Copa del Rey – Valencia Basket advances to semifinals behind stellar trio performance

Talented as always but with added maturity, work ethic and consistency this season, Dominican guard Jean Montero shook off Valencia Basket‘s early nerves in Thursday’s Copa del Rey opener to guide them to the semifinals. The guard finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as the hosts’ best performer, carrying his team through moments of doubt alongside an accurate Papi Badio, who helped neutralize Joventut’s final attempt to force a tight finish.

In his return to the Copa del Rey after fifteen years of absence, Ricky Rubio was Joventut’s engine, well accompanied by Cameron Hunt. The Masnou native distributed the ball, rebounded and scored, but did so mainly from the free-throw line, with his 2-of-12 field goal shooting proving costly.

Early momentum swings set the tone

The game experienced its first script change within two minutes. Joventut had started nervously, going scoreless for the first two minutes and having to protect Michael Ruzic due to early fouls. For a moment, it seemed the game might be too big for them.

Papi en las alturas 🧡 pic.twitter.com/MKrSyGhdei

— Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) February 19, 2026

But a spectacular dunk by Yannick Kraag awakened them. The electric shock reached Cameron Hunt, whose nine almost consecutive points injected his team with confidence (7-13, 6th minute). Meanwhile, Valencia Basket, who had started loose and confident, lost precision, forcing Pedro Martínez to call timeout.

The hosts found calm in their usual fuel: 3-points. One from Braxton Key and another from Kameron Taylor settled them down, while a third from Montero put them back ahead (27-23, 11th minute). Seeing the Dominican heating up, Dani Miret tried to cool him down with a timeout.

Montero and Badio seal the victory

Joventut had gone scoreless and only a pair of 3-points from Adam Hanga kept them afloat. But Papi Badio widened the gap, and when Key also put Valencia ahead in the rebounding battle, their lead reached double digits. Montero extended it before halftime (46-34, 20th minute).

The break didn’t change the script, only the protagonists. Badio and Taylor assumed Valencia Basket‘s leadership, with the former scoring crucial baskets while the latter minimized Rubio and Hunt‘s impact respectively. At one point, the advantage approached twenty points.

JEAN 👉 NATE 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/OoqRw69XNU

— Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) February 19, 2026

However, when Valencia failed to kill the game due to poor long-range shooting, Rubio and Hunt took advantage to recover lost ground. The scoreboard had gone from 53-36 to a tight 62-58 before a 3-pointer from Josep Puerto and two free throws from Badio on the buzzer gave the hosts breathing room. Montero, after a necessary stint on the bench to lower his pulse, retook command of Valencia, distributing and calming his teammates while Badio delivered the finishing blow.