Flor Meléndez

Flor Meléndez Montañez (born January 12, 1947) is a Puerto Rican retired basketball player and current coach.

He moved to Cantera, a San Juan area that is close to the childhood homes of salsa singer Andy Montañez and world boxing champion Ossie Ocasio, when he was still a child.

In 1968, Meléndez became a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team that competed at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

Meléndez won four youth championships as head coach between 1967 and 1973, year in which he was traded from San Juan to the Gigantes de Carolina team in the BSN.

In 1981, Meléndez returned to the finals, this time coaching the Bayamón Cowboys, who, helped by stars such as Rubén Rodríguez, Jose Sosa and Roberto Valderas, won the national championship by defeating Fico Lopez, Mario Morales and the Julio Toro coached Guaynabo Mets.

Meléndez remained as head coach of the men's national team until 1983, when he retired as head coach of that organization, having led them to a silver medal at the 1979 Pan American Games held in San Juan, and at the 1981 Centrobasket tournament as well as the 1982 Central American and Caribbean games.

[3] In 1985, Meléndez led José Ortiz and the Atleticos de San German to that franchise's first championship in 30 years.

In 1999, Meléndez made history by taking Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, the Brazilian basketball team to the McDonald's Cup final, facing NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

In 2020 Meléndez was managing the Indios de Mayagüez team until the season was postponed on account of a global pandemic.