Daniel Fotu
July 23, 2020
Isaac Fotu
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 18/12/93
- Place of Birth: York, (England)
- Position: PF
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 112
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Hawaii (2012–2014)
- NBL DEBUT: 11/11/11
- AGE AT DEBUT: 17
- LAST NBL GAME: 9/02/20
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2012
- Championships: 1
- New Zealand (2012)
BIO: Born in York, England to a Tongan father and a English mother, Fotu and his family moved to New Zealand when he was seven and settled down in Auckland.
As a teenager, Fotu attended Rangitoto College and played club basketball for the North Harbour Basketball Association, representing the club at U17, U19 and U21 levels.
In June 2011, he was named to the all-star five of the Nike All-Asia Camp in China, a invitation-only tournament for some of the best young high school players throughout Asia and Oceania.
FAMILY: Isaac’s brother, Daniel Fotu also played 22 games in the NBL.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Isaac Fotu made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After winning their first NBL championship, the Breakers suffered two major losses, the first being leading scorer Kirk Penney’s decision to play in Europe and a off-seasonAchilles injury to Kevin Braswell that saw him still unable to play at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. Coach Andrej Lemanis would replace him with Cedric Jackson and then finalised their roster by adding Daryl Corletto, who the Melbourne Tigers had just released to make room for NBA star Patty Mills.
Jackson (12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.2 steals) would lead the league in both assists and steals and ensure the Breakers didn’t skip a beat as the defending champs. Gary Wilkinson (16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Thomas Abercrombie (15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) both boosting their offensive output in the absence of Penney, propelling New Zealand to a first-place finish (21-7) for the second consecutive season.
New Zealand would go on to defeat the Perth Wildcats in the Grand Final (2–1) becoming the first side to win consecutive titles since Sydney in 2002-2005. As a development player Fotu appeared in one game, failing to score.
Isaac Fotu played in one NBL game during the 2011-12 season, scoring 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 18 | New Zealand | 21-7 (1) | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 18 | New Zealand | 21-7 (1) | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Total | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Fotu was selected to play for the Tall Blacks at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. There, New Zealand (3-2) advanced to the second round of the tournament where they were eliminated by Lithuania (71-76). Corey Webster (13.7 ppg) and Kirk Penney (10.8 ppg) would lead the team in scoring as New Zealand finished 15th overall.
Fotu continued to be a part of the New Zealand national team, competing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. New Zealand entered the tournament in a rebuilding phase with legends Kirk Penney, Mika Vukona, Phil Jones and Pero Cameron all having retired since the teams previous World Cup campaign. New Zealand opened their campaign with a loss to Brazil (94–102), a win over Montenegro (83–93) and a second loss to Greece (97–103) which then eliminated them from medal contention. The Tall Blacks, led by Corey Webster (22.8 ppg and 5.6 apg), would beat Japan (111–81) and Turkey (102–101) in the classification games to finish in nineteenth place.
Fotu was also a part of the team for New Zealands Q6 World Qualifiers in February 2023. Fotu later earned selection to the New Zealand national team that participated at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and finished in 22nd place.
FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 30 | 5 | 76 | 42 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 32 | 50.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 15 | 66.7% |
| 2019 | 26 | 5 | 123 | 92 | 30 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 51 | 66.7% | 2 | 8 | 25.0% | 22 | 30 | 73.3% |
| 2014 | 21 | 6 | 119 | 57 | 27 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 38 | 60.5% | 5 | 12 | 41.7% | 6 | 12 | 50.0% | Total | 16 | 318 | 191 | 75 | 12 | 28 | 47 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 73 | 121 | 60% | 7 | 20 | 35% | 38 | 57 | 67% |
FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 30 | 5 | 15.2 | 8.4 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 6.4 | 50.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 2.0 | 3.0 | 66.7% |
| 2019 | 26 | 5 | 24.6 | 18.4 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 6.8 | 10.2 | 66.7% | 0.4 | 1.6 | 25.0% | 4.4 | 6.0 | 73.3% |
| 2014 | 21 | 6 | 19.8 | 9.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 60.5% | 0.8 | 2.0 | 41.7% | 1.0 | 2.0 | 50.0% | Total | 16 | 19.9 | 11.9 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 4.6 | 7.6 | 60% | 0.4 | 1.3 | 35% | 2.4 | 3.6 | 67% |
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Spain - Zaragoza (2014–2017), Manresa (2014–2015) | Germany - ratiopharm Ulm (2017–2019) | Italy - Treviso (2019–2020), Reyer Venezia (2020–2021) | Japan - Utsunomiya Brex (2021–2026)
Fotu joined Zaragoza for the 2014 Liga ACB season, playing his first season in Spain after signing a three-year deal on November 12, 2014.
