair]

Costa Rican LBS 2010

A cute little introductory article:

Costa Rica's basketball season tips off - Adam Williams, The Tico Times, March 4, 2010

Costa Rica's premier basketball league tipped off Tuesday night, as all eight national teams were in action for the first round of the Torneo de Copa, the league's annual tournament. The first national basketball league was created in 1975; the Superior Basketball League (LBS), which began its fifth season Tuesday, was created in 2005.

Over the course of the next five weeks, the eight teams in the LBS will compete to be the tournament's champion, to be crowned the first week of April.

The teams competing for the Cup are:

* The FerreterÃa Brenes Barva – The Heredia-based favorite to win the tournament and league
* Kolbi Liceo of Costa Rica – Considered a top challenger for the title
* Escazú
* University of Costa Rica (UCR)
* FerreterÃa Boston – from the southern zone city of Pérez Zeledón
* San Luis Gonzaga – Cartago based squad
* USJ ARBA – Second year team based in San Ramón, Alajuela
* Cartago – first year in top division

In the first round of games Tuesday, Barva, the favorite to win the tournament, trounced UCR 83-57 at the UCR gym in San Pedro. In other action, ARBA crushed San Luis Gonzaga 94 to 52 and Cartago eked past Boston Pérez Zeledon 60-59. Escazú and Kolbi Liceo will play their first round game on March 21.

The eight teams in the tournament are grouped into two divisions of four teams each. In the first round, teams in each division play each other twice for a total of six games. At the completion of the first round, the top two teams from each division advanced to the semifinals, where they will play a best-of-three series. The winners of the two semifinal series will play a best-of-three series in the finals of the competition. The finals are scheduled to begin the week of April 5.

The second round of games is scheduled for Friday night.

Barva is the undisputed favorite. They've one the past three championships. They've got a couple of key national team members on their team and a good coach in Luis Blanco.

Unfortunately, the league as a whole is still floundering. The players are all semi-pro. FerreterÃa Brenes (Brenes Hardware) is still the only reliable sponsor, although the University of Costa Rica and Liceo still support their teams. The American investors from Arizona State, including former NBA player Khalid Reeves and Joseph Blair, appear to have left.

[mvblair]

Let's just say this: Cousin Joe doesn't want to meet me in a dark alley.

[Khalid80]

Would anybody believe me if I said Joseph is my cousin?

It's plausible but it's obvious from the pics in the link that ur much more fit than him Matt. I'm sure u would destroy him in a 1 on 1 pickup game (especially considering that ur a big shot prodigy in ur local YMCA in Ohio )

[J-Mart]

Would anybody believe me if I said Joseph is my cousin?

yep we would

[rikhardur]

Would anybody believe me if I said Joseph is my cousin?

Of course you are!

[mvblair]

Well, OK. "The cat's out of the bag."

I played with a team in Costa Rica one year and I play a lot of pick-up basketball with some of the "pro" players. I'm pretty good. I guess Santa Ana was so impressed with me that they changed their name to the "Blair Players."

No, I'm just kidding, of course. I bought the team.

No, I'm kidding about that too. Really. Nobody was impressed with me and I barely have enough money to pay for me internet connection.

The team was actually sponsored by Joseph Blair. He's an ex-Arizona Wildcat who had a nice career in Italy and Turkey. He and some other ex-Wildcats (like Khalid Reeves) have invested in some Costa Rican teams. I think they basically gave the teams a couple thousand dollars.

Would anybody believe me if I said Joseph is my cousin?

[JGX]

http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2009/abril/16/deportes1935724.html

La fecha 10 del Apertura se inició el lunes 13 con el triunfo de Coopenae Liceo de Costa Rica (escolta de Barva, con 19 puntos) en casa de Santa Ana Blairplayer, 67-78, y la victoria de la UCR, 64-69, en Cartago, ante el San Luis Gonzaga.

[mvblair]

Limon Draws First Blood, Barva Licks Wounds

Banco de Costa Rica Limon defeated Ferreteria Brenes Barva in the first game of the Clausura Tournament finals. The well-balanced Caribbean team won 66-60. This was the first game of a three game series. If Limon wins again, they will face a depleted Saprissa Basket team for the season championship.

Marlon Samuels (188-F-73), Limon's 8-year veteran, spoke to reporters about the next game. "It's like in boxing, you've got to do a 1-2 to win," he said. "We won the first game, now we've got to win the second."

In their past 21 games, Barva has only lost to Limon. Twice.

"We achieved our objective, which was to win at home," said Limon's technically-orientated coach, Humberto Lynch . "It's the first step that this team has to take. We've got to think about what's next: an away game."

The second game will be played in the historic Central Valley city of Heredia, where Barva's supporters are sure to show up. If Barva wins tonight, the final game will also be disputed in Heredia.

Barva's coach, a dejected Luis Blanco , was disgusted with his team. "We need to change our attitude. There needs to be a huge change in our team if we want to go up against Saprissa in the finals."

[mvblair]

League Update
The Clausura Tournament is almost over. There are two teams left standing: Ferreteria Brenes Barva and Banco de Costa Rica Limon.

Barva is getting great contributions from Panamanian Isaac Saint Rose and Argentine Leandro Mateo. Saint Rose is a wonderful three-point shooter, while Mateo is a bull around the basket.

Limon, from the Caribbean coast, has a much more balanced game. Their forward Jeffery Spencer was the league MVP in 2002, but he seems to have slowed down a little since then. I believe that Darrell Saint Rose, a guard, is Isaac's brother.

[mvblair]

I just read in Latinbasket that Henry Martinez will play for an expansion team in Mexican league LNBP.

Martinez left Saprissa Basket about a month ago for Mexico. I also just learned that he signed with that expansion team. Martinez's departure was a ]huge blow for Saprissa. He was their best player by far, and always the best player on the national team. They tried to replace him with Khalid Reeves, the ex-NBA and Arizona Wildcat star, but he hurt his knee at the end of the regular season, and Saprissa was quickly kicked out of the Clausura Tournament. Nevertheless, Saprissa, as winner of the Apertura Tournament, will need to play the winner of the that Clausura Tournament to determine the league champion.

[alermac]

I just read in Latinbasket that Henry Martinez will play for an expansion team in Mexican league LNBP.