Chris Ortiz helps Puerto Rico secure its first Olympic berth since 2004

San Juan, Puerto Rico – Former Kent State student-athlete Chris Ortiz helped Puerto Rico’s basketball team earn a berth in the Olympics for the first time in 20 years after posting a 4-0 record at the FIBA ​​Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan last week.

Ortiz, who made his senior national team debut in 2017 and has been a mainstay of the team since 2021, averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during the tournament. He tied for the team lead with six rebounds and scored four points in Sunday’s victory over Lithuania in the championship game.

During his career as a Golden Flash from 2013 to 2016, Ortiz totaled 630 points and 470 rebounds in 121 games and helped Kent State to a shared Mid-American Conference regular season title in 2015.

Puerto Rico, along with Serbia, South Sudan and the United States, will participate in Group C at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris and competition will begin on Sunday, July 28.

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The best Golden Flashes of all time at the Olympic Games
• 2024 – Chris Ortiz (Puerto Rico)
• 2012 — Nate Reinking (Great Britain)