Former South Kent power forward Chris Ortiz has his sights set on Paris, as the Puerto Rican basketball team qualified for the Olympics on July 7 in San Juan. After drubbing Bahrain, Italy, and Mexico by double digits, they knocked off Lithuania 79-68 in front of 13,500 raucous Puerto Rican fans, cementing their first Olympic appearance since 2004. Since 2017, Ortiz has been a dominant presence for the Puerto Rican frontcourt, logging many minutes and filling the stat sheet.
“Playing in front of our fans and clinching our spot in the Olympics is something I can’t even describe. [It’s] most definitely the best feeling I’ve had while playing basketball. I’m super humbled to have had that experience, and I’ll remember that day for eternity,” says Ortiz.
During the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Chris Ortiz scored 7.3 points and tallied over 5 rebounds per game, shooting an efficient 50% from the field. His physicality proved to stifle Bahrain and Mexico, scoring 11 points in both games. In a back-and-forth contest against Italy, Ortiz took on a defensive role, snatching 8 rebounds and plenty of hustle.
For high school, Ortiz attended Christ the King School in the Bronx and then spent a year at South Kent playing under Coach Kelvin Jefferson. Ortiz is thankful for the time he spent on the Hillside, allowing him to grow into the player he knew he could be.
“I can honestly say South Kent not only saved my basketball career but rebirthed it. Coach Jefferson was an amazing coach whose lessons I still carry to this day, and Mr. Bonis helped me gain a perspective on mental toughness,” says Ortiz.
In a recent power rankings list supplied by CBS Sports HQ, Puerto Rico sits at #9 in the world thanks to their impeccable defensive display in the qualifying tournament. Chris Ortiz has an experienced supporting cast that pesters their opponents on every possession, including New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and former South Kent point guard Tremont Waters. Look for the Puerto Ricans to play spirited basketball and force their opponents to work hard for every basket, the exact formula that has enabled them to defeat quality competition this calendar year. Despite playing in a talented pool, Ortiz accepts the challenge and sees this as a golden opportunity for his team.
“The main thing for our team to succeed in our pool is to play together and limit the amount of mistakes we make. The more intentional we are about being focused and playing for one another, the better chance we’ll have to beat anyone we face.”
It was 20 years ago in Athens, Greece when Puerto Rico had their last run in the Olympics and shocked the world when they defeated the United States and squashed their 16-year unbeaten streak. On August 3, Ortiz and company will have a chance to repeat history, squaring up against a stacked American roster in their second Group C pool play game. Puerto Rico will play two additional fixtures against Nikola Jokic and Serbia and South Sudan, who are making their first ever Olympic games appearance. Pool play will commence on July 28 with the championship game set for Sunday, August 11. Tune in and watch the former cardinal’s Olympic run!
Sun., July 28 – Puerto Rico vs. Sudan, 4am/ct, CNBC and Peacock
Wed., July 31 – Puerto Rico vs. Serbia, 10am/ct, Peacock
Sat., Aug. 3 – Puerto Rico vs. USA, 10:15am/ct, NBC and Peacock
