This past May 7th marked the 19th anniversary of the death of Reynaldo Silvestre “Lungo” Ortuzar, one of the greatest basketball idols in the province of San Luis.
He was born in Coronel Moldes, province of Córdoba, on June 27, 1942 and always stood out for his height, he was 1.98. He played center. At the age of 17 he arrived in San Luis and quickly became a respectable figure in the painted rectangle at the Hogar y Club Universitario.
Ortuzar had the opportunity to wear the jacket of Obras Sanitarias de Capital Federal and cemented his career in that institution where he managed —in 1973— that the “Tachero” team was crowned champion for the first time in its history. He had arguments for it: his height, his dedication, his charisma and his fame as a scorer in the Argentine basketball championships of 1965, 1967 and 1969.
In 1970, the Argentine basketball championship was held in San Luis and “Lungo” was the captain of the host team made up of, among others, Carlos “Caica” Araniz, Santiago “Pablo” González, Mariano Celorrio, Víctor “Vitrola” Sosa. , Jorge Mitchell, Ernesto “Ñato” Pérez Pinto, “Chapa” Camargo… It was in that tournament that he had the most outstanding performance remembered for a basketball player of his time.
In 1975 Ortuzar was consecrated in the Argentine Club Championship, and participated in the South American Champion Clubs, where he finished second after losing to the Brazilians from Franca. That decent performance allowed him to qualify for the 1976 Intercontinental Cup, as South American runner-up (to the highest club tournament in the world, the two best teams in Europe, the two best in South America, the African champion and the University League champion qualified). from United States). FIBA designated the Obras stadium as the venue for the tournament and the Argentine representative finished in third place.
Today, remembering him, Leonardo Federico, one of his sons, says: “One of the greatest parchments that my father is reminded of was when in 1966 he joined the Argentine National Team in the international friendly tournament ‘Confraternidad Americana’ held in Cosquín, Cordova. The United States team won it while the local team was second, with four wins and two losses. That team was led by Alberto Andrizzi and he shared the squad with Benjamín Arce, Lucio Regina, Antonio Tozzi, Gustavo Chazarreta from Santiago, Marcelo Farías, Ernesto ‘Finito’ Gehrmann, Ricardo Giunta, Raúl Iríñez, Gregorio Moreno, Hugo Oliva and Samuel Oliva”.
Age, injuries to his legs, his subsequent operations and a cruel illness slowed down his career, but until he had strength he played in friendly matches, veterans matches or interprovincial tournaments that allowed him to keep the flame alive for the sport he loved the most.
His daughter Natalia Cecilia, who is married to Eduardo “Lalo” Pinela and who has two children —Baltasar and Bernardita—, adds: “My father was a very good person, a companion, a family member and he never left us alone. I was not lucky enough to see him play officially, he was very young, I did see him when he took me to games or tournaments for veterans, I felt that everyone loved him, but those who saw him play and his friends always highlight his figure that led to be an idol in this province. That’s why I’m proud of my father.”
“At 25 years old, he was already playing in Buenos Aires, but he always returned to San Luis when called up by the National Team, he loved this province, where he played for Universitario and Estudiantes”, he points out.
The children of the disappeared idol say that when they were teenagers the family had been divided for work reasons: Gladys Giménez, the wife of “Lungo”, had a clothing business in Merlo and the basketball player worked in San Luis.
The “lungo” already with gray hair with his wife Gladys Giménez and their children Natalia and Leonardo.
“My brother Federico had stayed in Merlo with my mom Gladys, and I with my dad. For work and family reasons we came to live in my grandmother Margarita’s house, who had been left alone due to the death of my aunt Zuli. That sad situation did not at all diminish the family love that always existed between us because we were together every weekend,” Natalia says.
Leonardo Federico followed in his father’s footsteps. In San Luis he played, among other teams, for El Chorrillero and Sociedad Española. He is 41 years old, married to Maitena Goles and has a son, Salvador. Like his sister, he also did not see his father play at his highest level. “I saw him in the cast of GEPU veterans and in other teams of friends. I asked the national channels for the possibility of having a video of his career, but to date I have not had any luck. I also agree with my sister, wherever we go and say our last name, doors open for us. I remember him as a great father, good-natured, recognized by all for his charisma, humor and friendliness. I have very fond memories of my old man,” he notes.
The son of “Lungo” at 17 years old played basketball in the tourist town of Merlo, where he lived with his mother Gladys, and went to play in a team from Bragado, province of Buenos Aires. Later he went to Talleres de Córdoba, Río Cuarto, and Venado Tuerto to end up playing in League B for GEPU in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Your children today. Natalia and Leonardo along with Salvador, the grandson.
Leonardo tells an anecdote: “In 2003 I joined the San Luis team in La Rioja and we came out champions. José ‘Pepe’ Franzi invited me to join GEPU, I did not hesitate and I came to San Luis. They paid a good salary, but I needed to work. My father had already passed away and the situation was not the best. In Córdoba I studied law, I played for Talleres and on weekends I earned a few pesos in the stadium parking lot when the soccer team was local.
“Here —he continues— I dedicated myself to the sale of mobile telephony and cell phone fleets until one day Luis Córica took me to Telefónica and there, with the mere fact of naming my father, the doors opened for me. That is why I highlight the quality of person he was. They made me feel it everywhere I went. Besides, it was like a retaining wall, he was always there, he advised me, he taught me, he believed that I was a very good player, more than I really was, that it was my father, the one who was never absent”.
His sister describes another facet of the human side of their father. “When I was a girl, he would take me to Hallelujah and my mother would pick me up. He always bought my snack at a kiosk in front of his work. Many times my friends stayed at home and dad served us breakfast in bed, everyone wanted it, he stayed for long periods talking about school things.
“Over time and through him,” he says, “he got me a scholarship as an administrative employee at Ave Fénix, but one day the scholarship ended and I was left without a job. Through friends, I was able to speak with Governor Alberto Rodríguez Saá, who It was his friend. I explained to him who I was and the situation that my mother and brother were going through and he made me my first contract”.
And he adds: “It was an unforgettable moment, the Governor wanted me to tell him things about my father and together we were moved to tears. We want to highlight these gestures from his friends who never abandoned us and were always there when we needed them. We are very grateful to all of you.” they”.
In addition to his great passion for orange, Ortuzar was a draftsman at Obras Sanitarias de la Nación, which was on Calle San Martín, and later at Vialidad Provincial, when he began to feel the weight of his injuries. He retired due to disability.
“Age and the hard training with weights on his legs, going up and down stands and sometimes with a partner on his shoulders, apparently, caused injuries or varicose veins that often caused spills or bleeding edema that prevented him from walking. This made his mind hover around retirement from activity, exacerbated by esophageal cancer. That was when my friends helped us financially to take him for a check-up in Córdoba in search of an alternative treatment because he did not want to undergo chemotherapy. But there was nothing to do, the outcome was May 7, 2003″, expressed the children of “Lungo”.
“We were left with the pride of being his children, in life he gave us everything, he was super affectionate, a spoiler, protector of the whole family, buddy and companion, he had a lot of love to give and an inner peace that was noticeable in every gesture of his life”, both rescue and conclude proudly: “We tell these anecdotes because in some way they draw the figure of my father, we got a job thanks to his name, his way of life and for being very friendly”.
“We are very grateful to the Governor because he always names him, remembers him, because he was also one of his great friends. Everything he left us is good because he was loved by all and that speaks of the quality of person he was.”
