The Flying Mexican — Mexico’s first ever NBA draftee

Few people, unless they are superior hoops fans, volition retrieve Manuel “Manolo” Raga Navarro. However, helium is inactive considered the astir palmy Mexican hoops subordinate of each clip and is noted arsenic being the archetypal Mexican to beryllium drafted for the NBA. This portion of the story, if not a myth, is often misunderstood, but we volition code that later.

Born successful Villa Aldama, Tamaulipas, successful 1944, Manolo started playing successful section hoops leagues. Although hoops successful Mexico has ne'er acquired the popularity of soccer, it has ever had a cult pursuing of players and section fans. Its roots often lie in the poorer regions of the county, successful portion due to the fact that the enthusiasm for the athletics has been driven by migrant workers returning from the United States with a passionateness for basketball. Basketball had respective advantages implicit soccer. In mountainous oregon heavy farmed regions, oregon successful crowded moving areas of a city, it required acold little abstraction than a shot pitch. And, acknowledgment to Mexico’s climate, immoderate tiny outdoor tribunal that tin beryllium constructed is mostly usable passim the year.

How Raga roseate to fame

Manuel Raga wears his signature azygous number, 15, portion playing for the Italian hoops squad Ignis Varese. (Facebook)

Back successful the 1960s, astir teams were linked to military, authorities oregon acquisition establishments, and Raga played for the Instituto Tecnológico of Ciudad Madero. Although helium was “only” 1.88 meters gangly (about 6’2”), that was supra mean tallness for a Mexican lad of this generation, and helium besides had an unthinkable quality to jump. The recognized measurement of this is the Sargent Jump, leaping upwards from a lasting presumption to spot however acold you tin scope up with your hand. A vertical leap of 70 centimeters (27 inches) is considered supra average. Modern hoops players sometimes people implicit 89 centimeters (35 inches). Manolo is said to person been capable to leap an awesome 109 centimeters (42 inches).

Even with this earthy ability, Manolo would ne'er person attracted overmuch attraction playing successful the amateur and determination leagues of the time. What brought him into a brighter spotlight was that the Mexican squad was the strongest successful the Central American region, regularly qualifying for planetary events. He was 19 erstwhile helium made his debut astatine the 1963 World Championships successful Brazil, wherever helium scored 24 points against Canada and 20 against Uruguay. The pursuing year, helium made the archetypal of 3 Olympic appearances. International vulnerability helped amended his game, and by the clip the Olympics came to Mexico successful 1968, helium was, on with Arturo Guerrero, the prima of the Mexican team. His play was noted for covering the full court, leaping to instrumentality rebounds, and having an fantabulous leap shot.

The Flying Mexican successful Italy

Raga needed a situation beyond Mexico and it was an Italian nine that gave him the opportunity. Basketball, astatine the time, was not wide fashionable successful Europe, but had a tenable pursuing successful Spain and Italy. While not approaching the popularity of soccer, hoops successful these countries received a just magnitude of quality coverage, and with that came sponsorship. The biggest clubs utilized this wealth to supplement their squads by signing bully American players. Another vantage was that galore of the large hoops teams were associated with a large sports club, and these often had world-class facilities.

Varese, wherever Raga came to play, was different. It was a tiny municipality of immoderate 70,000 radical successful the lakes and foothills of Northern Italy. The assemblage was enthusiastic sports fans, being adjacent to the skis slopes and a halfway of Italian cycling. The assemblage was excessively tiny to enactment a first-rate shot team, but gathering a world-class hoops squad seemed an attainable goal. The large Italian squad astatine the clip was Simmental Milano, and Varese were already their closest rivals. However, this was a one-sided rivalry; betwixt 1957 and 1967, Milano won 9 titles, Varese 2. 

Changing the fortunes of Ignis Varese

Several events successful the precocious 1960s would alteration this balance. Ignis, a section steadfast that made room equipment, provided sponsorship. Former subordinate Giancarlo Gualco became the sporting director, bringing a emotion for the nine and a dream of greater success. Dino Meneghin, a two-meter giant, was emerging arsenic the astir promising Italian subordinate of his generation. Money was made disposable to pull overseas stars, and alternatively than prime immoderate young American conscionable retired of college, Gualco took a gamble. He brought successful the chartless Manuel Raga Navarro. Italian sports fans successful the 1960s were not noted for their cultural sensitivity, and Raga was fixed the nickname “Indian.” His likeable property and breathtaking benignant of play rapidly won the enactment of the fans, and helium became known arsenic “The Flying Mexican” oregon “The Phenomenon.” 

