Klemen Prepelic (Maribor, Slovenia, 1992) has been Joventut's most brilliant player this season, a club in which he plays on loan from Real Madrid. Although his outstanding season invites to think about a return to the white club, he is not exactly for the work and does not rule out continuing as a green and black. Although not at any price.

It's been a while since the last time you played a basketball game. Do you dream of going back to the track at once? We played our last game a long time ago. I think it was March 7, if I remember correctly, against Málaga. Several months have passed, but we have trained very well in the last month and a half, first individually and then as a team, and we are all eager to play again, to be back on the track. It means a lot to everyone, not just me. Will it be weird to play without fans in the stands? We play for fans. It will be very strange, as if it were a preseason game, but that should not affect us players so that we give the maximum. Has this pandemic changed their schemes in any way? It has been a very strange situation. It is perhaps the most curious that we will have to face in our careers, but we are professionals, we are here to play the best we know and there will be many people watching us, around the world, although they can only see us sitting in front of their televisions. For them, we have to play our best basketball. What was the hardest? Having to stay home? Not being able to do things we normally take for granted? The first month and a half was very hard. Since we were homebound, we couldn't do any cardio. So we had to focus on this thing, like stabilization, injury prevention and the like. All of that is a far cry from what you need as a basketball player, so ever since we were allowed to run, I did, and then started practicing individually. Joventut did very well in preventing us from catching this coronavirus, and in recent weeks we have been preparing very well for this tournament. Did you ever think that the season was already over? Obviously , I got to think about it. Especially with what was happening in Spain. At the time, I imagined that the same thing would happen as in Italy. So, Spain was the country that was accumulating more positive cases. All the teams were concerned and I thought very seriously that the competition would be canceled. But this is the best domestic league after the NBA and I figured they would do everything possible to finish the competition and that people could enjoy good basketball. Little by little they allowed us to train again and everyone agreed to play again. Now, each team depends on itself and we will see how all this finally ends. Joventut opens against Barça. Do you think they have good options to beat them? No one has forgotten to play basketball. Barça is still Barça. Our goal is to be in the best shape and do everything we can to avoid injury and give our best performance. Whether or not that will be enough to defeat them, we'll see. We cannot predict anything. No one knows for sure what state the teams are in. Could Joventut be planted in the semifinals? Each match will be very special. Obviously, it will be hard to get into the semifinals, because only two teams are going to pass, it will not be a regular playoff and in both groups there are two teams that have been playing the Euroleague. The rest, smaller teams, we have an opportunity to prove ourselves and to test what we have been practicing. Although he is playing at Joventut on loan from Real Madrid, he signed great performances against the white team. Particularly on his court. Was he especially motivated? You have to motivate yourself in every game, but obviously it is normal for you to be higher when it comes to measuring the teams you were in. Maybe that day they did not have the best possible team, but that does not minimize our victory. We beat them, and I don't know how long ago Joventut couldn't do it there. Obviously, that victory helped us get into this final phase, so, for us, it was worth twice, this time, it will not be measured against Real Madrid at least until the semifinals. Do you think that is a certain relief for them? Everyone knows what Real Madrid means, at a European, Spanish and world level. They are the best team in Europe and they face very big and very hard matches throughout the season, they fight for the title every year in all the competitions they play. When I was there, he played all the finals and this season he already has two titles, the Super Cup and the Copa del Rey. They are used to it, it would be a great game, but it is something that is far away right now, the two teams should qualify for the semifinals so that the case is given and I prefer not to think about it yet. He has been one of the most brilliant players of Joventut this season . Has Real Madrid already told you if it plans to have you next year? At an individual level, it is true that I have had a fairly round campaign. Perhaps the best so far in my entire career, but I don't think I will return to Real Madrid. With my agent we are exploring all the possibilities that exist in Europe and I believe that, by the end of this final phase, my future should already be clear. Do you consider the possibility of continuing to play in the ranks of Joventut? Joventut has given me great opportunity. Life there is fantastic. Badalona is a great city, it is next to the sea and my family, my wife and my son, are really very happy to be there. Why not? It's a great opportunity, the club grows year after year, but everything has its price. What about the NBA? Right now, I don't think it's an option. Right now, the most important thing is to be healthy, play this final phase of the CBA, and then the market will start to move. What I want is to find the best solution. First, for my family, and then for me, both sportingly and financially.

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