Pau Ribas recalls his years in Barcelona: 'We didn't have a coach responsible for long-term project' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: David Grau-Joventut Badalona Credit David Grau-Joventut Badalona

If the current version of Joventut Badalona had a face, it would probably be Pau Ribas.

Pau Ribas

MIN:20.54PTS:11.88 (60.81%)REB:1.63As:4.75ST:0.5BL:0TO:1.25GM:8ProfileEuroCup2021/2022

Next March, Ribas will turn 35. However, he's still enjoying basketball in Badalona. The real difference-maker for the experienced Spanish guard is that he feels important on the court as one of the reference points in a squad that has turned heads all over Europe.

Joventut have succeeded in combining excellent results and high-octane basketball, something that only a handful of teams (EuroLeague title contenders included) can lay claim to.

The team, which represents Catalonia's third-largest city, is boasting a great first half of the season. They are currently standing in 4th position in the ACB league standings with an 11-5 record, and their ticket to the next Copa del Rey already booked, the club known to its fans as La Penya is dominating the EuroCup stage.

Their 9-2 track is good enough to hand them the top spot in Group A, in a competition that has traditionally been dominated by Spanish teams. With Gran Canaria and Valencia Basket occupying the first two places in Group B, this tradition is most likely to hold sway for a long time to come.

Pau Ribas captains Joventut's latest version, having completed a full circle in his career. Born in Barcelona, he didn't start out playing for the Blaugrana but their direct rivals. After he concluded his first four-year term in Badalona in 2009, Ribas began a successful journey that brought him to Baskonia, Valencia Basket, and, yes, FC Barcelona.

In 2020, following five seasons with the EuroLeague giants, Ribas decided to go back to where it all started. Almost 18 months later, nothing indicates that he might have made the wrong decision.

Free throws this season

76%13,3Points made:13,3Accuracy:76,4%Place in standings:10Record max:23Record min:3Most made FTs:Joel ParraTeamEuroCupStatisticsSchedule

"I could have been a useful player in Barcelona," Ribas tells BasketNews.

"But I didn't give it too much thought. My mind and body indicated that I have different responsibilities and a bigger role.

So, coming back to Joventut was a no-brainer since both the coach (Carles Duran) and the GM (Jordi Marti Casals) trust me. Athletes are in need of new incentives to perform well and feel happy," he adds.

If Joventut Badalona were voted the most fun-to-watch team in the recent EuroCup GM's mid-season survey, Ribas is definitely one of the main people to take credit for it.

The Spanish international averages 11.9 points on 62% 2-point and 50% 3-point shooting in almost 21 minutes over 8 EuroCup games. He also dishes out 4.8 assists whilst committing only 1.3 turnovers.

Furthermore, he and Ante Tomic, the other veteran on the team, are the perfect leading figures for players like 21-year-old forward Joel Parra.

As an athlete who has never hidden his love for Joventut, Ribas has made only friends everywhere he's played at.

"While playing for Barca, I never concealed the fact that I am actually a Joventut fan. I don't have to lie about that," he once uttered.

"I've never had any problems on any of my teams; because people understand," he now explains to BasketNews.

"I was in Badalona from the age of 5 until I turned 22, and there is no doubt that I root for Joventut. You have to give 100% for every jersey you put on, and fans will be happy. They have always treated me well, and I am very grateful for it because I had a good time myself."

Even if the best-case scenario was to materialize, Joventut would at least need a few more years to compete against high-flying EuroLeague clubs. Ribas is experienced and cognizant enough to acknowledge that the process will be a long one.

La Penya was European champion in 1994 and runner-up two years earlier. Another four continental cups decorate its trophy case, with the 2008 EuroCup title being the last of many.

Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball/Getty Images

They have failed to reach any finals, anywhere, ever since.

"Going to Barcelona, my goal was to play the Final Four and win EuroLeague. I came up short, but hopefully, I will be able to reach those goals with Joventut in 2-3 years from now, if luck is on our side," Ribas stresses with a great deal of optimism - and a smile on his face.

No one can tell whether the long-term drought will be prolonged or cut short. What one can safely argue, however, is that Joventut Badalona are on the right path to taking back some of the splendor reminiscent of their good old days in the 80s and 90s.

