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Victor Claver, Valencia Basket
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 As the Eurocup Qualifying Round starts on Tuesday and Wednesday in eight cities across the continent, one young player in particular will be expected to assume a major role in lifting his team to new heights in Europe's second competition. That player is 21-year-old Victor Claver, not only a hometown hero to Valencia Basket fans, but as of last month, a European champion with the Spanish national team. Valencia's new captain, Claver hopes to bounce back from a slow season marked by a severe injury to lead his team back to the competition that it won in 2003, when the Eurocup was known as the ULEB Cup. Born and raised in Valencia, Claver has made the most of his opportunities while walking a tough road from intriguing prospect to European basketball rising star. Claver had already shined in cadet and junior national team competitions before exploding to wider attention in the 2007 Spanish League playoffs against Real Madrid. Humble but ambitious, Claver has kept working hard and now confronts what could be a breakout year of international attention if Valencia can defeat Dexia Mons-Hainaut in the Qualifying Round and make the Eurocup regular season. "Truth to be told, we have played two good Eurocup seasons in a row, reaching the Final Eight both times,," Claver told Eurocupbasketball.com. "Now, first, we have to qualify. Once we do that, we hope to battle even harder to go past the quarterfinals."
Claver was raised in a family devoted to sports. His father Francisco Javier not only was a school teacher, but also a handball player and coach. Victor had the perfect role model at home, knowing that a good education is a must for any player to succeed on and off the court. Claver, along with his brother and sister - who have also played basketball at a strong level - studied in a perfect environment without any distractions, where sports and lessons were a must. Claver decided to pick up basketball at age 12 and his talent allowed him to play in teams meant for players two or three years older than him. In other words, he was ahead of his age from the very beginning. "I started to play basketball without a real reason, as I liked all sports in general," Claver said. "My friends used to play basketball, so I decided to join in and that is how I started."
Claver's family did not want Victor to leave his school team until he was ready, but his stellar performance in a Spanish under-14 regional championship changed all that. Claver was already being followed by all the main clubs in Spain, but his father rejected offers from teams like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, DKV Joventut and Unicaja. Accordingly, Javier Claver opted to keep Victor in his hometown and agreed to terms with Valencia Basket. "It was my hometown team, so that decision was an easy one to make," Claver said. "I wanted to keep studying at school so Pamesa was the obvious choice." Claver's signing included a collaboration between the Valencia club and his school to provide basketball equipment - uniforms, basketballs - among many other things. In exchange, Valencia's signature basketball club had its homegrown rising star.
 Claver soon joined Valencia's junior team and saw extended playing time to speed up his progression. Valencia was patient with him, fully aware of his unlimited potential. In 2004, Claver rose to Valencia's fourth division (EBA) team and then, in 2005, he made his debut with the main team in a friendly game against Dynamo St. Petersburg. A few months later, in the winter of 2006, he was invited to join the team at the Spanish King's Cup tournament in order to feel as an insider what top-level competition is about. "Everything went well, step by step, from the EBA team to playing on our first roster," Claver says. "Once I turned 18, I joined the first team and even when I didn't play too much in my first year, I learnt a lot and got to know what it takes to be a professional." Claver also became a regular player in the Spanish cadet and junior national teams. He surprised everyone at the 2006 European Under-18 Championships by averaging 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks to lead Spain to the bronze medal. He was chosen to the all-tournament team and every scout in Europe praised his ballhandling, athleticism, versatility and high basketball IQ.
Pamesa did not hesitate to promote Claver to the team's first roster fulltime before the start of the 2006-07 season. Claver saw limited playing time for the best part of the season but his chance came on April 6, 2007. Akasvayu Girona led Pamesa 61-43 after 30 minutes and coach Fotis Katsikaris gave him the chance to play the entire fourth quarter. Claver made the most out of it and led his team's comeback. He had 8 points to lead Pamesa to an incredible 71-74 win. Katsikaris gave him a spot in the team's rotation and with extended playing time - power forward Dejan Milojevic was sidelined at the time -, Claver simply thrived. His playoff series against Madrid, averaging 11.5 points, confirmed that Claver not only was a prospect, but that the present also belonged to him. "That game in Girona was very important for me," Claver recalled. "It was the first time I played many minutes and it helped me to feel more confident at the end of that season. I played really well in those playoffs against Madrid. We had a good team, but Madrid advanced in the end, as we were not able to beat them."
Claver showed he can provide some showtime, too, by winning 2007 Spanish League slam dunk contest. In the meantime, Claver started to see more minutes at small forward - to make the most out of his quickness and mobility - but struggled a bit to complete his transition to a new spot. Claver made his Eurocup debut that season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14 games. He helped Pamesa to make it to the Final Eight, where they lost against eventual champion DKV Joventut. Pamesa also returned to the Spanish League playoffs. Still a teen, Claver was already a fan favorite in Valencia and had been invited to the Spanish national team, even though he didn't reach the final squad that won 2008 Olympics silver medals. Instead, Claver led Spain to bronze at the European Under-20 Championships with 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, good for more all-tournament honors.
 Claver had a bittersweet 2008-09 season that ended in the best way possible. Just when he was playing his best basketball, including a couple of 20-point games in the Spanish League, Claver was severely injured in an Eurocup game against Fortitudo Bologna. He suffered a left leg fracture that had him sidelined for four months, but Claver worked hard every day to get back on court as soon as possible. He returned to action in time to play the Eurocup Final Eight but struggled to find his game rhythm. In their third consecutive Spanish playoffs appearance, Valencia lost again in the quarterfinals, but over the summer Claver inked a three-year contract extension and was chosen to play for the national team at EuroBasket 2009. In Poland, he helped Spain to overcome a slow start and win the gold medal with outstanding authority. "It has been an unbelievable experience, having the chance to play for the national team and the fact that we won makes it even better," Claver said. "It will help me to learn even more in the future."
The 2009-10 season should see Claver become one of the best forwards in European basketball. The chance to play the Eurocup means a lot to him. "Truth to be told, we have played two good Eurocup seasons in a row, reaching the Final Eight both times,," Claver said. "That is the minimum goal for us but we wouldn't be happy with another Final Eight spot. First, we have to qualify and once we do that, we hope to battle even harder to go past the quarterfinals and fight for the title."
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Javier Gancedo, Eurocupbasketball.com
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