Puerto Rico basketball player ready to retire

By BRYCE MILLER

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - All the dribbling, all the running, all the weightlifting and all the airplanes have caught up to Puerto Rico's Jose Ortiz.

The 40-year-old former Oregon State men's basketball player says these Olympics, his fourth, will be his last.

A life wrapped around the sport has been great for Ortiz, whose team plays against Australia on Saturday, but all the time and energy expended has worn him out - mentally and physically.

``This is it,'' said Ortiz, who was the first Puerto Rican to play in the NBA after the Utah Jazz drafted him in 1987. ``I'm tired. I want to give a chance to the young players.''

The Puerto Ricans stunned the United States in the opening round of the Olympics, 92-73, and are 2-1 in the six-team pool with the Americans.

Lithuania is unbeaten in three games and leads the six-team pool - four advance in the tournament - while Puerto Rico and the United States each are 2-1.

Ortiz, a 6-foot 11-inch, 240-pound center, owns the distinction of being the most famous player in his nation's history, even though he's used in more of a first-guy-off-the-bench role in Athens.

``I know I can do a lot more, but it's OK,'' said Ortiz, the 1987 Pac-10 player of the year the same season teammate Gary Payton was league freshman of the year. ``As long as we win, I can deal with it.''

Ortiz said Puerto Rico caught the NBA-stocked U.S. team on an off day, but the win proved anything can happen at the Olympics.

``Even though we played a heckuva game, the U.S. did not play their best,'' he said. ``But a win is a win. We have to take it the way it came. And we worked hard for it.''

Ortiz has averaged six points and more than 19 minutes per game in Puerto Rico's three Olympic games.

Even though his Olympic career is ending, Ortiz said he could play a couple more seasons of basketball. Then, he said, the plan is to work for television and radio in Puerto Rico.

When Ortiz steps off the court for good, he plans to find more time for other things - like following Oregon State on the computer.

``I'm not into the Internet thing - yet,'' he said.

UP NEXT: Former Oregon State star Jose Ortiz and the Puerto Rican men's basketball team play Australia on Saturday. Puerto Rico is 2-1 and tied with the United States for second in the six-team pool.