 Sato, in 2013. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1981 Bimbo, Central African Republic |
| Nationality | Central African |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dayton Christian (Dayton, Ohio) |
| College | Xavier (2000–2004) |
| NBA draft | 2004: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick |
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | |
| Playing career | 2004–2017 |
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2006 | Aurora Jesi |
| 2006 | Barcelona |
| 2006–2010 | Mens Sana Siena |
| 2010–2012 | Panathinaikos |
| 2012–2013 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2013–2017 | Valencia |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Romain Guessagba-Sato-Lebel (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɛ̃ ɡesaɡba sato ləbɛl]; born March 2, 1981), generally known as Romain Sato, is a former Central African professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 1.96 m (6' 5"), he played as a swingman.
High school[edit]
Sato attended Dayton Christian High School, while living in Moraine, Ohio, in the United States. While there, he played basketball, and in 2000 Sato was selected as Mr. Basketball for the state of Ohio. In 2019 he was elected to the Dayton Christian High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2021 the school retired his #23 jersey.
College career[edit]
Sato graduated from Xavier University in 2004, having majored in French, after playing college basketball with the Xavier Musketeers.
Professional career[edit]
Sato was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 NBA draft, and was subsequently waived on February 24, 2005. After being drafted by the Spurs, Sato played in the Italian Second Division[1] with Sicc Cucine Jesi. He was the league's second-leading scorer in the 2005–06 season, averaging 25.5 points per game, and also adding 7.5 rebounds per game.
In Romain's three playoff games that season, he averaged 35 points and 14.6 rebounds. From there, he went to FC Barcelona to play in the 2006 Spanish ACB League playoffs.[2] Sato then returned to Italy to play in the top Italian League with Montepaschi Siena for the 2006–07 season. In his first season with Siena, he helped Montepaschi to win the Scudetto (Italian Championship),[3] and he then went on to win three more Scudetti with Siena. He was named the Italian League MVP in 2010.[4]
In July 2010, he signed a three-year contract with Panathinaikos. In the summer of 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahçe Ülker.[5] He left them after one season. In August 2012, he signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team Valencia Basket.[6] On July 1, 2014, he re-signed with Valencia Basket for two more years.[7]
National team career[edit]
Sato played with the senior men's Central African Republic national basketball team at the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship. He averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game at the tournament, and was named to the All-Tournament First Team.
Career statistics[edit]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Sato won the EuroLeague |
EuroLeague[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Montepaschi Siena | 23 | 22 | 28.0 | .442 | .347 | .731 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 1.8 | .1 | 11.6 | 12.7 |
| 2008–09 | Montepaschi Siena | 20 | 19 | 25.8 | .462 | .400 | .814 | 3.9 | .7 | 1.8 | .1 | 10.1 | 10.8 |
| 2009–10 | Montepaschi Siena | 16 | 16 | 28.0 | .490 | .396 | .855 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .0 | 13.6 | 16.3 |
| 2010–11† | Panathinaikos | 21 | 16 | 26.2 | .413 | .388 | .813 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .7 | .1 | 9.0 | 10.1 |
| 2011–12 | Panathinaikos | 23 | 20 | 26.0 | .410 | .347 | .712 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .7 | .4 | 7.1 | 8.6 |
| 2012–13 | Fenerbahçe Ülker | 23 | 23 | 27.0 | .408 | .341 | .810 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .7 | .1 | 7.3 | 8.2 |
| 2014–15 | Valencia Basket | 9 | 6 | 27.3 | .362 | .292 | .800 | 4.8 | 1.1 | .9 | .6 | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| Career | 126 | 122 | 26.8 | .433 | .364 | .789 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 9.4 | 10.6 |
Gallery[edit]
-
Romain Sato's words in his presentation as a Valencia Basket player, in 2013.
-
Sato answers the questions of the Press in the very same act.
-
Hommage in Valencia's court after his first season in the club, when he was chosen as best SF in the league, and awarded by local fans as the team's player who showed more effort.
References[edit]
- ^ Coro, Paul (July 5, 2006). "Sato may fill Suns' need". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ "First Team Roster: Romain Sato". Mens Sana Basket. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ "Xavier University Graduate Romain Sato Wins Italian Title". CSTV. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ Legabasket.it – Gli MVP di Lega: Romain Sato è il miglior giocatore della stagione regolare (in Italian).
- ^ "Fenerbahce signs Romain Sato". Sportando.net. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "VALENCIA BASKET announces power Romain Sato". Eurocupbasketball.com. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Romain Sato will stay in Valencia two more years". Euroleague.net. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
External links[edit]
- Romain Sato at acb.com (in Spanish)
- Romain Sato at draftexpress.com
- Romain Sato at esake.gr (in Greek)
- Romain Sato at espn.com
- Romain Sato at euroleague.net
- Romain Sato at fiba.com
- Romain Sato at legabasket.it (in Italian)
- Romain Sato at mistilynn.com
- Romain Sato at tblstat.net