Guard Manuel Puente delivered a standout 45-point performance for Club Independiente de Tandil, anchoring a career path built across various categories of national basketball, El Eco reported.
Early Years in Buenos Aires and the Move to Tandil
Born into a sports-oriented household where his father worked as a physical education teacher, basketball coach, and former player, Puente picked up the sport at age four. Aside from a two-year venture into football between ages 10 and 11, basketball remained his primary focus. He developed his early fundamentals at Estudiantil Porteño in the western part of Greater Buenos Aires before relocating with his family to Tandil at age 14.
Upon arriving in Tandil, Puente joined Club Independiente. At age 16, while still classified as a cadet, he earned a promotion to the senior squad, playing alongside club veterans Lobo, Orale, and Valerio. That transition into senior competition shifted his perspective from a hobbyist to a serious competitor intent on a professional career.
Climbing Argentina’s Developmental Leagues
At age 20, Puente left Tandil for his first professional stint outside the city, joining Urquiza de Santa Elena in the province of Entre Ríos. The move required adjusting to the physical demands and travel of provincial basketball far from his family. Over the following seasons, his career took him across several regions of Argentine basketball. He played a two-month stint in General Villegas, competed in Escobar in the northern Buenos Aires province, and later returned to Tandil to capture a provincial Prefederal tournament title and compete in the Liga Federal. His career path also included stops at Colón de Chivilcoy and Ansorena de Mendoza before his definitive return to Independiente.
Rather than accepting offers solely on economic terms, Puente evaluates potential contracts through an analytical lens. He reviews team rosters, working conditions, and discusses tactical roles directly with head coaches to ensure his skill set fits the collective project before committing to a club.
A 45-Point Outing and Analytical Self-Assessment
Puente’s scoring output reached a peak during a recent game where he recorded 45 points, a performance he described as a rhythm-driven night where scoring felt fluid. He credited the output to invisible morning training sessions alongside technical director Lobo and his teammates rather than sheer fortune.
Despite the high-scoring night, Puente offered a critical assessment of how the team finished the contest, noting to El Eco: “While it was a round meal, mostly for me and the guys, being more objective I wouldn’t have liked to close the game that way. We were winning by 25 points and then they came at us. I think those things need to be improved; against another rival or with another experience it can play against us and we can end up losing. You have to put the focus on the things that were done badly in order to improve them.”
Chasing Promotion with Independiente de Tandil
Puente balances personal developmental goals with Independiente’s collective ambitions in the Argentine regional circuit. The team’s immediate objective is to finish inside the top two spots of the regular-season standings to secure a qualification path for the Torneo Federal through the Final Four mini-tournament.
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