They are on BSN teams such as Caguas, Bayamón and Santurce, and they are central to the league's development. Israel Cruz, skills coach for the Criollos, explains.
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The level of play in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) "has gone up," according to Criollos de Caguas head coach Wilhelmus Caanen, speaking on the podcast Punto Aparte. That rise is due in part to the addition of what are known as skills coaches to several teams in the league, including Caguas, Bayamón and Santurce.
These coaches, who work with NBA teams and professional basketball programs internationally, analyze players' movements to improve their performance, both individually and as a team.
Here is a look at what drives the work of these professionals and how they are changing the BSN.
"It creates a more holistic approach to development and skills. It's more about teaching the player, working on their strengths and weaknesses, how they move, how we can improve their game and what opportunities we have to grow in the future," Cruz told Platea.
Is there a path to becoming a skills coach?
At the moment, there is no course or certification in Puerto Rico for becoming a basketball skills coach, Cruz said. In his case, he attended basketball clinics as a child and was part of the national youth team.
He also played college basketball at the Universidad de Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, where he studied kinesiology, a foundational background for understanding the science of body movement.
"My philosophy is: how can I use science to develop a player."
Israel Cruz, skills coach for the Criollos de Caguas
He has also completed various training certifications, mentorship programs with other skills coaches and has met "the best trainers in the United States" on various trips, people who "gave me a lot of feedback," he said.
Drawing on that experience, Cruz co-founded First Class Basketball with Christian "Cuco" López, No. 24 for the Criollos de Caguas. The company focuses on bringing basketball skills training to children and teenagers. He also served as skills coach for the Cangrejeros de Santurce last year.
How a skills coach
works Cruz does not work alone. The Criollos de Caguas also have skills coach Marlon Garnett, a former NBA player who has worked as an assistant coach and player development specialist in the NBA and with other international teams.
"He is more of a mentor because he was in the NBA and has that assistant-coach knowledge that can help the coaches and can help us, the skills trainers, in how we can make the program more organized and professional," Cruz explained.
📹 They record practices.
💻 They store each player's videos in a database.
🔎 They analyze each player's movements to determine a plan of action.
💬 They discuss with the player what can be improved and how.
⛹️♂️ They create working groups to apply what they've learned.
The Criollos' skills coaches record every practice to show players "every detail they need to improve." They maintain a database with analyses of each player and, from there, determine the strategy for helping them develop.
"Usually I use comparisons with other players so they can see what the correct technique is, how it can be done, how it can be improved. We go to the court and do it. We look for ways to make it a bit more of a learning experience, so they can understand on their own what they are doing and carry it into the game," he said.
According to the coach, his job is to "simplify the game for the player" and give them solutions to the problems they will face on the court. The physical comes first, then the technical and the tactical. The psychological is also part of the work.
The importance of working on players' psychology
Despite the stereotypes that exist around discussing a person's emotional and psychological side, Cruz pointed out that this is one of the most important parts of skills training.
"There are many players who can sometimes pick up a skill but don't transfer it to the game because they're afraid, or they don't trust themselves, or they had a bad day and the next day they don't want to trust themselves. Psychologically, that's the most important part, because you can build yourself up just as you can tear yourself down psychologically," said the skills coach.
Cruz pointed out that players like Cuco López are "psychologically strong" because "under pressure, he rises to the occasion" and can perform at his best. "This is something I also study, because I want to understand how players like that reach that point, and how to get players who aren't at that level there," he said.
Beyond this holistic training, Cruz recommended that all players also work with their own psychologist or therapist "to learn to manage their emotions," as high-caliber professional players like LeBron James do.
The evolution of the Criollos with skills coaches
Since joining the Criollos in September of last year, Cruz has seen improvements in players who are "expanding their game," even though they have only been working with skills coaches for a year.
"For example, a player like (Alexander) Kappos, who shoots from outside, (the training focuses on) how I can get him more outside shots percentage-wise and how I can improve his shooting percentage," said Cruz, who also helped López return to professional basketball.
For Cruz, "we are guides." He knows that, with or without them, players will improve, but with their help, the path will be more direct and focused.
🎙️ Punto Aparte with coach Wilhelmus Caanen ahead of the 2025 BSN season
Editorial note: Los Criollos de Caguas, like PlateaPR, are part of Forward, an innovation and technology platform dedicated to accelerating Puerto Rico's progress, co-founded by Red Ventures CEO Ric Elías.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
