Spanish point guard Mario Saint-Supéry is preparing for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers and a new season with Valencia Basket after a year playing in the United States.
The 20-year-old will face Portugal with the Spanish national team today at the Príncipe Felipe arena in Zaragoza, marking the start of the second qualification phase for the tournament. The game will be broadcast at 21:00 on Movistar+.
Saint-Supéry spent last season with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the US college system, an experience he described as a year of learning despite being clouded by his individual statistics and the team's results. The Malaga-born player, who was born on April 14, 2006, said he adapted to different coaches and a new role as an organising point guard.
Saint-Supéry said he now has much more awareness of the game in general, adding that he understands it better, is much calmer, and knows how to adapt to the demands of his coach.
The point guard said he improved his shooting by taking advantage of 24-hour access to the university's training facilities. He said he prefers to do individual training before and after each regular session.
He called the access a luxury and one of the best things to take advantage of in the US system, noting that players have courts available all day and staff ready to help at any time. Saint-Supéry said he was used to doing two or three daily sessions, including weights at eight in the morning and training at half past six or seven, and that he would sometimes go to train at ten or half past ten at night if he was bored.
Gonzaga experience
Saint-Supéry said his background playing professional basketball in Europe helped him earn his place at Gonzaga more quickly, as the coaching staff knew he was not a standard rookie arriving from a high school in North Dakota. He added that this experience helped him gain his teammates' trust early on.
However, he noted a cultural difference in the style of play, describing US basketball as more individualistic than the collective vision in Europe.
He said American players are not selfish, but that they have grown up with that style and find the collective aspect of the sport more difficult.
Asked about his Spanish compatriot Aday Mara winning the NCAA title, Saint-Supéry said he did not want to know much about the victory. He admitted that he stopped following Mara and his team after Gonzaga took a heavy 101 to 61 defeat against Michigan in November, adding that he did not want Mara to tell him about his good experiences.
Valencia return
Saint-Supéry decided to return to Spain after a single season in the NCAA, joining Valencia Basket for their upcoming campaigns in the domestic Liga ACB and the Euroleague.
He said that the ACB, the Euroleague and Valencia offer better and more competitive sporting scenarios for his growth than the NCAA, adding that he needs to keep growing as a player and as a person.
He said the move happened spontaneously and quickly, offering good conditions. He missed the Malaga fair to look for a house in Valencia, finding a property near the Roig Arena.
His new teammates De Larrea, Pradilla and Cárdenas have spoken highly of the city and the team, and Saint-Supéry said he has found great enthusiasm and a competitive squad.
The point guard said there are very good vibes among the players and the staff, and that he is extremely happy.
National team
The Spanish national team travelled to Zaragoza on Monday following traditional team bonding in Madrid, which included playing the card game Pocha and a quiet rookie dinner at the Charrúa restaurant.
Saint-Supéry is now working under national team head coach Chus Mateo, who has asked the young squad to play with a dynamic, fast-paced transition game.
Saint-Supéry said the main thing Mateo asked of him was to be himself, to be competitive and to defend. He noted that while every coach is different, the team wants to play at a dynamic, loose pace with a lot of transition play due to having many young players.
He added that he was lucky to share a generation with incredible players and people, but that they had to work hard in training.
The point guard made his major tournament debut at the recent Eurobasket, where Spain failed to advance from the group stage.
He described the tournament as a bittersweet experience, saying there is no greater pride than debuting in an official competition with the national team, but that it hurt not to advance past the group stage and compete for medals as Spain has done in the past. He added that the tournament gave him experience in understanding how such competitions work.
