The dynamic guard led the EuroCup's top offense in scoring, assists, steals and PIR
Jean Montero of Valencia is the 2024-25 BKT EuroCup Rising Star
Awards
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Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Jean Montero of Valencia Basket has been voted as the BKT EuroCup Rising Star for the 2024-25 season. Among a group of talented young players who all made major contributions throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Montero was chosen as this season's Rising Star after the votes from the competition's head coaches were tallied. The EuroCup Rising Star Trophy recognizes the most outstanding player in the competition who was younger than 22 years of age on July 1 of the summer before the season started.
Montero, 21, was selected ahead of Joan Beringer of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, who came in second, followed by the ratiopharm Ulm duo of Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue, in third and fourth place, respectively.
The Rising Star Trophy is the first of the awards given in recognition of the EuroCup's finest each season for their efforts on the basketball court. The EuroCup Coach of the Year will be announced later in the day. The BKT All-EuroCup teams – all of whom fans, head coaches, team captains and media also voted - will be named on Saturday and the identity of this season's MVP will be revealed on Monday, April 7, one day before Game 1 of the 2024 BKT EuroCup Finals between Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Dreamland Gran Canaria.
Montero shined throughout the season, leading a dominant Valencia team that won 18 of its first 20 games of the season before bowing out against Hapoel in a dramatic fashion on Wednesday night in the deciding game of the best-of-three semifinals. Montero appeared uncatchable at times using his quickness and ball handling, pacing Valencia’s high-scoring offense, while leading the team in scoring (13.2 ppg.), assists (5.3 apg.) and steals (1.7 spg.).
He ranked fourth in the competition in steals and was tied for fifth in assists. Montero also posted 2.9 rebounds and had an average PIR of 15.9, which was the best on the team, too. The young point guard started in 10 of his 17 appearances and scored in double figures in 15 of those games. His best performances of the season came in a road win at Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse, when he collected 19 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds, and in Game 1 of the semifinals when he scored a career-high 24 points, along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Montero began his youth-team career in his native Dominican Republic with Club Mauricio Baez, before moving to Spain in the summer of 2019 when he signed for Gran Canaria. After a season spent impressing with youth teams and Gran Canaria's B team in the Spanish third division, he made his debut with the first team in the 2020-21 and made four appearances in the EuroCup. Montero took another step up in his career when he moved for the 2022-23 season to Real Betis Baloncesto, and a year later to MoraBanc Andorra. He was named the Spanish League's Best Young Player in both of those seasons, before joining Valencia last summer.
Montero is the first player coming from the American continents to become the EuroCup Rising Star.
The list of Rising Star trophy winners includes two players who won it twice: Aleksander Balcerowski (with Gran Canaria in 2021 and 2023) and Bojan Dubljevic (with Valencia in 2013 and 2014). The other winners are Milan Macvan of Hemofarm Vrsac in 2009, Victor Claver of Power Electronics Valencia in 2010, Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso in 2011, Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos Rytas in 2012, Kristaps Porzingis of Baloncesto Sevilla in 2015, Mateusz Ponitka of Stelmet Zielona Gora in 2016, Rolands Smits of Montakit Fuenlabrada in 2017, Dzanan Musa of Cedevita Zagreb in 2018, Martynas Echodas of Rytas Vilnius in 2019, Khalifa Diop of Gran Canaria in 2022 and Zaccharie Risacher of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse last season.