| Daniel Santiago (born June 24, 1976) is a Puerto Rican Basketball player. Santiago was born in New Mexico, where he attended New Mexico State college and played NCAA division 1 basketball there. However, his parents are from Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, Santiago plays professionally on the BSN with the Vaqueros. He has played in Bayamon since the middle 1990s, helping the team to various national championships and tournament finals. In between 1998 and 1999, he played for the Varese Roosters of the Italian league, and between 2000 and 2001, Santiago played for the NBA's Phoenix Suns in the position of back-up center, becoming the fourth Puerto Rican, after Butch Lee, Piculin Ortiz and Ramon Rivas to make it to the NBA. He was released from the Suns after the 2001 campaign was over. In 2003, he returned to the NBA, with the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2002, Santiago represented Puerto Rico as a member of that country's national basketball team at the Indianapolis World basketball championships.
Career Highlights
Scored 15 points in 16 minutes for Suns against Nets on 11/22/00
Won the A-1 Italian League Championship in 1999 while with Varese Roosters
2000-01:
Appeared in 54 games for the Suns in his rookie season ... Shot a respectable .478 for the season ... Played in 1 playoff game against the Kings ... Scored in double-figures during regular season twice.
1999-2000:
Averaged 13.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg and shot .569 from the field for the Varese Roosters of the Italian League ... Averaged 14.8 ppg and 8.2 rpg during the 2000 EuroLeague Cup.
1998-99:
Averaged 7.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg and shot .602 from the field for the Varese Roosters of the Italian League. Won the A-1 Italian League Championship in 1999 while with Varese.
COLLEGE:
Named NAIA National Player of the Year in 1997-98 while with St. Vincent College of Latrobe, PA. Averaged 18.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg and shot .673 from the field that season. Played at New Mexico and New Mexico Military Institute before transferringt to St. Vincent.
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