Flor Meléndez Montañez (born January 12, 1947) is a Puerto Rican retired basketball player and current coach. He is a former head coach of Puerto Rico’s men’s national basketball team, Argentina men's national basketball team, and Panama men's national basketball team. Currently, he coaches in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional as an assistant coach for Gigantes de Carolina. Biography Early life Meléndez is the son of Florencio Meléndez and Emilia Montañez. He grew up alongside seven brothers and three sisters. Two of his brothers, Jorge and Diego, also had notable careers as basketball players. Meléndez enjoyed sports since a young age. 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. At Cantera, he was enrolled at the Oratorio San Juan Bosco school, where he participated in one of Puerto Rico's best known Association football programs, the "Don Bosco" teams. He also enjoyed playing baseball. Although Meléndez would have probably been chosen to play on Puerto Rico's Liga de Baloncesto Superior (Puerto Rico's professional basketball league) he decided to pursue basketball as a future career, playing in the YMCA before entering the Puerto Rico's professional basketball league in 1965, with San Juan's squad. Professional career Meléndez began his coaching career in 1967, coaching a youth team. In 1968, Meléndez became a member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team that competed at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He also represented the country in Spain, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic as a player with the national team. 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. Meléndez became head coach of the Puerto Rican national women's basketball team in 1976. He helped the Gigantes reach the BSN finals in 1979, but they lost to Raymond Dalmau's Quebradillas Pirates for the championship. That year, Meléndez retired as a player and decided to concentrate on his coaching career. In 1978, he stepped off as coach of the women's national team, having won two gold medals with the women's youth team and a bronze one with the veteran's team, earned at the Central American and Caribbean Games held in Medellín, Colombia. Upon retiring as head coach of the female national