Romain Sato

Romain Sato
Sato, in 2013.
Personal information
Born (1981-03-02) March 2, 1981 (age 43)
Bimbo, Central African Republic
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolDayton Christian (Dayton, Ohio)
CollegeXavier (2000–2004)
NBA draft2004: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2004–2021
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Career history
2004–2006Aurora Jesi
2006Barcelona
2006–2010Mens Sana Siena
2010–2012Panathinaikos
2012–2013Fenerbahçe
2013–2017Valencia
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

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 ft 5 in), he played as a swingman.

Sato won four LBA championships with Mens Sana Siena in Italy, and was named the league's MVP in 2010. Sato won the EuroLeague title with Panathinaikos in 2011. In his four years with Valencia of the Liga ACB, he was named to the All-ACB First Team in 2014. Sato was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2024.[1]

He represented the Central African Republic national team in international play, leading them at AfroBasket 2009.

High school

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

Sato graduated from Xavier University in 2004, having majored in French, after playing college basketball with the Xavier Musketeers. During his time at Xavier, he helped lead the Musketeers to 4 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2000 to 2004, including Xavier's first Elite Eight appearance in March 2004 (where they lost to Duke), and two Round of 32 appearances.

Professional career

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[2] 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.[3] 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),[4] and he then went on to win three more Scudetti with Siena. He was named the Italian League MVP in 2010.[5]

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.[6] He left them after one season. In August 2012, he signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team Valencia Basket.[7] On July 1, 2014, he re-signed with Valencia Basket for two more years.[8]

National team career

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

Legend
  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

EuroLeague

† Denotes season in which Sato won the EuroLeague
* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2007–08 Mens Sana 23 22 28.0 .442 .347 .731 4.9 1.0 1.8 .1 11.6 12.7
2008–09 20 19 25.8 .462 .400 .814 3.9 .7 1.8 .1 10.1 10.8
2009–10 16 16 28.0 .490 .396 .855 5.3 1.3 1.5 — 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 23* 20 26.0 .410 .347 .712 4.7 1.0 .7 .4 7.1 8.6
2012–13 Fenerbahçe 23 23 27.0 .408 .341 .810 4.2 1.3 .7 .1 7.3 8.2
2014–15 Valencia 9 6 27.2 .362 .292 .800 4.8 1.1 .9 .6 6.3 6.7
Career 135 122 26.8 .433 .363 .789 4.5 1.1 1.1 .2 9.4 10.6
  • 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

  1. ^ "2024 Hall of Fame Class: Romain Sato". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  2. ^ Coro, Paul (July 5, 2006). "Sato may fill Suns' need". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  3. ^ "First Team Roster: Romain Sato". Mens Sana Basket. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  4. ^ "Xavier University Graduate Romain Sato Wins Italian Title". CSTV. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  5. ^ Legabasket.it – Gli MVP di Lega: Romain Sato è il miglior giocatore della stagione regolare (in Italian).
  6. ^ "Fenerbahce signs Romain Sato". Sportando.net. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  7. ^ "VALENCIA BASKET announces power Romain Sato". Eurocupbasketball.com. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Romain Sato will stay in Valencia two more years". Euroleague.net. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
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