May 21, 2012
Xavi Rey, Gran Canaria 2014
Xavi Rey - Gran Canaria 2014 (Photo: acb.com)Strong, active and ready, Xavi Rey has become a pillar for Gran Canaria 2014 in its good run in the Eurocup so far. Rey is playing a key role as the team's sixth man off the bench, changing games with his post skills, defense and strong presence under the baskets. In other words, Rey has confirmed what he already had shown in youth levels - that he can compete well on the European stage. Despite played fewer than 22 minutes on average, Rey currently ransk fifth among all Eurocup players in two-point percentage (69.8%) and has lifted his free throw accuracy to 73.3%. He is Gran Canaria's second best-scorer (10.3 ppg.) and top shot blocker (0.9 bpg.), too. It has been a long, tough path for Rey to reach this status at age 23, but meeting head coach Pedro Martinez, first in Seville and now in Gran Canaria, changed his career for the better. Rey now has the chance to shine and is doing so in this first Eurocup season, trying to take Gran Canaria as deep as possible in the competition.

Born and raised in Barcelona, Rey joined Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona at a very early age. By 2002, Rey was already a member of the club's first cadet team and helped Catalonia to win the Spanish cadet championship, impressing everyone with his talent, speed and power. "As a club, we always control the talented and tall players at most schools in the city," says Joan Montes, the club's youth teams director back then. "Xavi was already very tall for his age and from that moment, we knew he could have a future in basketball - even to make it to our first team or at least become a Spanish League player." Slowly but steadily, Barcelona work hard with him and Rey quickly became a dominant player for his age. In early 2004, Rey played the Ciutat de l'Hospitalet Tournament as a first-year junior, averaging 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. He already had all the tools that had made him become a rock-solid player - size, timing, good rebounding and shot blocking skills. Also that year, Rey helped Spain to finish third at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, back then considered as the unofficial world under-18 championships. Rey had quickly become a top prospect.

Rey made his official Spanish national team debut at the European under-18 championships, by which time he had already played a full season with Barcelona's second squad in the Spanish fourth division (EBA). Despite stepping on court less than 23 minutes per game, Rey ranked third in rebounds (9.3 rpg.) and second in blocks (2.3 bpg.), helping Spain to make it to the semifinals along with Sergio Llull, Pau Ribas, Jose Angel Antelo and Victor Claver. A one-point loss against Turkey in the semifinals prevented Spain from fighting for the gold medal. Barcelona promoted Rey to WTC Cornella - its third-division team - before the start of the 2005-06 season. Rey did not disappoint, averaging 9.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks at age 18. Rey kept shining against players his age at the 2006 and 2007 European under-20 Championships. In 2007, Spain made it to the final and Rey was its best player with averages of 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Serbia, led by Milos Teodosic and Milenko Tepic, stood in its way to the gold medal with a 87-78 win. Rey was chosen to the All-Tournament team.

Once he fully completed his development in Barcelona's youth teams, Rey was sent on loan to Cantabria in the Spanish second division. He returned to Catalonia midway through the 2007-08 season to make his Spanish League debut with Manresa, playing 15 games with his new team. Rey finally became a full-time member of FC Barcelona in 2008-09, but with a frontline featuring Daniel Santiago, Ersan Ilyasova, David Andersen, Fran Vazquez and Jordi Trias, he didn't find much playing time. He briefly took part in two Euroleague games and scored his first points in Europe's signature club competition, but Barcelona sent him to Cajasol on loan in January 2009. Back then, Cajasol was last in the Spanish League with a 2-16 record. The club had hired coach Pedro Martinez and the additions of Rey, Nik Caner-Medley and especially Clay Tucker helped the team to avoid relegation against all odds.

Martinez has a reputation for developing young centers, as he did that in the past with Edu Hernandez-Sonseca and Fran Vazquez. He did the same with Rey, who soon became a fan favorite in Seville due to his strength, defense and hustle. "All I did was give him a lot of confidence," Martinez says. "I think he is a good player at this level, as he has shown in Seville and this season in Gran Canaria. He has the right skills and mentality to be an important player, so I have to believe in him and prove it by working hard with him on a daily basis. I am very confident that he can play at a very good level."

Xavi Rey - Gran Canaria 2014 (Photo: acb.com)His best game that season came against mighty Real Madrid, when he had 17 points and 9 fouls drawn in a double-overtime loss. Cajasol managed to keep Rey, still under contract with Barcelona, for another season but things did not go as planned. Rey was limited playing time and both parts agreed not to extend the deal. Rey decided to go back to basics and reunite with Coach Martinez at Gran Canaria this season. "It is a privilege for CB Gran Canaria to have a player like Xavi Rey," Martinez says. "First of all, most Spanish players don't want to play for us because it's too far away from their homes. Xavi is young and that is critical for us, because playing the Eurocup and the Spanish League is very demanding for us . We understood each other well and I saw him hungry to improve and willing to become an important player. The fact that we played the Eurocup was an extra motivation for us. Everything clicked for us to sign him and we are very happy about how he is developing. At the same time, the fact that he is playing well sometimes does not satisfy us. He has to work to be more steady and always play at a mid-to-high level in every game."

Confident and ready to play hard, Rey has fulfilled his potential in Gran Canaria, being a critical player around the basket. He has averaged 10.3 points on 69.8% shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in the Eurocup so far, playing a critical role off the bench. Just this week against Hemofarm, Rey had 16 points, helping Gran Canaria to get a double-digit lead early in the second half that proved to be decisive down the stretch. Those that took good care of him earlier in this career are happy to see him do so well, too.

"I am very happy for him," Montes says. "He is an extraordinary person and I had a lot of fun with him. We had a great atmosphere in the last two years that we worked together. He played really well and there was a time, when he was not promoted to the first team, that I was a bit worried about him not making it. This last step is very difficult for every player because of wrong choices and lack of motivation, but Xavi did it really, really well. Again, I am very happy to see him doing so well."

With his career on the rise after making the right steps in the right basketball environments, the next challenge for Rey is to see if he can help Gran Canaria win the 2010-11 Eurocup.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
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