Later in November 2014, Zaragoza loaned Fotu to Manresa for the remainder of the 2014–2015 Liga ACB season, where he played 26 games and averaged 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while sharing the roster with players including Marius Grigonis and Andrew Ogilvy, and he finished the campaign with a 17-point performance in a season-ending upset of Real Madrid as Manresa avoided relegation.
Fotu returned to Zaragoza for the 2015–2016 Liga ACB season and remained with the Spanish club through 2016–2017, with game logs from that period noting scoring bests that included 16 points against Estudiantes on April 3, 2016 and 18 points against Valencia on May 11, 2016.
Fotu joined ratiopharm Ulm for the 2017–2018 German Bundesliga season and stayed through 2018–2019, playing alongside teammates such as Luke Harangody and Jerrelle Benimon, and his 2017–2018 EuroCup season included 10 games in which he totaled 93 points and 35 rebounds.
Fotu moved to Italy in July 2019 with Treviso for the 2019–2020 Lega Basket Serie A season, appearing in 20 games and averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while sharing the team with Jordan Parks and David Logan, before signing with Reyer Venezia in July 2020 and averaging 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds across 25 games in the 2020–2021 Serie A season alongside players including Austin Daye and Andrea De Nicolao.
Fotu joined Utsunomiya Brex for the 2021–2022 B.League season, with the club coming off a 49–11 regular season in 2020–2021, and his time in Japan has included B.League championships in 2022 and 2025.
COLLEGE
Fotu played college basketball at Hawai‘i during the 2012–13 season before returning for his sophomore year in 2013–14, where he competed from 2012 to 2014.
Fotu joined a Hawai‘i program coached by Gib Arnold and was part of teams that finished 17–15 (10–8 Big West) in 2012–13 and 20–11 (9–7 Big West) in 2013–14, with later NCAA action resulting in those seasons’ wins being vacated and the official records adjusted accordingly.
As a freshman in 2012–13, Fotu appeared in all 32 games and made 18 starts, averaging 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 25.1 minutes per game while shooting 127-for-204 from the field (62.3%) and 69-for-104 at the free-throw line (66.3%), with 199 total rebounds (80 offensive, 119 defensive), 32 assists, 24 blocks, and 6 steals across the season.
In Big West play as a freshman, he shot a league-best 63.5% from the field (73-for-115), finished second on the team in blocks (24), and ranked third on the team in rebounding (6.2 per game).
His 2012–13 honors included Big West Co-Freshman of the Year, and he was also named a Freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com (Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team).
Fotu’s 2012–13 Hawai‘i roster included teammates such as Vander Joaquim, Christian Standhardinger, Brandon Spearman, Keith Shamburger, Davis Rozitis, and others during a season in which Hawai‘i won the Rainbow Classic and reached the Big West tournament quarterfinals before playing in the CIT (losing in the first round to Air Force).
As a sophomore in 2013–14, Fotu started all 31 games and increased his production to 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in 30.8 minutes, shooting 181-for-310 from the field (58.4%), 99-for-135 at the line (73.3%), and totaling 462 points, 190 rebounds, 21 assists, 24 blocks, and 13 steals for the season.
He led Hawai‘i in field-goal percentage (.584) in 2013–14, co-led the team in blocks (24), ranked second in the Big West in field-goal percentage, and was listed 17th nationally in field-goal percentage that season.
Fotu earned first-team All-Big West and NABC All-District 9 second-team recognition as a sophomore, and he also received Academic All-Big West honors.
One of Fotu’s most notable sophomore performances came on January 25, 2014, when he scored a career-high 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting in an overtime road win over UC Irvine (90–86 OT), in a game where Hawai‘i also received 19 points from Garrett Nevels and 17 from Keith Shamburger, while UC Irvine had double-figure scorers including Mamadou Ndiaye, Mike Young, and Luke Nelson.
Across his two Hawai‘i seasons combined (63 games, 49 starts), Fotu posted career college averages of 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 308-for-514 from the field (59.9%) and 168-for-239 at the free-throw line (70.3%), with 785 total points, 389 total rebounds, 53 assists, 48 blocks, and 19 steals.
In Hawai‘i’s record book, Fotu is listed with a career field-goal percentage of .599 (minimum two years and 2.5 field goals made per game), reflecting his efficiency across the two seasons in Honolulu.
During the 2013–14 season, Fotu played alongside key rotation teammates including Christian Standhardinger, Keith Shamburger, Garrett Nevels, Brandon Spearman, and Brandon Jawato, as Hawai‘i finished fourth in the Big West and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals (loss to Cal State Northridge).
In October 2014, Fotu was ruled ineligible to play the 2014–15 season amid an NCAA investigation into improper benefits, with reporting at the time stating he could continue practicing but could not compete in games, and he soon after left the program to pursue a professional contract overseas.
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