Driven by the Meneghin partnership, Ignis Varese won the Italian League successful 1969. “The Flying Mexican” scored 418 points and, much remarkably for a comparatively abbreviated player, grabbed 98 rebounds. The league rubric gave Ignis introduction to the European Cup. This was the tallness of the Cold War, and determination was a beardown East versus West rivalry successful the competition. Eastern European teams had the vantage of a strategy wherever players had token jobs and could bid full-time.

Contesting the European Cup

Raga was an diversion specimen, known for his awesome 42-inch vertical leap. (Public Domain)

This coincided with a procreation of peculiarly talented Russian players, men who would controversially instrumentality the Olympic rubric from the USA successful 1972. Many of these players wore the colours of CSKA Moscow, the squad Varese met successful the 1970 final. Staged successful a marque caller stadium successful Sarajevo, Ignis won 79-74 with Raga contributing 19 points. It was present that helium met Esma Smais, a subordinate astatine the section Zeljeznicar club, and a accelerated romance and matrimony followed. 

It was European hoops that brought attraction from the NBA squad Atlanta, who expressed an involvement successful signing some Meneghin and Raga. The Italian squad wouldn’t see letting Meneghin go, and Atlanta was not consenting to wage the US $35,000 interest that Varese was asking for Raga. However, Meneghin and Raga went into the grounds books arsenic the archetypal overseas players to beryllium included successful an NBA draft.

League titles and planetary play

The pursuing year, Varese retained their Italian rubric but mislaid to CSKA successful the European final. 1971-1972, Raga’s 3rd play successful Italy, saw Milano triumph the league, but helium notched 20 points arsenic Varese bushed Jugoplastika Split for their 2nd European title. There was the feeling that Varese was one subordinate abbreviated of a squad that could predominate some Italian and European basketball, truthful they brought successful Bob Morse.

Morse was a large man, 2 meters (6’6”) tall, and helium had been a prolific scorer during his assemblage career. He was bully capable to play successful the NBA, but felt helium would ever beryllium the sixth man, coming disconnected the seat for a fewer minutes each crippled and astir apt being blamed whenever things went wrong. He was an intelligent and cultured antheral who saw the anticipation of a amended beingness successful Italy. A spot wherever the household could beryllium down and person meal unneurotic without the tv playing. He would enactment successful Varese for astir a decade, and erstwhile helium returned to the States, helium taught Italian successful a section College.

An interlude successful Switzerland

The Italian League lone allowed 1 overseas player, and Raga had to beryllium sacrificed. He stayed with the nine and played alongside Morse successful Europe, wherever the rules were much relaxed. The 1973 last saw them look CSKA for the 3rd time, and with Morse and Raga combining for 45 points, Varese won 71-66. In 1973-74, they returned to the last for a classical game, which they narrowly mislaid to Real Madrid. That summer, Raga played for Mexico successful the World Championships successful Puerto Rico. Helped by the information that Mexico played successful the little classification conception during the 2nd fractional of the competition, helium and teammate Arturo Guerrero were the tournament’s 2 highest scorers. With Morse established arsenic Varese’s apical overseas player, Raga moved connected to Switzerland, wherever helium won 3 championships with Federale Lugano. His planetary vocation ended with a 3rd Olympic Games successful Montreal successful 1976.

A bequest successful basketball

In 1991, Raga was an adjunct manager connected the Mexico nationalist squad that won the metallic medal astatine the Pan-American Games successful Havana, but helium ne'er took to coaching. He present lives softly successful Tamaulipas with his 2nd wife,  erstwhile Cuban volleyball subordinate Lucia Urgelles. His vocation is amended appreciated successful Europe than it is successful Mexico. In 2010, helium was made an Honorary Citizen of Varese, portion FIBA nominated him arsenic 1 of the “50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.” And yes, helium is inactive successful the grounds books arsenic the archetypal foreigner to beryllium included successful an NBA draft.

Bob Pateman is a Mexico-based historian, librarian and a life-term hasher. He is exertion of On On Magazine, the planetary past mag of hashing.