Ostioneros De Guaymas (basketball)

The Ostioneros de Guaymas (English: ''Guaymas Oyster Farmers'') are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Guaymas, Sonora. The Ostioneros are members of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA) and play their games at the Gimnasio Municipal de Guaymas.

They are named after the Ostioneros de Guaymas, a defunct baseball team which was a charter member of the Mexican Pacific League.

History

The Ostioneros de Guaymas were established in 2008. They joined the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA), becoming the third team from Guaymas to play in the league after the Marineros and the Bucaneros. The Ostioneros de Guaymas played their debut season in 2009 and finished third in the North Zone with a 20–20 record. The team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Rayos de Hermosillo. Two Ostioneros players, Larry Satchell and Jorge Rochín, were named to the All-Star Game. The Ostioneros were again eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2010, losing to the Mineros de Cananea four games to three.

In 2011, the Ostioneros finished 21–17 for the fifth-best record in the league. They won their first playoff series in team history by defeating the Frayles de Guasave in seven games. Ostioneros forward Jerome Habel led the team with 19 points and 11 rebounds in their 94–61 blowout victory in game 7. In 2012, Guaymas improved to 27–11 and finished second to the Rayos de Hermosillo in wins. The Ostioneros defeated the Fuerza Guinda de Nogales in five games in the quarterfinals before beating the Tijuana Zonkeys in a seven-game semifinal series to qualify for their its first CIBACOPA finals. However, they were defeated by the Rayos de Hermosillo in a hard-fought seven-game series where two games went to overtime. The Ostioneros finished second in the standings once again in 2013 with a 23–9 record. However, they were swept 4–0 in the opening round of the playoffs by the Mineros de Cananea. Guaymas only won 11 of their 32 games the following year and were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Tijuana Zonkeys.

Guaymas hired Andrés "Veneno" Contreras as their head coach ahead of the 2015 season. They also signed Orien Greene. The Ostioneros finished the year with a league-best 28–10 record and second in the general table, behind only the Náuticos de Mazatlán. Guaymas beat the Caballeros de Culiacán, 4–1, in the quarterfinals. However, they were defeated by the Fuerza Guinda de Nogales in the semifinals, losing the decisive game 7 by a score of 85–74. Ahead of the 2016 season, the Ostioneros signed Devin Green. They defeated the Vaqueros de Agua Prieta in first round of the playoffs before losing to the Náuticos de Mazatlán, 4–1, in the semifinals. Guaymas then went 19–19 the following year for a sixth-place finish. They beat the Tijuana Zonkeys in the quarterfinals but were once again eliminated in the semifinals, losing in five games to the Rayos de Hermosillo. By this time, a rivalry had developed between Guaymas and Hermosillo.

Guaymas hired Venezuelan coach Jesús Cordoes to take the reins ahead of the 2018 season. The team failed to reach the playoffs, losing the eight seed to the Halcones de Ciudad Obregón on a tiebreaker. Guaymas announced a new head coach, Mike Corona, ahead of the 2019 season. The team returned to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Rayos de Hermosillo in the first round. Guaymas played only two games, going 1–1, before the season was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season was subsequently cancelled as well.

In February 2022, Guaymas hired longtime NBA assistant John Welch as their new head coach ahead of their return to play. The Ostioneros went 19–15 that season, finishing second in the general table. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Venados de Mazatlán, who came back from a 3–0 series deficit to beat Guaymas 93–85 in game 7. For the 2023 season, the Ostioneros hired Spanish coach to take the reins. The team finished seventh in the general table after compiling a 12–22 record. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals once again, losing in six games to the Astros de Jalisco.

Home arena

The Ostioneros play their home games at the Gimnasio Municipal de Guaymas (English: Guaymas Municipal Gymnasium), which has a capacity of 1,200 spectators. The venue is also known as ''el Tsunami''.

Notable players

Head coaches

* LaSalle Taylor (2012)
* Andrés "Veneno" Contreras (2015)
* Maurice Riddick (2016–2017)
* Jesús Cordoes (2018)
* Miguel Ángel "Mike" Corona (2019)
* John Welch (2022)
* (2023)

References

External links

*

Team profile
at Latinbasket.com
*
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{{CIBACOPA

Basketball teams in Mexico
Sports teams in Sonora
Guaymas
Basketball teams established in 2008
2008 establishments in Mexico