Enrique Alejandro Zúñiga Castro (born 7 July 1976) is a Mexican professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tijuana Zonkeys of the

Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico The Basketball Circuit of the Pacific Coast ( or ''CIBACOPA'') is a basketball league based in Northwestern Mexico. As of 2018, it involves 10 clubs, primarily from northwest Mexico. The matches take place from March to June. History A league wi ...

(CIBACOPA). Born in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, Mexico, he played college basketball at

Arizona Western Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. ...

and Grand Canyon University. Zúñiga spent the majority of his professional career in Mexico. He was also a member of the Mexico national basketball team.

Early life and college career

Zúñiga was born on 7 July 1976 in

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

. He began playing basketball at the age of eight. Zúñiga played college basketball at Arizona Western College and Grand Canyon University. In October 1997, he helped the Grand Canyon Antelopes capture the 'Lopes Shootout Invitational title by making the game-winning three-pointer in their championship game win over

Chapman Chapman may refer to: Businesses * Chapman Entertainment, a former British television production company * Chapman Guitars, a guitar company established in 2009 by Rob Chapman * Chapman's, a Canadian ice cream and ice water products manufacturer ...

. Zúñiga earned honorable mention all- California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honors both in 1998 and 1999. He later helped Team Mexico to a fourth-place finish at the

1999 Summer Universiade The 1999 Summer Universiade, also known as the XX Summer Universiade, took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Venues * Estadi Son Moix — athletics, football, ceremonies * Arena Son Moix — volleyball * Pavelló Son Hugo — swimming, diving, ...

held in Spain.

Professional playing career

At age 15, Zúñiga made his professional debut as a member of the Leones Negros de la UdeG of the

Circuito Mexicano de Básquetbol The Circuito Mexicano de Básquetbol, also known with the acronym CIMEBA, was a professional basketball league in Mexico. The first edition was the 1970–71 season, and it continued until the 2006–07 season, after which the league was disconti ...

(CIMEBA). He then played for the Soles de Jalisco, helping them win three straight CIMEBA titles from 2000 to 2002. In 2002, Zúñiga played with the Phoenix Eclipse of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(ABA), where he was a teammate of compatriot Horacio Llamas. He had a brief spell for two teams in Hungary with Dombóvár KC and BC Körmend in 2004 and 2005, respectively. His best season, based on averages, was his first season for

Lechugueros de León The Lechugueros de León was a Mexican professional basketball team based in León, Guanajuato, Mexico playing in the Southern Division of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). Lechugueros played in the classic Circuito Mexicano de ...

(2005–06), in which he averaged 18.6 points and 3.4 assists per game. Zúñiga returned to the ABA as a member of the Tijuana Dragons, where he was a teammate of Dennis Rodman. Zúñiga had another successful season for the Lechugueros de Leó in 2007-08, averaging 18.2 points per game. Midway through the 2008-09 season, he moved to

Pioneros de Quintana Roo The Pioneros de Quintana Roo (''Quintana Roo Pioneers'' in English) are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Cancún, México playing in Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). During the 2010–2011 season the team made it to t ...

, where he began the 2009-10 season. Zúñiga signed with the Tijuana Zonkeys of the

(CIBACOPA) ahead of their inaugural 2010 season. Zúñiga joined the Barreteros de Zacatecas for the 2014–15 LNBP season. He signed with the

Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera The Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. The team is a member of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). The team was founded in 2014 and plays their home games in the ...

in January 2015. Zúñiga announced his retirement as a player in 2016 to focus on youth coaching. He was inducted into the Jalisco Basketball Hall of Fame.

National team career

Zúñiga was a long-time member of the Mexico national basketball team. He first competed with the team at the

2003 Centrobasket This page shows the results of the Men's Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, also known as the 2003 Centrobasket, which was held in the city of Culiacán, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican Sta ...

, and subsequently competed for the team at the

2004 Centrobasket This page shows the results of the 2004 Men's Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, also known as the 2004 Centrobasket, which was held in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from July 7 to July 11, 2004. Competing nat ...

and

2006 Centrobasket The 2006 Men's Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, also known as 2006 Centrobasket, was hosted in Panama City, Panama. The ATLAPA Convention Center in Panama City served as the venue for all the games. Four teams qualified fo ...

and the FIBA Americas Championship in 2005, 2007, and 2009.

Coaching career

In December 2021, Zúñiga was hired as the head coach of the of the (LBE) ahead of the 2022 LBE season. He was hired at the collegiate level in April 2022 as head coach of the . In April 2023, Zúñiga was hired as an assistant coach for the

Fukushima Firebonds The Fukushima Firebonds () are a professional basketball team that compete in the second division of the Japanese B.League. History In May 2013 Fukushima Prefecture was announced as the successful bidder for an expansion franchise to enter the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

towards the end of the 2022–23 season. He took over as head coach the following season. On 9 January 2024, Zúñiga was hired as the head coach of the Tijuana Zonkeys.

References

External links

Enrique Zúñiga
at RealGM
Grand Canyon Antelopes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuniga, Enrique Living people 1976 births Arizona Western Matadors men's basketball players Barreteros de Zacatecas players Basketball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Basketball players from Jalisco Competitors at the 1999 Summer Universiade Gigantes del Estado de México players Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball players Guards (basketball) Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera players Lechugueros de León players Mexican basketball coaches Mexican expatriate basketball people in Hungary Mexican expatriate basketball people in Japan Mexican expatriate basketball people in the United States Mexican men's basketball players Osos de Guadalajara players Pan American Games competitors for Mexico Panteras de Aguascalientes players Pioneros de Quintana Roo players Soles de Jalisco players Sportspeople from Guadalajara, Jalisco Tijuana Dragons players Tijuana Zonkeys players