Basketball fans and practitioners from the 1960s and 1970s agree that the mark of Ricardo Barake Jassir (1945-2023) in Barranquilla and the Atlantic is indelible. “He’s still the biggest benchmark in the game and how a guard should play.”
Ricardo Barake passed away in Barranquilla on Monday and the basketball family of his generation, that of the last century, is in mourning. It is a farewell to a player who made history in this sport. “Ricardo was the best. The best guard the Atlantic has ever had. He played wisely and wisely. A delivery man and a great assistant. I played like the American in the NBA in the 90s, John Stockton,” says José Deyongh Salzedo , former player, coach and analyst of professional basketball in Colombia.
“He lived the game with soul, heart, character and against his rivals he was a tiger. Difficult to take the ball from him. He could guarantee 40 points with a post like Harold Martínez. His key was another great Henry Hasbun,” exclaimed former basketball player Lincoln Moscarella.
Ricardo Barake Jassir studied at the San Roque school, he was the youngest of five children of Antonio Barake and Lorenza Jassir, a family of Lebanese descent. He came from the San José school basketball school and lived at 48 Carrera between Calles 70 and 72, near the Suri Salcedo Park. It passed through the hands of the basketball coach Miguel Zapata, a Bogotá instructor who directed Atlántico and Colombia, and was also directed by his brother Antonio Barake, qualified as the best local quarterback and coach.
Considered a pioneer in the country, Zapata formed teams with 6-foot-7 players, but with Ricardo Barake’s performance, he broke that mold and dominated the game with a short organizer (5-foot-7) and other players such as the twins Arturo and Agustín Chamorro, Nicolás Guette, Rafael Amador, Lincoln Mosquera.
Barake Jassir also played in interleague tournaments like the one in 1972 in a second generation consisting of Heli Pereira, Rafael Amador, Joaquín Arias, Ramón Jessurum, José Deyongh, Dorian Martínez, Hemer Charris and Alberto Martínez.
Luis Fernando Rocha, Ricardo’s friend, remembers a National in Santa Marta. “With seconds left, Miguel Zapata asked for time to set up his attacking game. Atlántico lost to Antioquia by one point. Ricardo, who had a lot of character, assisted Harold Martínez from the serve which scored to give Atlántico the victory. Ricardo was an intelligent player”.
The physical education teacher, basketball researcher, Egne Osorio defined Ricardo as a point guard that was hard to have at the time. “He had a lot of quality, he developed intelligence, he supported the team, an excellent organizer in attack and defense. Of course that happened with trained situations and with intensive daily training sessions of two and three hours. His game is similar to that of Hansel Atencia, albeit less individualistic”.
Ricardo Barake’s funeral will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Jardines de la Eternidad in Puerto Colombia.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
