Tenerife Basketball Mourns Loss of Legend Valentín Santana
Tenerife's basketball community mourns the passing of Valentín Santana, 74, a dedicated figure who served as a player, referee, coach, and president of multiple clubs and federations.
Tenerife's basketball community is mourning the loss of another significant figure. Following the recent passing of well-known basketball personalities like Sixto Trujillo and Paco Chinea, the island's basketball scene lost another legend this Tuesday with the death of Valentín Santana. He was 74.
Known for his friendly nature and desire for unity, Santana dedicated most of his life to basketball, holding various roles. He started as a player before becoming a nationally recognized referee, working alongside other respected officials.
After his refereeing career, Santana transitioned to coaching, notably leading women's teams such as CB Salamanca, CB San Fernando-Duggi, and CB Unelco. He then moved into leadership positions within basketball organizations and clubs.
He began as a board member, often serving as secretary, for the Insular Federation of Tenerife. He eventually became its president, having previously supported Víctor Floreal and Eliseo Bento. In the 1990s, Santana moved to the regional level, working closely with Manolo Hernández Cruz until 2002.
After his time with the federations, Santana returned to club management. He joined the board of Tenerife Baloncesto during their promotion season to the ACB League in 2002-2003.
Following this, he took on the role of president for Uni Tenerife, a club formed in 2003. Under his leadership, the team was promoted to Liga Femenina 2 in 2006 and remained in Spain's second division of women's basketball for six consecutive seasons.
Uni Tenerife also excelled in youth competitions, winning two Spanish Championships (one cadet and one junior) and achieving several other national podium finishes.
In June 2012, Santana resigned for health reasons. However, he continued as president of the newly formed CB Isla Única after a merger, a position he held until the team's final season in Liga Femenina 2 in 2013-2014.
As he neared retirement from his career as a customs agent, Valentín remained involved in basketball by co-founding Tenerife Central, where he served as honorary president until his passing.
Valentín Santana's funeral will be held this Thursday at 10:40 AM at the Servisa Funeral Home, located near kilometer 5 of the TF-5 highway.