In his interview with BasketNews, Pau Ribas touched on the need for La Penya to create a new fanbase, Barcelona's woes in the pre-Jasikevicius era, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez living up to the expectations they once created at Joventut, and his all-time favorite moment with the team.

How would you describe the season for Joventut so far?

It's very good. The truth is that the team has been working very well this season. We are meeting our short-term goals, but the important games are yet to come. In the end, you can have a very good season, and if you lose an important game, everything changes.

The team has qualified for the Copa del Rey, is in third place of the ACB standings, and also leads its group in EuroCup. Which of those accomplishments has been more difficult to achieve? They are all important, but the fact that we can win games against teams like Partizan and Lokomotiv Kuban with determination and by a large margin proves that we could compete in such a demanding EuroCup competition.How did you feel listening to people talk about Partizan, Virtus Bologna, Lokomotiv, Valencia as the absolute favorites to win the trophy, leaving your team out?All of those teams are very powerful projects, both economically and in terms of roster. We don't have that many big names. Yes, there's me, Ante Tomic, Guillem Vives, Brandon Paul, and Derek Willis.

But everything is proven on the court, and now everyone respects us a little bit more. I think that the game against Partizan was the turning point for us because we lost by one point, dominating through the entire contest in an arena that's one of the hardest to play at in all of Europe.

From that game on, Joventut have been getting more respect from their rivals, and we will see if we can hold on to the end.What do you think of the format of the EuroCup knockout phase, when everything will depend on a single game?At first, I didn't like it that much. Everything considered, there are too many games in the regular season for a very small prize.

It's the first time we've played this system, but it works in the Copa del Rey, the NCAA, and other sports. Those games are the most important ones in the season, and we have to be prepared for them.

We will try to get first place in our group to have the full home-court advantage.Despite the team's sporting progress, the stands at the Olimpico de Badalona are still far from full. A month ago, you, as captain, complained about it.

"We are sick and tired of those empty seats. We are third in the ACB, and people are still not coming to watch us play," you said. In your opinion, why don't the fans value the team's effort?It's complicated because there are games where we had a large crowd, for example against Barcelona, Real Madrid or Partizan.

You have to motivate people to attend games that they don't think are so interesting. In the end, we are a small city, representing a club with a lot of tradition that has gone through difficult times.

But this season the team is playing very well, competing against everyone, winning games. This has to be a motivation for people to come.

So far, we have been delivering what was promised. We play nice, cheerful, high-speed, and high-scoring basketball. We're a bit sad because we need our fans to come back.

Do you get the feeling that Joventut have lost some of their fans over the years?Yeah, it goes like that. In the end, there are more and more platforms where you can watch games.

For example, EuroCup matches being played Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 pm might be good for television programming, but it's definitely bad for our fans. That's because little children, school students, and parents can hardly attend.

I think the sport has evolved a bit towards television and the fans. We are paying the price. The club, the players, and the city should all create a bigger bond between us.

If Badalona is known for a reason, it's because of Joventut having been one of the best clubs in Europe in the 90s. Developing players is good, but we have to create a pool of fans, too. If kids become club members at an early age, they're going to keep that capacity for life.

Do you think that Barcelona has completely overshadowed Joventut in terms of media interest, exposure, and advertising? In short, how can three teams (FC Barcelona, Joventut Badalona, and Manresa) coexist in the same region?Yes, it is like that. In the end, Barcelona have become a world-renown global club and brand. Much of the information is always focused on them. We and Manresa are basketball clubs only.

Manresa have a small gym that's easier to fill. If we were playing in 5,000-people installation, it would be full too, but that's not what we want.

The media give the information that their listeners or readers ask for. We, as smaller clubs, are penalized because of that. Do you think any team could break the Barca- Real Madrid streak this year? Are those two teams at a considerable distance from the rest?It can happen, but it's getting harder every year. They know very well how to survive during the season. Barca and Madrid have many players and very big, high-quality rosters. They always arrive at the final moments fully prepared and having invested a lot of money.

It's fun for clubs like us to be able to beat them. It's easier to do that in the Spanish Cup compared to the league playoffs. To what extent are your two stints with Joventut different or similar?They're quite similar. At both times, there were some high-level veterans on the team. I might have ended up with an important role in my first time here, but when I arrived, I joined a group of young players aged 18-22.

