Rick Apodaca
Encyclopedia
Rick Apodaca (born on July 1, 1980) is a Puerto Rican
professional basketball
player. Apodaca has played in the NCAA, USBL, NBDL, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
(BSN) with the Arecibo Captains
, Bayamón Cowboys, and San German Athletics
. Apodaca has played internationally in Poland, Italy and Turkey. Apodaca is a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican National Basketball Team that defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games.
in 1999, and was also inducted to the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame.
He debuted in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
as a member of Hofstra's
basketball team in 1999, and was an All-America East Rookie selection. He led the team in scoring during his junior year with an average of 17.7 points per game, and was an All Colonial Athletic Association
second team selection. During his senior season Apodaca was selected to the All Colonial Athletic Association first team during the tournament's preseason, but was unable to play during the first fourteen games of the '05 season. In the 2005 offseason the Arecibo Captains traded him to the San Germán Athletics
for Larry Ayuso, following his participation with Huntsville in the NBDL he joined the team and was selected to the All Star Game for a fifth time.
Apodaca has been a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team since 2002. Apodaca has participated in the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002 and the 2003 Pan American Games
where Puerto Rico won the bronze medal.
Apodaca played in the 2004 Summer Olympics
in a game where Puerto Rico defeated the United States, during the game Apodaca suffered an injury that left him unable to compete for the rest of the tournament. Apodaca competed with Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Championships in Japan.
Apodaca was part of Polpak Swiecie
for the 2005-2006 season of the Dominet Bank Ekstraliga. Following his participation with the team he was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player
. During the 2006-2007, Apodaca participated with the Scafati Basket
in the Serie A
division in Italy
. During this time Apodaca was selected to play in the league's All-Star Game and finished fourth in scoring in the league with an average of 19.7 points per game.
Apodaca played as part of the Turkish club Beşiktaş Cola Turka
in that country's national championship and the ULEB Cup
. Apodaca participated with the Santurce Crabbers in the semifinals of the 2008 National Superior Basketball season. In June 2008 the national team's gerency announnced that Apodaca did not have a guaranteed sopt in the roster. Following this Apodaca notified to them on June 15, 2008, that he would need time to attend some personal issues and take time off to ponder about his international future.
2003 Pan American Games Bronze Medal
2003 Pre-Olympic Tournament Bronze Medal
2005 Polish League Most Valuable Player
2006 Italian Division I League A All-Star Game Starter
stats in 25 games are 7 games started, 267 points with a 10.7 PPG, 42 assists with a 1.7 APG, 37 rebounds with a 1.5 RPG, 19 steals with a 0.7 SPG, 5 blocks with a 0.1 BPG, .412 field goal percentage, .390 three-point percentage and .849 free-throw percentage.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. Apodaca has played in the NCAA, USBL, NBDL, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional or BSN is the main Puerto Rican men's basketball league. It currently has 10 teams, but has had many teams in several cities of the island. The league was established in 1929. It has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, European Leagues,...
(BSN) with the Arecibo Captains
Arecibo Captains
The Capitanes de Arecibo are a team in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional , Puerto Rico's main basketball league. In 2010, the team also played in the Premier Basketball League under the name Capitanes de Puerto Rico....
, Bayamón Cowboys, and San German Athletics
San Germán Athletics
The Atleticos de San Germán also known as La Cuna del Baloncesto en Puerto Rico is a BSN basketball team from Puerto Rico...
. Apodaca has played internationally in Poland, Italy and Turkey. Apodaca is a member of the 2004 Puerto Rican National Basketball Team that defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games.
Biography
Rick Apodaca is the alltime leader in points scored in Hudson County high school basketball history, surpassing a thirty-five plus year record held by current ESPN College Basketball analyst Bill RafteryBill Raftery
Bill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
in 1999, and was also inducted to the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame.
He debuted in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
as a member of Hofstra's
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
basketball team in 1999, and was an All-America East Rookie selection. He led the team in scoring during his junior year with an average of 17.7 points per game, and was an All Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
second team selection. During his senior season Apodaca was selected to the All Colonial Athletic Association first team during the tournament's preseason, but was unable to play during the first fourteen games of the '05 season. In the 2005 offseason the Arecibo Captains traded him to the San Germán Athletics
San Germán Athletics
The Atleticos de San Germán also known as La Cuna del Baloncesto en Puerto Rico is a BSN basketball team from Puerto Rico...
for Larry Ayuso, following his participation with Huntsville in the NBDL he joined the team and was selected to the All Star Game for a fifth time.
Apodaca has been a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team since 2002. Apodaca has participated in the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002 and the 2003 Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
where Puerto Rico won the bronze medal.
Apodaca played in the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in a game where Puerto Rico defeated the United States, during the game Apodaca suffered an injury that left him unable to compete for the rest of the tournament. Apodaca competed with Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Championships in Japan.
Apodaca was part of Polpak Swiecie
Polpak Swiecie
Polpak Świecie is a Polish basketball team, based in Świecie, played in Dominet Basket Liga in years 2005-2008.- Team history :* 2004/2005 finished 1st in Polish First Division* 2005/2006 finished 4th in DBL* 2006/2007 finished 6th in DBE...
for the 2005-2006 season of the Dominet Bank Ekstraliga. Following his participation with the team he was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. During the 2006-2007, Apodaca participated with the Scafati Basket
Scafati Basket
Scafati Basket, also known for sponsorship reasons as Harem Scafati, is an Italian basketball club from the town of Scafati, Campania. The club plays in LegADue, the second level of Italian basketball; it was relegated from Lega Basket after finishing last in the 2007-08 season...
in the Serie A
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
division in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. During this time Apodaca was selected to play in the league's All-Star Game and finished fourth in scoring in the league with an average of 19.7 points per game.
Apodaca played as part of the Turkish club Beşiktaş Cola Turka
Besiktas Cola Turka
Beşiktaş Milangaz is a professional basketball team of Beşiktaş J.K., which is a sports club from İstanbul, Turkey. Their home arena is the Sinan Erdem Dome with a capacity of 16,000 seats...
in that country's national championship and the ULEB Cup
ULEB Cup
Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...
. Apodaca participated with the Santurce Crabbers in the semifinals of the 2008 National Superior Basketball season. In June 2008 the national team's gerency announnced that Apodaca did not have a guaranteed sopt in the roster. Following this Apodaca notified to them on June 15, 2008, that he would need time to attend some personal issues and take time off to ponder about his international future.
Career highlights
2000 BSN Rookie of the Year2003 Pan American Games Bronze Medal
2003 Pre-Olympic Tournament Bronze Medal
2005 Polish League Most Valuable Player
2006 Italian Division I League A All-Star Game Starter
Career stats
Apodaca's NBA Development LeagueNBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
stats in 25 games are 7 games started, 267 points with a 10.7 PPG, 42 assists with a 1.7 APG, 37 rebounds with a 1.5 RPG, 19 steals with a 0.7 SPG, 5 blocks with a 0.1 BPG, .412 field goal percentage, .390 three-point percentage and .849 free-throw percentage.