Josh Asselin
Joshua Asselin | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 24, 1978 Caro, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 1997–2015 |
| Known for | Basketball career in Spain's Liga ACB, Michigan Wolverines men's basketball |
Joshua Joseph Asselin (born December 24, 1978) is a retired American-Dominican professional basketball athlete who mainly competed in Spain throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He was a member of the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball squad from 1997 until 2001, accumulating 879 points over his collegiate tenure and maintaining a top-ten position in Michigan’s all-time career blocks with 136 for nearly twenty years.
During his time in Spain's Liga Española de Baloncesto, Asselin contributed to Bàsquet Manresa securing victory in the 2006–07 LEB season playoffs. Between 2007 and 2015, while playing in the Liga ACB, he set the season record for blocks in 2007-2008 and advanced to the Eurocup Basketball 2010–11 Quarterfinals with Asefa Estudiantes.
Beyond Spain, Asselin competed with the Roanoke Dazzle in the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) during the 2003–04 campaign, where he led the league in free throws made and was named to the All-NBDL First Team. On the international stage, he represented the Dominican Republic, helping the team reach the quarterfinals of the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship. He also took part in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men, although the team did not secure a berth at the 2012 Summer Olympics. His professional journey also included playing periods in France, Iran, and Uruguay.
Early life and education
Born on December 24, 1978, in Caro, Michigan, Asselin devoted his youth to basketball. He was raised by his parents until his mother’s passing on his eighteenth birthday. Among several institutions recruiting him were the University of Notre Dame and University of California, Los Angeles, but he ultimately chose to join the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball roster in 1997.
Despite suffering a thumb injury in 1998, Asselin continued to play and was considered for inclusion on the United States squad for the 1999 World University Games, though he did not make the final selection. He participated in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, where Michigan was defeated by UCLA in the second round, and also competed in the 2000 National Invitation Tournament. He attended on a scholarship while pursuing studies in telecommunications engineering.
From 1999 to 2001, Asselin served as co-captain of Michigan’s basketball team. By the conclusion of his college career, he had amassed 136 blocks across 121 games, ranking among Michigan’s top ten all-time career blockers for nearly two decades. He held single-season block records from 1999 through 2001 and led Michigan in field goal percentage during both 1999 and 2000 seasons. Additionally, he gathered a total of 592 rebounds alongside his career scoring of 879 points.
2001 to 2004
Asselin played with Spain’s CI Rosalía de Castro during the 2001-2002 season, tallying 143 points over a combination of 15 regular season and three playoff contests within the Liga Española de Baloncesto. The following year, he joined Stade Clermontois competing in France’s LNB Pro B, where he recorded totals of 343 points, 152 rebounds, and converted 243 field goals across 29 appearances.
As an unrestricted free agent, Asselin trained with the Golden State Warriors in 2003 but did not make their final roster. In that same year’s National Basketball Development League draft, he was selected in the first round by the Roanoke Dazzle. Throughout the 2003–2004 season with Roanoke, Asselin appeared in 46 games and scored a total of 664 points, including leading the league with 242 free throws made. His outstanding performance earned him recognition on the All-NBDL First Team.
2004 to 2007
Beginning in 2004, Asselin spent one season each competing in the LEB league with Caceres Club Baloncesto, Cantabria Baloncesto, and Bàsquet Manresa. While with Cantabria during the 2004–05 LEB season, he advanced to the quarterfinal stage and earned the Most Valuable Player honor as Manresa secured the playoff championship in the 2006–07 LEB season. By the conclusion of 2007, his LEB career totals included 1,791 points, 894 rebounds, and 684 field goals over 128 games.
In parallel to his LEB engagements, Asselin also participated internationally. In 2004, he played for Venezuela’s Trotamundos de Carabobo in the Liga Profesional de Baloncesto and for Puerto Rico’s Gallitos de Isabela in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, where he scored a total of 114 points. The following year, he joined France's Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez of the LNB Pro A and was instrumental in their advance to the semifinals. In 2006, Asselin took to the court for Naco in the Dominican Republic.
2007 to 2015
From 2007 through 2014, Asselin competed in Spain’s premier basketball competition, the Liga ACB. His tenure included two seasons each with Ricoh Manresa and La Bruixa d'Or, alongside single-season stints at CB Murcia, Asefa Estudiantes, Assignia Manresa, and a short period with Cajasol. While representing Asefa Estudiantes, he contributed to reaching the quarterfinals of the Eurocup Basketball 2010–11. Over a total of 216 games in the ACB, Asselin accumulated 2,279 points and 900 rebounds. Notably, he set the league record for blocks during the 2007–08 season with a total of 69.
In 2009, Asselin briefly signed with Ukraine’s BC Donetsk competing in the VTB United League, scoring five points in his only appearance. He returned to Puerto Rico in 2013 to play for the Brujos de Guayama, achieving 47 points across 21 games and helping his team reach the semifinals. That same year included a temporary contract with Iran’s Foolad Mahan Isfahan BC. During the 2014-15 Greek Basket League season, Asselin appeared in four matches for Panionios B.C..
FIBA events
Asselin represented the Dominican Republic national team at the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship, where they advanced to the quarterfinals and he ranked fifth overall in block percentage at 1.4. While with Donetsk, he took part in the regular season of the 2009–10 FIBA EuroChallenge. In 2012, Asselin was selected for the Dominican Republic squad preparing for the men's basketball qualifiers for the 2012 Summer Olympics, although the team ultimately did not qualify after competing in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men.
He played a key role in securing victory for the Dominican Republic at the 2012 Centrobasket championship. During the 2013 FIBA Asia Champions Cup, despite suffering a dislocated shoulder during the quarterfinals, Asselin contributed to Foolad Mahan Isfahan’s triumph in winning the Asian Cup final that year. At the 2015 FIBA Americas League, Asselin participated with Uruguayan club Malvin during the preliminary phase.
Honors and personal life
While attending Michigan, Asselin received multiple basketball awards such as the Rudy Tomjanovich Most Improved Player accolade in 1999 and was honored with the Loy Vaught Rebounding Award in 2001. In 2018, MLive recognized him among Michigan high school basketball’s top 25 centers spanning from 1993 through 2018. Additionally, Asselin pursued studies in Spanish during his university education and learned French throughout his marriage.