Angelo Cruz

Angelo “Monchito” Cruz was born on September 20, 1958, in New York. He grew up in the Patterson Projects in the Bronx and became a playground legend in the city by the time he graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School, having previously spent two or three years at All Hallows High School, also in the Bronx. After playing at Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma and Essex County College in New Jersey, he went on to play professional basketball in Puerto Rico.

Cruz started his career in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in 1977 at age 18, spending 13 seasons with the Indios de Canóvanas. He led the team to consecutive championships in 1983 and 1984, and reached 1,500 assists in 1988. His matchups against powerhouse teams like Bayamón, Guaynabo, and San Germán remain well-known in BSN history. He played his final three seasons with the Titanes de Morovis, retiring after the 1993 season with career averages of 14.8 points and 4.8 assists per game over 16 years.

His most famous basket came in the 1983 semifinals against the Vaqueros de Bayamón. Trailing by three points, Cruz hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie the game. The Indios won in overtime, took the series, and later won the championship, repeating in 1984.

At age 20, Cruz was part of Puerto Rico’s 1979 Pan American team, which earned a silver medal in San Juan after a memorable matchup against a U.S. team led by Isiah Thomas and coached by Bobby Knight. He also played in the Pan Am Games in 1983 (Caracas) and 1987 (Indianapolis). In 1984, he competed in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas Olympic Qualifier in São Paulo, Brazil, and in 1990, he played in the Goodwill Games in Seattle.

Cruz helped Puerto Rico qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, ending the country’s absence from the Olympics since 1976. At those Games, he led the national team in assists and ranked second in scoring, averaging 12.375 points per game. He hit a buzzer-beater to defeat Yugoslavia 74–72, a team led by future NBA players Dražen Petrović and Vlade Divac that went on to win the silver medal.

Cruz played in two FIBA World Tournaments: 1986 in Spain and 1990 in Argentina. In 1990, Puerto Rico finished fourth after starting 7–0, defeating Yugoslavia, the United States, and Australia before losing to the Soviet Union and the U.S. in the medal round. That tournament was his final international competition.

After retiring in 1993, Cruz worked at Yankee Stadium, where he befriended Milwaukee Brewers player José Valentín. In 1998, he disappeared while visiting family in Puerto Rico and has not been seen or heard from since.

In August 2011, the first basketball tournament honoring Cruz was held in the Patterson Houses. Leading up to the event, his family released statements saying they were still seeking answers about his disappearance and announced a scholarship fund in his memory, with contributions supporting basketball camps for Bronx youth. The tournaments are attended by his eldest child, Angel Cruz Jr.; his grandson, Kaneda Cruz; his mother, Gloria; his sister, Naomi Cruz-Lymon; and many friends and former teammates.

Cruz had his first child, Angel Monchito Cruz Jr., with Denise West while living in Mott Haven, Bronx. Angel Jr. still lives in Mott Haven and works as a businessman. His grandson, Kaneda Cruz, also comes from the South Bronx and is Cruz’s only grandchild. Cruz’s other children include son Alvin, who played in the BSN and internationally; daughter Anaíss; daughter Angeliz from his marriage to Annie Torres; and youngest son Justin from his marriage to Carmen Diaz Farrell. At the time of his disappearance, Cruz was no longer married.