Early Years
Melendez was born in the City of Ponce, but lived and was raised in the town of Juana Díaz, where he also received his primary and secondary education. When he was 14 years old, he would go home after school and with his basketball under his arm make take a 2-mile jog through the sugar cane fields every day to the nearest basketball court and practice the sport with the local kids. Running was in his blood since father used to run marathons, and his grandfather is a track and field expert.
He always grabbed a snack to eat during his trek and would drop crumbs along the way. As a result, whenever he arrived at the court he would be accompanied by an entourage of cats, thus his nickname "El Gato" (the cat). Melendez tried out for his Juana Díaz high school basketball team and was accepted. Through an exchange student program, he was able to play at McDowell High School in Marion, North Carolina, where he finished his senior year.
Read more about this topic: Orlando Melendez
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