Daniel Santiago
Encyclopedia
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.
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
. In October 2010 he signed with Spirou Charleroi
. In January 2011 he joined Capitanes de Arecibo.
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
.
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) is a American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, currently playing at the center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
position for the Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Santiago is the fourth player from Puerto Rico to play in a NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
game. He has played in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and overseas in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Santiago has also been a member of the Puerto Rican national team
Puerto Rico national basketball team
The Puerto Rico men's national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in international basketball competitions such as the Olympics, the World Championship, and the Americas Championship...
since 1998.
Biography
Santiago's paternal grandfather, Pedro Rodriguez, was a well known baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to play. Due to his small stature he was nicknamed "Jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
", 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
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
area of Lamesa
Lamesa, Texas
Lamesa is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,952 at the 2000 census. Located south of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado, Lamesa was founded in 1903. Most of the economy is based on cattle ranching and cotton farming. The Preston E...
on a cotton farm and later in Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
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
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
and played NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I basketball at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
. He finished up his collegiate career at the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
school of Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
, where he was named NAIA player of the year.
In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Santiago played professionally on the National Superior Basketball League with the Vaqueros. He started playing in Bayamón
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
in the mid-1990s, helping the team to various national championships and tournament finals. Between 1998 and 2000, he played for Varese Roosters
Pallacanestro Varese
-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
of the Italian league and, in 2000 and 2001, with the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
as a back-up center. He was released from the Suns after the 2001 campaign was over. In 2003, Santiago returned to the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, with the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, playing two consecutive seasons.
In 2002, Santiago represented Puerto Rican national team
Puerto Rico national basketball team
The Puerto Rico men's national basketball team represents Puerto Rico in international basketball competitions such as the Olympics, the World Championship, and the Americas Championship...
at the Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
, and also played in the 2004 Olympic team
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
that handed the United States
United States national basketball team
The United States men's national basketball team represents the United States of America in international men's basketball. The USA is the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in all sixteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, coming away with thirteen golds...
their first defeat in Olympic play since they began using professional players. Santiago again represented Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, 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
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
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
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. In October 2010 he signed with Spirou Charleroi
Spirou Charleroi
Spirou Charleroi, also known as Spirou Basket, is a Belgian professional basketball club that is located in Charleroi, Belgium. The club competes in the top Belgian League...
. In January 2011 he joined Capitanes de Arecibo.
Career stats
Santiago's NBANational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
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
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
percentage, with .685 from the line
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
.