Formerly colonized nations all celebrate the anniversaries of their independence differently: backyard barbecues, fireworks, elaborate civil-military parades, street festivals—you name it.
But a “grupito” (little group) of Dominicans this year chose to commemorate the 182nd anniversary of their nation’s independence in a way they never had before—by earning one of the biggest wins on the hardwood in the country’s history.
On the eve of Feb. 27—the Dominican Republic’s Independence Day—“Los Quisqueyano” upset the United States, 87-79, at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California, to open the second-window of the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers
Captaining the team was former Seton Hall men’s basketball standout center Angel Delgado, who finished the contest as one of four Dominican players in double-figures with 11 points in 24 minutes of play. The 2018 SHU alumnus added eight rebounds and two steals as well.
A disastrous first quarter of eight turnovers and just 10 points from the US helped the Dominican Republic gain a 39-33 lead by the end of the second quarter, with Delgado encouraging his team in the locker room at halftime.
“I was telling our guys that nobody believed in us,” Delgado, who currently plays for Trabzonspor in the top basketball league in Turkey, said. “Everybody doubted that we could win this game because the group that came here is a lot of young guys and a lot of guys that just play in the Dominican Republic.”
“I told them at halftime, ‘We can do this,’” Delgado added.
Delgado’s halftime encouragement helped the Dominican Republic fend off the US’s attempt at a post-intermission comeback. Despite a 26-17 fourth quarter from the Americans, the Dominicans just barely outscored the US, 48-46, in the second half to come away with the 87-79 win—just their second-ever over the US, and first since 1989.
“FELIZ DIA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA!!!!!!” Delgado posted to his Instagram during the wee hours of Feb. 27 following the team’s win.
Although the US’s World Cup Qualifying Team is not composed of the stars who eventually represent the red, white and blue at the Olympics or World Cup, many are still players and veterans with years of NBA experience, like Elfrid Payton, Brandon Knight and James Wiseman, all of whom played on Thursday.
The Dominican Republic’s squad on Thursday, meanwhile, featured just one player with NBA experience—Delgado, who played in two games for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, just a year after he graduated from SHU, for a grand total of 15 minutes.
With 11 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes of play on Thursday, such a near double-double performance in a big win should be no surprise for anyone familiar with Delgado from his time as a Pirate, when nothing less was expected of the 6-foot-10 big man.
Upon graduating in 2018, Delgado left SHU as one of the most decorated players in program history: as a freshman, he was named the 2015 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year—fast forward to his senior year, and Delgado was the recipient of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the National Center of the Year, among other national and conference honors.
Five years before the Dominican Republic earned their first-ever win over the US, Delgado was born in the nation’s capital city of Santo Domingo on Nov. 20, 1994.
He lived in the Dominican Republic until 2012, when he immigrated to the US at 16 years old to pursue a career in basketball. Delgado played for Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, NY and Huntingdon Prep in West Virginia, before transferring his senior year to The Patrick School in Elizabeth, New Jersey—less than 10 miles from his future home in South Orange, and even closer to the Prudential Center where he recorded the first 20-point, 20-rebound game in the BIG EAST since 2010, and received recognition for becoming the BIG EAST’s all-time leader in career rebounds.
It’ll be a homecoming for the whole Dominican Republic team the next time they face the US, but especially for Delgado, with the game being held in the city of his birth.
Delgado and the Dominican Republic will have to prevent the US from giving them a taste of their own medicine by winning on the eve of their own anniversary of independence, with the game also being held on July 3rd in the third window of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
