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Xavier Musketeers great Romain Sato to be inducted into FIBA Hall of Fame

shelby dermer, cincinnati enquirer
·2 min read
Xavier Hall-of-Famer Romain Sato (10) will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame later this year.
Xavier Hall-of-Famer Romain Sato (10) will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame later this year.

Romain Sato, one of the most successful players in Xavier history, has been selected to Federal International Basketball Association's (FIBA) 2024 Hall of Fame class.

Sato, a Dayton Christian High School product, enjoyed a stellar four-year collegiate career at Xavier, helping lead the Musketeers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. Sato was a four-year starter under Skip Prosser and Thad Matta, and was a double-digit scorer in each season at Xavier.

Sato averaged 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds for his career at Xavier. The Musketeers won a pair of Atlantic-10 regular-season and conference tournament titles during Sato's time. Sato, a three-time A-10 all-conference and all-defense selection, averaged a career-high 18.1 points per game as a junior in 2003. One season later, Sato was the leading rebounder while putting up 16.3 points a night to help lead the program to its first-ever trip to the Elite Eight.

Sato was a second-round pick of the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. He was inducted into the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

I know God had my plan. Everything worked out for me. I know he took control of my life and he put me in a situation, and I can't ask for anything else better than being a part of Xavier," Sato told The Enquirer in 2018. "My life changed a lot. Being there not only in basketball program but being able to get education and meet people and learn to just be a man. Basketball always comes after. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

Sato heads to the FIBA Hall of Fame following a successful career overseas. The Central African Republic native was a four-time champion in the Lega Basketball Series A (LBA) in Italy, where he won a pair of Italian Cups and three Italian Supercups. Sato was the Italian League MVP.

Romain Sato (10) was a three-time all-conference selection at Xavier and helped lead the Musketeers to the Elite Eight in 2004.
Romain Sato (10) was a three-time all-conference selection at Xavier and helped lead the Musketeers to the Elite Eight in 2004.

Sato also won titles in the EuroLeague (Panathinaikos Athens) and EuroCup (Valencia BC). Sato averaged 21.6 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Central African Republic in the 2009 FIBA African Championship and was a first-team all-tournament selection.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Xavier great Romain Sato picked to FIBA Hall of Fame 2024 class