By Sean McDevitt
FightingIllini.com

National Hispanic Heritage Month (from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) recognizes the influence and contributions of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture and achievements of the United States. This is the second in a series of articles about current Fighting Illini staff members of Hispanic descent.

Central Illinois might not be the first place one would think about regarding Hispanic culture. Still, Champaign has seen an influx by way of talented college basketball players in no small way because of Assistant Coach Orlando Antigua.

Orlando Antigua was born in the Dominican Republic but moved to the Bronx when he was five years old with his mother and two younger brothers.

"Like many other kids in the Bronx, we grew up in a pretty challenging area," said Antigua. "Some rough circumstances in rough neighborhoods, but we didn't know any different. We just knew that we were surrounded by people in a community that was similar to us. And we enjoyed just the variety of cultures that we had in our community."

Thanks to his mother's Puerto Rican lineage and his father's Dominican roots, his Hispanic heritage was celebrated every day.

"It's everything that makes you. It's your culture, your customs, and from the way you speak, your slang, to your meals, to your rituals," said Antigua. "The Christmas holidays in the Latino community are celebrated on the 24th at midnight, and you have big parties with a roasted pig and that kind of stuff. So, all those traditions and all those things are part of your heritage and part of the heritage that you share with people in your community."

His early basketball days included being a member of the Dominican dream team that qualified for the Olympics for the first time in the history of the program. As a high school senior, he earned McDonald's All-American and Parade magazine All-American second-team honors and was also named All-New York City. At the University of Pittsburgh, Antigua was a four-year letter winner and two-time team captain. He was ranked in Pitt's all-time top ten in career 3-pointers made, career 3-point field goal percentage, and blocked shots.

However, he's probably most well known as the first player of Latin American descent to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. It was an opportunity given to him by Illinois Basketball great and Harlem Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson.

Antigua said, "He's certainly someone that has been a mentor and gave me a huge opportunity to be a part of a historic organization. And it allowed me to learn a lot of different life skills and meet some great friends and people and get a perspective about the world through our travel. It allowed me to see how all over the world, the common thread that people have in terms of wanting to live happy, wanting to be among family, wanting to have fulfillment in what they're doing, and just to be appreciated for whatever contributions that they're making to their family and society."

As an assistant coach with the Men's Basketball team at Illinois, Antigua has been instrumental in recruiting talented, high-character young men to represent the orange and blue, quite a few who share his Hispanic roots. A couple of years ago, he added Andres Feliz to the Illinois basketball family, and more recently, Andre Curbelo and Edgar Padilla, Jr.

Being able to connect with those young men is critical to Antigua. He said, "We're giving kids an opportunity to utilize their gifts, their talents, to pay for their education and to better their families and better their lives, and to open doors and opportunities for them; the same ones that were afforded to me. Obviously, I recruit all kinds of kids, but it's always special when you can relate and connect with kids from your same background and same culture."

With Hispanic Heritage Month in full swing, Antigua and his family will take some time to celebrate. He plans on a cookout with his family and maybe a few guys from his Illinois Basketball family too.

Antigua said, "It's something that we're really proud of just because it brings some recognition to all the things that our culture has been able to contribute to this country, from the music to the style of clothes, to just all the different traditions. I think the best way we can celebrate is to keep having a positive impact in the community and keep being an example to the younger Latinos and Hispanics in the country with what we've been able to do and continue to push our success."