San Lorenzo de Almagro (basketball)

Beginning and golden years

San Lorenzo affiliated to the Argentine Association in 1930, and won a large amount of championships from the 1930s to the 1970s, being nicknamed The Cathedral of Basketball. 1942 was the year when San Lorenzo achieved its first titles, winning the Torneo Apertura (Opening Tournament) and the Official championship, organised by the Buenos Aires Basketball Association. One year later, the team won another Apertura title, and they then won the 1946, 1949, and 1950 Apertura official titles. The club's most notable players of that era were Alfredo Belli, Salvador Capece, and Alberto Trama. Other notable members of the team were Armando Bo and Francisco Sommariva.

The 1956 champions posing for El Gráfico

In 1951, San Lorenzo played against The Harlem Globetrotters, at the Estadio Luna Park, in Buenos Aires. That same year, the team won the Apertura championship (and repeated again in 1952), and the Official in 1954. Two years later, the team won another Official title, remaining unbeaten, and its first Torneo Metropolitano (Metropolitan Tournament) title. In 1957, San Lorenzo made its first international tour of Brazil, where the squad won 8 of 12 games played. Players on the tour were: Ricardo Lanzillotta (team captain), Herberto Fagnani, Edgar Parizzia, Oscar Zagatti, Carlos Vasino, Vicente Lazzara, Erio Cassetai, and Carlos Marranzino, with Francisco del Río being the head coach of the team.

San Lorenzo (in red uniform) played in the first LNB game ever, vs. Argentino de Firmat in 1985. With the ball, León Najnudel.

San Lorenzo won its first national title in 1958, the Campeonato Argentino (Argentine Championship of Clubs). That allowed the team to play its first official tournament outside of Argentina, as the club competed in the South American top-tier level South American Club Championship, where San Lorenzo finished second, behind Defensor Sporting. At the Argentine national domestic level, San Lorenzo won the 1958 Apertura title, and finished third in the Buenos Aires championship (although the squad won the 1959 and 1960 titles). In 1966, San Lorenzo won the Apertura title finishing unbeaten, and both the Metropolitano and Buenos Aires championships, in 1968.

The 1970s began with the 1970 Metropolitano championship, and the club then winning two titles else in 1971. That same year, San Lorenzo toured in Europe, marking the first time that an Argentine team played there. The club's layers were Oscar Visciglia, Gustavo Aguirre, Carlos Perroni, Carlos Garro, Dante Massolini, Norberto Pacheco, Carlos Perales, Abel Rojas, Néstor Delgui, and Emilio Dumani, with Edgard Parizzia acting as the team's head coach. San Lorenzo defeated the Yugoslavian national league champion, OKK Beograd, and six rivals from Italy, also playing the Spain national team.^[3][4] During that tour, the team was nicknamed, La Catedral (The Cathedral), after a speech from team player Emilio Dumani, saying: "This is a team that always fights, and never turns off... like the lights of a Cathedral".

Despite those successful years, the 1973 Buenos Aires championship was their last title until the 2010s.

Liga Nacional and decline

San Lorenzo players celebrating the 2015–16 season LNB title.

On April 26, 1985, San Lorenzo played the opening game of the recently created Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) (National Basketball League), facing Argentino de Firmat at the Obras Sanitarias venue.^[5] Nevertheless, the team was relegated that same year.^[6]

The basketball section of the club was inactive between 1986 and 1993, returning only at youth levels. In 1996, San Lorenzo's senior squad returned to first division tournaments of the city of Buenos Aires. The club also won the Under-22 championship (2004), and the 2012 Copa De Oyarbide (Oyarbide Cup).

