Juan Vicens, Puerto Rican basketball star, dies at 72
PONCE, Puerto Rico -- Juan "Pachin" Vicens, a Puerto Rican basketball star who played in two Olympics, died at home Sunday, days after his release from the hospital. He was 72.
Vicens was released from the hospital Wednesday after about two months of treatment for cardiac arrhythmia, renal failure and water in his lungs, said his nephew Enrique Vicens.
"Pachin did a lot for Puerto Rican sports," said Hector Manuel Reyes, president of Puerto Rico's Basketball Federation. "His death is an irreparable loss."
Vicens competed in the Summer Games in 1960 in Rome and 1964 in Tokyo and two world championships. In 1959, he was selected the best player of the worlds in Chile.
He debuted with Ponce's team, the Lions, in 1950 as its point guard, and led the club to seven national championships. He was the U.S. territory's first player to score 5,000 points, a mark reached in 1966. That year, he won a gold medal with the island's team in the Central America and Caribbean Games.
The arena in Ponce is named for Vicens and features a statue of him at its entrance. Ponce's mayor has said the city will hold three days of mourning.
"Pachin was one of the best athletes and people that Puerto Rico had in the sport," said former Lions teammate Edwin Loubriel, who spoke with Vicens on Saturday.
Vicens retired in 1966 and went on manage various Ponce banks. In recent years, he was a commentator on NBA games on Catholic Radio.
Vicens is survived by his sister, Yolanda, and three grandsons, among other relatives.
He will be buried Tuesday in Ponce.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index
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