Francisco "Pako" Javier Cruz Saldívar (born October 3, 1989) is a Mexican professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for

Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor Manisa Büyükşehir Belediyespor, is a Turkish professional basketball club based in Manisa. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi. The team plays its matches in Muradiye Sports Hall. Current roster ...

of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replac ...

. He also represents the senior

Mexico national basketball team The Mexico national basketball team (Spanish: Selección de baloncesto de México) represents Mexico in men's international basketball competitions, The team has made five appearances in FIBA World Cup, The governing body of the team is the Asoci ...

. He played

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. He is a 1.91 m (6'3") tall

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, that can also play as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

High school

Cruz attended and played basketball at Abraham Lincoln High School, in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

College career

After high school, Cruz played

. He first played at

Western Nebraska Community College Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) is a public community college in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It also has campuses in Sidney, Nebraska, and Alliance, Nebraska. WNCC was previously known as Scottsbluff Junior College, Scotts Bluff County Coll ...

(

JUCO A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

), from 2008 to 2010. He then transferred to

(

), where he played with the

Wyoming Cowboys The Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, Wyoming, Laramie. Wyoming is a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 17 ...

, from 2010 to 2012.

Professional career

Cruz began his pro career with the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

club Halcones Rojos, in 2012. In 2015, he moved the Argentine League club

Ciclista Olímpico Club Ciclista Olímpico La Banda, also known as simply Ciclista Olímpico, is an Argentine sports club based in La Banda, Santiago del Estero. The club is mostly known for its basketball team, which currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquet ...

. He then joined the Latvian club VEF Rīga, with which he played in the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...

. In 2016, he joined the Spanish club

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

, of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

and European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup. On 3 August 2019, he signed with Rytas Vilnius of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. On August 15, 2020, he has signed with Afyon Belediye of the Turkish

. On June 25, 2021, he has signed with

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Ho ...

of the

National team career

Cruz is a member of the senior

. With Mexico, he played at the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

, and at the

2015 FIBA Americas Championship The 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for Men, later known as the FIBA AmeriCup, was the FIBA Americas qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Brazil. This FIBA AmeriCup tournament was held in Mexico City, Mexico. The tournament was ...

. He also played at the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and at the

2017 FIBA AmeriCup The 2017 FIBA AmeriCup was the 18th edition of the FIBA AmeriCup, which is the main tournament for senior men's basketball national teams of the FIBA Americas. The tournament was held in Medellín, Colombia, Montevideo, Uruguay, and Bahía Blanca a ...

, where he won a bronze medal, and was named to the All-Tournament Team.Francisco CRUZ (MEX).
/ref>

References

External links

Twitter

EuroCup ProfileSpanish League Profile

Eurobasket.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Francisco 1989 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Afyonkarahisar Belediyespor players Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Basketball players from Sonora BC Rytas players BK VEF Rīga players Ciclista Olímpico players Competitors at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games Fuerza Guinda de Nogales players Halcones Rojos Veracruz players Liga ACB players Mexican expatriate basketball people in Argentina Mexican expatriate basketball people in Latvia Mexican expatriate basketball people in Lithuania Mexican expatriate basketball people in Spain Mexican expatriate basketball people in the United States Mexican men's basketball players Pan American Games competitors for Mexico People from Nogales, Sonora Pioneros de Quintana Roo players Shooting guards Small forwards Tofaş S.K. players Western Nebraska Cougars men's basketball players Wyoming Cowboys basketball players