Return to glory

In 2014, San Lorenzo debuted in the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (TNA) (National Promotion Tournament), the second tier level division of professional basketball in Argentina.^[7] In 2015, San Lorenzo acquired a vacant place in the Argentine top-tier level Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) (National Basketball League), because of a merger with the club 9 de Julio de Río Tercero.^[8] 30 years after its debut in the LNB, San Lorenzo returned to the top division on September 22, 2015, and beat Quimsa, by a score of 79–64.^[9]

San Lorenzo won its first LNB title in 2016, after beating La Unión, with a 4–0 series sweep in the league's finals. San Lorenzo player, Walter Herrmann, was chosen as MVP of the Finals.^[10]

In the following season, San Lorenzo won its 2nd consecutive Argentine League title, after defeating Regatas Corrientes, 4–1 at the finals. The team became the most winning team in the LNB's history, with a 23–3 record. Gabriel Deck was chosen as the Final's MVP.^[11] Unlike the 2015–16 series, San Lorenzo played its home games at Roberto Pando arena, in Boedo, Buenos Aires.^[12]

Matches against NBA teams

14 October 2016

Boxscore

Toronto Raptors

122–105

San Lorenzo de Almagro

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Current roster

San Lorenzo roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age C 5000000000000000000♠00 Justiz, Javier 7000211000000000000♠2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 7002113000000000000♠113 kg (249 lb) 26 – (1992-09-14)14 September 1992 SG 7000200000000000000♠2 Tucker, Dar 7000193000000000000♠1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 7001930000000000000♠93 kg (205 lb) 30 – (1988-04-11)11 April 1988 SF 7000600000000000000♠6 Mata, Marcos 7000200999999999999♠2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 7002107000000000000♠107 kg (236 lb) 32 – (1986-08-01)1 August 1986 PG 7000700000000000000♠7 Aguirre, Nicolás 7000189000000000000♠1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 30 – (1988-03-31)31 March 1988 PG 7001110000000000000♠11 Vildoza, José 7000191000000000000♠1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 22 – (1996-01-24)24 January 1996 SG 7001150000000000000♠15 Safar, Selem 7000192000000000000♠1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 7001940000000000000♠94 kg (207 lb) 31 – (1987-05-19)19 May 1987 PF 7001210000000000000♠21 Calfani, Mathías 7000204000000000000♠2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) 26 – (1992-01-21)21 January 1992 PF 7001220000000000000♠22 Sandes, Matías 7000202000000000000♠2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 7002104000000000000♠104 kg (229 lb) 34 – (1984-04-14)14 April 1984 SG 7001240000000000000♠24 Fernández, Lisandro 7000194000000000000♠1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 20 – (1998-01-19)19 January 1998 F/C 7001310000000000000♠31 Lawal, Gani 7000206000000000000♠2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 7002106000000000000♠106 kg (234 lb) 29 – (1988-11-07)7 November 1988 C 7001500000000000000♠50 Anthony, Joel 7000206000000000000♠2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 7002111000000000000♠111 kg (245 lb) 36 – (1982-08-09)9 August 1982	Head coach Gonzalo García Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: 2018-3-3

Notable players

José Biggi Armando Bo Salvador Capece Alfredo Belli Francisco Sommariva Francisco del Río Erio Cassettai Juan Ruggia Ricardo Lanzillota Jaime Pérez

Hereberto Fagnani Julián Rodriguez Edgar Parizzia Alberto Trama Dante Massolini Carlos Perales Carlos Perroni Oscar Visciglia Carlos Vasino Walter Herrmann

Walter Herrmann, the club's key player in their LNB 2015–16 season title.

National

• Campeonato Argentino de Clubes (Argentine Club Championship) (1): 1958
• Liga Nacional de Básquet (Argentine National League) (3): 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017-18
• Torneo Súper 4 (Super 4 Tournament) (1): 2016–17

International

• FIBA Americas League (1): 2018

Regional

• Asociación de Buenos Aires Championship (Buenos Aires Association Championship) (12): 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1971, 1973
• Torneo Metropolitano (Metropolitan Tournament) (5): 1956, 1967, 1968, 1979, 1971