Ruben Prey knew what was expected of him at the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament Patras. And the big man delivered as he guided U18 Joventut Badalona back to the ANGT Finals for the first time after a four-year absence.

Prey happy to help Joventut finally get back to ANGT Finals 

[Ruben Prey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/ruben-prey/010708/) knew what was expected of him at the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament Patras. And the big man delivered as he guided U18 Joventut Badalona back to the ANGT Finals for the first time after a four-year absence.

Prey dominated the qualifier in western Greece and took home the Most Valuable Player award after carrying the 2013 continental champion past U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 71-56 in the first-place game.

"I am really happy for what we accomplished. We worked every day for this and this is the result of some great work," said Prey, who collected 19 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks for an index rating of 31 in the victory.

Prey finished the Patras event averaging 14.0 points, a tournament-best 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 3.2 blocks for a PIR of 24. He ranked eighth in scoring and second in blocks as well as tied for second in index rating.

"Ruben is a special guy and he has a special demeanor on the court," said his Joventut coach David Jimeno. "He has really developed very well as a leader."

That leadership also comes from experience. The Portuguese big man was playing in his third qualifier. At the ANGT Valencia in 2020-21, he averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks. Prey took a major step up last season at the ANGT Varese, tallying 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

"The ANGT is a great opportunity for me to play at a very high level. And it’s just a great chance for me to express my work," Prey said. "I have to keep working but I am happy that I had a great result here."

And he’s also happy that Joventut will be back among the final eight teams in the competition at the ANGT Finals. This will be the first time the team from the Barcelona suburb will play in the Finals since 2017-18 when Joventut won the ANGT L’Hospitalet, the last time the club took first place in a qualifying tournament.

"This is the first time I have won this tournament so it’s amazing and we are looking forward to Kaunas. And we want to have a great tournament there too," said Prey, who plays for Joventut mainly in the fourth division EBA, but also occasionally in the third division.

Prey really enjoys playing for the club.

"The way that we work on our team chemistry is like no other team," said the center.

When asked about what he expects at the ANGT Finals in May, Prey said: "There will be difficult teams in Kaunas but I am sure we will have a great tournament there too."

That will be Prey’s first experience at the ANGT Finals, but he already has a lot of experience in the competition and is sure to know what is expected there as well.

The final of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is here. Follow U18 Joventut vs. U18 ASVEL here. 

ANGT LIVE Blog: U18 Joventut vs. U18 ASVEL

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ANGT Patras, Blog: Joventut beats ASVEL 71-56 to advance to Kaunas

U18 Joventut Badalona v U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2023-02-12T14:00:00.000Z)

Ruben Prey was named the Most Valuable Player of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras for leading U18 Joventut Badalona to first place and its first ticket to the ANGT Finals since the 2017-18 season. 

Prey named MVP after guiding Joventut to ANGT Patras title 

Ruben Prey was named the Most Valuable Player of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras for leading U18 Joventut Badalona to first place and its first ticket to the ANGT Finals since the 2017-18 season. Prey was dominant in Joventut’s 71-56 victory over U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne as the center collected 19 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks for an index rating of 31.

Prey finished the tournament averaging 14.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 3.2 blocks for a PIR of 24. The Portuguese center ranked eighth in scoring, first in rebounds, sixth in steals and second in blocks as well as tied for second in PIR.

He was joined on the All-Tournament team by Yohann Sissoko of ASVEL, Tidjane Salaun of debutant U18 Cholet Basket, Johann Gruenloh of fellow first-timer U18 RASTA Vechta and Ben Saraf of U18 Next Generation Team Patras.

Sissoko tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block for a PIR of 17 in the first-place game loss. For the tournament, he averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists for an index rating of 13.8. The guard was 11th in scoring, 13th in rebounds and tied for sixth in assists.

Playing with the debutants from France, Salaun collected 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 steals for a PIR of 24.0. He led the competition in scoring, was 11th in rebounds, tied for third in steals and tied for second in index rating.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 Starting Five from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdidasNGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdidasNGT</a> Patras tournament! <br><br>These U18 stars showed that the future of European ball is in good hands 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/HgOg0joGDM">pic.twitter.com/HgOg0joGDM</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1624817895745155077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gruenloh was outstanding for the other first-time team as the big man averaged 16.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 6.3 blocks for a PIR of 29.8. His 6.3 blocks set a new ANGT record, topping the previous mark of 6.0 by Victor Wembanyama. Gruenloh also ranked first in index rating, fifth in scoring and second in rebounds. 

Saraf tallied 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals for an index rating of 17.0. The Israeli ranked third in points, tied for ninth in assists, was first in steals and tied for seventh in PIR.

The final day of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is here. Follow U18 Cholet vs. U18 NGT Patras here. 

ANGT LIVE Blog: U18 Cholet vs. U18 NGT Patras

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ANGT Patras Blog: U18 Cholet 94-64 U18 NGT Patras

U18 Cholet Basket v U18 Next Generation Team Patras (2023-02-12T11:30:00.000Z)

The final day of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is here. Follow U18 Vechta vs. U18 Bassano next. 

