{"id":209818,"date":"2026-03-28T18:30:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/209818\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T18:30:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:30:16","slug":"optimistic-orlando-antigua-counts-blessing-helping-illinois","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/209818\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimistic Orlando Antigua counts blessing helping Illinois"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013 Hearing a loud argument on Halloween night in 1987, Orlando Antigua rushed to see what all the commotion was about. Once he and a friend arrived at the scene in their Bronx<\/a> neighborhood, he saw a gun pointed at his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Antigua made eye contact with the gunman before suffering a gunshot wound near his left eye as an innocent bystander. Amid the chaos, the then-14-year-old kept telling himself not to close his eyes as he rushed to find an ambulance. No matter how tired he got, he vowed not to close his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chased an ambulance down and jumped in it,\u201d said Antigua, who is now the associate head men\u2019s basketball coach at the University of Illinois<\/a>. \u201cMy comment to the EMTs was to tell my mom I\u2019m not dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antigua spent a week in the hospital recovering. Although the bullet remained in his head, he was back on the basketball court for St. Raymond\u2019s Catholic School a few months later.<\/p>\n

He became one of the best boys basketball players in New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s before receiving a basketball scholarship to Pitt. Six years after the shooting, the bullet finally maneuvered toward the soft tissue near his ear canal, where it was safely extracted.<\/p>\n

A special calling<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom always said that God left me on this earth for a reason,\u201d the former McDonald\u2019s All-American says. \u201cI think I\u2019m fulfilling that calling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Basketball has proved to be Antigua\u2019s calling. With a friendly demeanor and optimistic personality nurtured through a near-death experience, he has played a pivotal role in building the roster that has No. 3 seed Illinois one win away from the Final Four.<\/p>\n

The Fighting Illini will face No. 9 seed Iowa <\/a>on Saturday night at Houston\u2019s Toyota Center in an Elite Eight game.\u00a0Head coach Brad Underwood credits Antigua with playing a major role in recruiting the Eastern Europe stars who anchor Illinois\u2019 roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moreover, Antigua\u2019s outlook on life is a healthy counter to Underwood\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u2018The GOAT\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he\u2019s the GOAT,\u201d Underwood says of Antigua, 53. \u201cAnd I mean that. He is as good as there is. He\u2019s great for me. I have a tendency to want to coach the glass half empty. I strive for perfection. I want the perfect game. He\u2019s got a tremendous way of looking at it as the glass is half full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antigua\u2019s mother Damaris Fernandez settled into the Bronx before bringing her three sons from the Dominican to live with her when Orlando Antigua was 4.<\/p>\n

More from Our Esquina<\/p>\n

Mexican teen prodigy Karim Lopez moves closer to NBA dream<\/a><\/p>\n

Warriors center Al Horford keeps inspiring<\/a><\/p>\n

Our Forgotten H\u00e9roes: Eduardo Najera<\/a><\/p>\n

With only a seventh grade education but plenty of drive and determination, Fernandez raised three boys as a single mother. It wasn\u2019t easy. Orlando Antigua admits that he and his brothers weren\u2019t saints by any means. They learned lessons and mostly stayed out of trouble, though.<\/p>\n

More importantly, they capitalized on their opportunities. Hernandez\u2019s three boys all graduated from college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"OrlandoHOUSTON, TX \u2013 March 26, 2026 \u2013 Illinois forward David Mirkovic and associate head coach Orlando Antigua chat during the Sweet Sixteen Practice at Toyota Center in Houston, TX. Photo By Ashley Ray\/Fighting Illini. <\/p>\n

Orlando Antigua is \u2018fortunate and blessed\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could have gone a number of ways, as you can imagine, in the Bronx,\u201d Antigua said. \u201cWe were fortunate and blessed that we had the prayers from grandparents and aunts in the D.R. to protect us. And we were able to make the right decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through basketball, Antigua moved beyond his humble beginnings and travelled all over the world. He made history while building the connections that have paid off for Illinois.\u00a0He helped recruit starting forward David Mirkovic<\/a> from Niksic, Montenegro. Antigua also helped land starting center Tomislav Ivisic<\/a> and his brother Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a> from Vodice, Croatia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knew that we are pretty connected on the court and that on the court we\u2019re going to bring will for winning,\u201d Mirkovic said of Antigua. \u201cI think that was such a great idea from Orlando and the other people on the staff to bring (Mirkovic and the Ivisic brothers) all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antigua built countless international connections over seven years as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. He made history as the Globetrotters\u2019 first Latino player in December 1995.<\/p>\n

He actually couldn\u2019t make his initial tryout opportunity with the Globetrotters because it was scheduled at the same time as his finals at Pitt. Antigua was taking 18 credit hours to fulfill the promise he made his mother to graduate.<\/p>\n

Trailblazing Globetrotter<\/p>\n

The Globetrotters held a special tryout in Pittsburgh for him. A few days after graduating from Pitt, he debuted with the Globetrotters on Dec. 26, 1995.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-7 wing is fittingly nicknamed \u201cHurricane.\u201d He has definitely been a force of nature on and off the court. He visited 49 countries with the Globetrotters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat also birthed my understanding of the global span of basketball, my reach in terms of relationships around the world,\u201d he said of his time with the Globetrotters.<\/p>\n

The international relationships he built with the Globetrotters and as a member of the Dominican Republic\u2019s national men\u2019s basketball team have proved beneficial as a coach. Antigua began his coaching career as a volunteer at a Pittsburgh high school in 2002. A year later, he became Pitt\u2019s director of basketball operations.<\/p>\n

\"OrlandoGREENVILLE, SC \u2013 March 20, 2026 \u2013 Associate Head Coach Orlando Antigua during the Press Conference & Practice at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Photo By Ashley Ray\/Fighting Illini<\/p>\n

He spent five seasons at Pitt before Hall of Fame coach John Calipari hired him as an assistant at Memphis in 2008. He followed Calipari to Kentucky in 2009 and helped lead the Wildcats to the 2012 national title. That same year ESPN named him as the top assistant under 40 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Unbelievable communicator\u2019<\/p>\n

Antigua\u2019s ability to connect with people shone at Kentucky. He was credited with playing a major role helping Calipari land the top recruiting class in the country for five consecutive years. He also coached his native island\u2019s national team from 2013-2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Antigua was hired as the head coach at the University of South Florida in 2014. He led the Bulls for 2 \u00bd seasons before he was let go. He began his first stint as an assistant at Illinois for the 2017-2018 season. Antigua spent four seasons at Illinois before rejoining Calipari in Kentucky in 2021. <\/p>\n

Underwood lured him back to Illinois as associate head coach in 2024. Underwood appreciates how Antigua\u2019s sense of humor keeps him laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"OrlandoIllinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua, left, claps as head coach Brad Underwood celebrates after the Fighting Illini beat VCU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, in Greenville, SC, Saturday, March 21, 2026. Courtney Bay\/Illinois Athletics.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very good basketball coach, but he is an unbelievable communicator and connector of people,\u201d Underwood said of Antigua. \u201cAnd that\u2019s invaluable today. He walks in a room, he walks in a gym, he knows everybody and he can talk to everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see why he was the lead man for the Globetrotters for many, many years. He\u2019s just got a great demeanor and personality, and personally a great friend. But he\u2019s great for Brad Underwood, the basketball coach, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

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