Josep Puerto; 22 years; Jaime Pradilla, twenty; Guillem Ferrando, 19; Gonzalo Bressan, 19; Millán Jiménez, 19; Rafa Vila, 20. It is not the subsidiary team of Valencia Basket. These were six of the 11 players that Joan Peñarroya used to assault Palau Blaugrana, just four days after doing it with the Paladozza in Bologna. The ‘baby taronja’ takes off. Some forged in L’Alqueria from a young age, others signed still without a beard to finish training. The fact is that Peñarroya has made a virtue of a necessity. The lower, the more children. And with success.
If last Wednesday against Virtus is going to be a match remembered for the 21 comeback points, today’s against Barça, it will be for the definitive explosion of a group of players who they took to the extreme the motto of Juan Roig’s patronage: ‘Culture of Effort’. Before a set full of stars, undefeated in the League, leader; and second in the Euroleague, with a full Palau in pursuit of a record spurred by Barça’s great game against Baskonia on Thursday, with another JASP, in the stands: Ansu Fati … With everything against: taronja bell.
The beardless representation of Valencia is striking. But others, another reason to smile was the emergence of two of the signings: López-Arostegui, 17 points and 4 rebounds; and ‘Papi’ Rivero, 18 points and 7 rebounds. The Basque and the Cuban are agreeing with Chechu Mulero’s scouting and together with Dubljevic they pulled the car. With Tobey, Dmitrijevic, Claver, Labeyrie and Hermansson out of action they knocked down Barça at the Palau. The best of all is to think of a future that seems assured. And a question: How far could Peñarroya take this Valencia with its 12 healthy professionals?