ANGT LIVE Blog: U18 Vechta vs. U18 Bassano

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament concludes today Patras, Greece. Follow [U18 Vechta vs. U18 Bassano](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2022-23-patras/u18-rasta-vechta-u18-orange1-bassano/JTP22/14/) next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/jtp22-angt-patras-players-to-watch//) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Patras Blog: U18 Vechta 68-64 U18 Bassano

U18 Cholet Basket may be making its debut at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament, but Tidjane Salaun is just the next prospects in a long line of greats who have come out of the French club and done big things in Europe and beyond.

Salaun helped his team to two victories in the group stage of the ANGT Patras, averaging 17.0 points on 50.5% three-point shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals.

"It's great to accomplish this with my club. It’s a source of pride," said Salaun, who is playing in his first ANGT event after emerging on scouts’ radars last year.

Salaun was very excited when Cholet was awarded a spot at the ANGT for the first time: "I was super happy, like everyone else. People realize our value. This is my first ANGT, it is also a first for Cholet Basket. We are making history together," he said. "It is an honor to be part of the competition. It is a chance but also a reward for all the work done since the beginning."

Cholet has one French League championship (2010) and two French Cups (1998, 1999) in its trophy case. The club from western France has also been early stops for many top French stars, including Nando de Colo, Rudy Gobert, Rodrigue Beaubois and Killian Hayes, among others.

Salaun came up with Saint-Charles Charenton in the Paris region, a club that has developed many talents around the French capital. Salaun spent five seasons there, playing alongside the likes of Pacome Dadiet of ratiopharm Ulm and Mohamed Diawara from Paris Basketball.

All three went to the famed French academy INSEP/CFBB in 2020, but Salaun left after one season, saying he was dealing with injuries and didn’t have full trust in the coaches.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Impressive first day of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ANGT</a> action for French wing Tidjane Salaun 🇫🇷 (2005). He&#39;s really grown as a three-point shooter recently. Received an invitation to the Basketball Without Borders camp at All-Star weekend <a href="https://t.co/3u5Q0GKyv6">pic.twitter.com/3u5Q0GKyv6</a></p>&mdash; Wilko (@wilkomcv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wilkomcv/status/1624309434007834624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"I was not fulfilled and I was not playing my real game," said Salaun, who after one season moved to Cholet. "Cholet wanted to recruit me for a while, and after discussions with the coaches of Cholet, and also the feedback I was given about the club, in particular from \[current ANGT teammate\] Elidjah Lamart who was already in Cholet, I chose to join them.

"I knew the environment of the club, the level of training and all the great players who had passed through the club. All these elements made me decide to choose Cholet Basket, and I am proud of my choice."

Following his second season with Cholet, the summer of 2022 featured a high and a low for Salaun. In June, he participated at the Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Milan, Italy. There he received instruction from NBA players and NBA coaches. Salaun was a camper on the team of Italian star Danilo Gallinari and he used the opportunity to pick his brain.

"I spoke a lot with Danilo Gallinari in Milan. I learned from him and listened to his advice a lot," said Salaun.

The young talent then had hopes a month later of being selected for the France team for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022. But Salaun was one of the last cuts for the team.

When asked if he now uses that as extra motivation, Salaun said: "Yes of course... It was a shame, but it was not the end. I was able to work all summer to come back stronger the following season."

The following season has now seen him make history with a club who has already given so much to European basketball.

Salaun honored to be making history as Cholet's next big talent

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament continues from February 10 to 12, 2023 in Patras, Greece. Follow U18 ASVEL vs. U18 NGT Patras next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented players to watch from the eight clubs in the tournament.

 ANGT LIVE Blog: U18 Promitheas vs. U18 Olympiacos 

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament continues from February 10 to 12, 2023 in Patras, Greece. Follow [U18 Promitheas vs. U18 Olympiacos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2022-23-patras/u18-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-u18-next-generation-team-patras/JTP22/13/) next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/jtp22-angt-patras-players-to-watch//) from the eight clubs in the tournament.



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ANGT Patras Blog: U18 Promitheas 56-60 U18 Olympiacos

ANGT Live Blog: U18 ASVEL vs. U18 NGT Patras

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament continues from February 10 to 12, 2023 in Patras, Greece. Follow [U18 ASVEL vs. U18 NGT Patras](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2022-23-patras/u18-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-u18-next-generation-team-patras/JTP22/12/) next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/jtp22-angt-patras-players-to-watch//) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Patras Blog: U18 ASVEL 77-68 U18 NGT Patras

U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v U18 Next Generation Team Patras (2023-02-11T18:30:00.000Z)

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament continues from February 10 to 12, 2023 in Patras, Greece. Follow U18 Olympiacos vs. U18 Bassano next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented players to watch from the eight clubs in the tournament.

ANGT Live Blog: U18 Olympiacos vs. U18 Bassano

The EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament continues from February 10 to 12, 2023 in Patras, Greece. Follow [U18 Olympiacos vs. U18 Bassano](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2022-23-patras/u18-olympiacos-piraeus-u18-orange1-bassano/JTP22/11/) next. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/jtp22-angt-patras-players-to-watch//) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Patras Blog: U18 Olympiacos 73-76 U18 Bassano

U18 Olympiacos Piraeus v U18 Orange1 Bassano (2023-02-11T16:15:00.000Z)