Daniel Santiago

Daniel Santiago

Position	Center
Height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Weight	260 lb (120 kg)
League	BSN
Team	Capitanes de Arecibo
Number	25
Born	June 24, 1976 (1976-06-24) (age 35) Lubbock, Texas, United States
Nationality	American-Puerto Rican
College	University of New Mexico Saint Vincent College
Draft	Undrafted
Pro career	1996–present
Career history	Bayamón Cowboys Pallacanestro Varese (1998-2000) Phoenix Suns (2000-2002) Lottomatica Roma (2002-2003) Milwaukee Bucks (2003-2005) Unicaja Málaga (2005-08) FC Barcelona (2008-09) Efes Pilsen (2009-10) Spirou Charleroi (2010) Capitanes de Arecibo (2010-present)
Awards	1996 BSN1998champion NAIA 1999 Serie A champion 2006 ACB champion

Medal record
Competitor for  Puerto Rico
Men’s Basketball
FIBA Americas Championship
Silver	2009 San Juan	Team
Pan American Games
Bronze	1999 Winnipeg	Team
Bronze	2003 Santo Domingo	Team
Gold	2011 Guadalajara	Team
Centrobasket
Gold	2001 Toluca	Team
Gold	2003 Culiacán	Team
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold	2010 Mayagüez	Team

Daniel Gregg Santiago (born June 24, 1976 in Lubbock, Texas, United States) is a American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player, currently playing at the center position for the Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. Santiago is the fourth player from Puerto Rico to play in a NBA game. He has played in the NBA, NCAA, NAIA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico, and overseas in Italy and Spain. Santiago has also been a member of the Puerto Rican national team since 1998.

Biography

Santiago's paternal grandfather, Pedro Rodriguez, was a well known baseball player in Puerto Rico and emigrated to the United States to play. Due to his small stature he was nicknamed "Jockey", while grandson Daniel received the "El Gigante" (the giant) moniker. Puerto Rico's Jockey Rodriguez retired from baseball with the Albuquerque Dukes team under the name Pedro Santiago.

Santiago was raised in the West Texas area of Lamesa on a cotton farm and later in Albuquerque, New Mexico where his parents, Stan and Diana Santiago, originated. He has two younger brothers, Matthew and Jarrett Santiago. Santiago attended and played Junior College basketball at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico and played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of New Mexico. He finished up his collegiate career at the NAIA school of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he was named NAIA player of the year.

In Puerto Rico, Santiago played professionally on the National Superior Basketball League with the Vaqueros. He started playing in Bayamón in the mid-1990s, helping the team to various national championships and tournament finals. Between 1998 and 2000, he played for Varese Roosters of the Italian league and, in 2000 and 2001, with the NBA's Phoenix Suns as a back-up center. He was released from the Suns after the 2001 campaign was over. In 2003, Santiago returned to the NBA, with the Milwaukee Bucks, playing two consecutive seasons.

In 2002, Santiago represented Puerto Rican national team at the Indianapolis 2002 FIBA World Championship, and also played in the 2004 Olympic team that handed the United States their first defeat in Olympic play since they began using professional players. Santiago again represented Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Championship, retiring from the national side in 2007, only to return the following year.

In 2005, Santiago signed for a season with Spanish ACB League's Unicaja Málaga. After winning the 2006 league, he signed a further two-year deal with the Andalusia outfit. In 2008, Santiago signed with Regal FC Barcelona and the team took third place in 2009 Euroloeague.

In July 2009,Santiago came back from a 7-year absence to the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico to play for the Bayamón Cowboys. In September 2009 he signed with Efes Pilsen S.K. of Turkey.^[1] In October 2010 he signed with Spirou Charleroi.^[2] In January 2011 he joined Capitanes de Arecibo.^[3]

Career stats

Santiago's NBA stats in 122 games were: 417 points (3.4 PPG), 260 rebounds (2.1 RPG), 38 assists (0.3 APG), 39 steals (0.3 SPG) and 47 blocks (0.4 BPG). He shot a .469 field goal percentage, with .685 from the line.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

1. ^ Santiago's latest transfer news
2. ^ SPIROU gets bigger with Santiago
3. ^ Daniel Santiago reports to the practices of the Arecibo Captains for the League of the Americas.

External links

• Video Interview @ FIBA.com
• NBA.com Profile
• NBA Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
• ACB.com profile
• Euroleague Profile

Persondata
Name	Santiago, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description	A American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player
Date of birth	June 24, 1976
Place of birth	Lubbock, Texas, United States
Date of death
Place of death