Now, I can see the other side of it, knowing how a young player thinks and studying guys like Elmer Bennett or Paco Vazquez.

You have played the EuroLeague with four teams but never made it to a Final Four. Was it a matter of timing? What's the taste left in you?The truth is that the only title I lack is the EuroLeague, and I never had the chance to play in a Final Four. I would either miss the playoffs or lose Game 5. Well, I haven't had any luck in this regard, but I can't complain.

In the end, going to Barcelona, my goal was to play the Final Four and win EuroLeague. I came up short, but hopefully, I will be able to reach those goals with Joventut in 2-3 years if luck is on our side.Let's open the Barca chapter. You have lived through a difficult time, the last year of Xavi Pascual and then Giorgos Bartzokas, Sito Alonso, Svetislav Pesic. Looking back, what was going so wrong that those coaches couldn't change?First and foremost, I think that we had to face a great Real Madrid team. The coaching changes happened because we couldn't beat Real Madrid. That made the project go up and down. If you end up losing, even after some close games, coaches and players change.

The process was hard. I saw many players enter and leave our locker room. We lacked a coach who would be responsible for a long-term project, as Barca have now achieved with Jasikevicius.

When you cannot beat your main rival, changes take effect immediately, and projects fail.

Credit Zuma Press - Scanpix

In an interview, you said, "I wanted to be a more important player. I think I would have played more with Saras being in charge." What gave you that impression?First, because I couldn't have played less compared to my last season. In addition, Saras is a coach who demands certain things from players - to think about basketball, read plays, understand the game. I could have been a useful player in this respect.

But I didn't give it too much thought. My mind and my body indicated that I have different responsibilities and a bigger role. So, coming back to Joventut was a no-brainer since both the coach and the GM trust me. Athletes are in need of new incentives to perform well and feel happy.Didn't you feel that kind of confidence while you were playing for Barca?Obviously, there were moments when I felt very comfortable, but the last season for me was hard. I didn't feel confident or motivated. This is what happens when you're a veteran and you don't play, especially after making so many sacrifices.

You accept a supporting role on a team because you want to win titles, but I wouldn't like to spend the last years of my career not having fun and not enjoying what I do. This was the main reason why I left.

In recent years we've seen many players, like Thomas Heurtel, Adam Hanga, Nicolas Laprovittola - and even your teammate Ante Tomic - leave Barcelona for Madrid or vice versa. Was there a time when you were close to signing with Real?Yes, I was close when I left Badalona and went to Vitoria (Editor's Note: in 2009). There were conversations with Real Madrid, but I was more attracted to the project that Baskonia presented to me. Back then, they were a club playing Final Fours, winning ACB titles, and with many players who would later move to the NBA.

I felt comfortable in a city that lives for basketball, just like Badalona. That was the only moment I had any contact with Real Madrid.Would you like to have played abroad? Yeah, I really would have liked that. There was a moment when I had the chance. Especially after Valencia, I had a proposal to go abroad.

I think that if Barcelona hadn't come knocking at my door, I would have chosen a different experience in another country and in another culture. EuroLeague teams from Russia and Greece were interested in me, but none of them came with a concrete offer.

Barcelona, on the other hand, came with an offer really early.You debuted in the EuroLeague with Joventut, along with Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez. Do you think they have reached the potential they showed almost fifteen years ago?I've known them like forever. They were the best young players in Europe. If Rudy Fernandez hadn't had those problems with his back, he would have played in the NBA for a long time. You just have to see how he played with Badalona in the EuroLeague, it was spectacular.

Credit CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA-Scanpix

Ricky Rubio created great expectations when he first started at age 14. Then it looked like his level had a ceiling, but he exploded in recent years in the NBA while also being the MVP in the 2019 World Cup and a leader for the Spanish team. That was his second "explosion", which was more difficult than the first one in my eyes.What is your favorite moment in the history of Joventut? Is it Corny Thompson's triple in Tel Aviv that gave the club its only EuroLeague title?I was very little back then, and I don't have such vivid memories of it. For me, the most historic moment was when we won the Copa del Rey in Vitoria (Editor's Note: in 2008). It was my first title with my club of a lifetime.

That moment holds a special significance as the most thrilling I have ever had in my club career.

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