Is Ruben Prey Poised For a Big Year?

Can the Portugese big man have a breakout year at St. Johns?

Back in June, St. John’s decided to go overseas to secure talent for the 2024-25 season and announced that Portuguese big man Ruben Prey would be joining the Red Storm for the upcoming college basketball season. In need of a power forward, Rick Pitino picked up the highly skilled but still somewhat raw Prey to fill out his front out that also includes Zuby Ejiofor, USC transfer Vince Iwuchukwu, North Texas transfer Aaron Scott, and freshman Khaman Maker. So what can Prey bring to the table, and is he Poised to have a breakout season this year?

Prey is no stranger to the professional game, having spent 4 years playing in Spain with Joventut Badalona and it's affiliate club CB Prat, also being named as Tournament MVP of the Patras Tournament in 2022-23 while leading his team, FIATC Mutua Joventut U18 to the tournament championship. He brings a great understanding of running a euro-style offense and will be well matched with St. John’s style of play and roster.

The first thing that Prey offers is massive size and length in the frontcourt. Standing 6ft 10in tall with a 7’2” wingspan and a 8’11” standing reach, Prey stands as one of the tallest players on St. John’s roster, after Khaman Maker and Vince Iwuchukwu who both come in at 7’1”. He possesses the length to contest shots on the perimeter with ease while also being able to play inside. He will need to add strength to his frame to handle some of the bigger centers in the college game but should have good strength off the bat to hold his own. He uses that strength well to fight hard on the glass and has the potential to become a dominant rebounder on both ends.

He's far from a shooter at this stage in his career, shooting only 19 three-pointers last season and making only 4 of them. In fact, he has shot only 25% from 3 for his career on an average of 1.8 attempts a game so would need to show more of a willingness and capability to stretch the floor at an NBA level. What he lacks in shooting though he makes up for with his skill in the paint. He shows great movement for a big man and can finish in a variety of ways at the rim, usually more with power than explosive athleticism.

One intriguing part to Prey’s game is his ability to operate in the pick-and-roll. He capable of finishing plays, can operate in the short roll and can make some good plays with the ball in his hands. If he can build a good chemistry with players like Kadary Richmond and Simeon Wilcher then they could help propel St. John’s to a great season, likely fighting it out with Creighton (who have the subject of my previous article, Fedor Zugic, in their ranks) to finish behind likely Big East powerhouse UConn. I could see a partnership develop particularly between Prey and Richmond. If Prey can become more consistent as a shooter then the possibility of a pick-and-pop becomes a reality which can become a potent weapon when combined with Richmond’s ability to get to the rim.

---

---

To start the season, it is likely that Prey will have to fight for minutes with Iwuchukwu, Maker and Ejiofor with each aiming to stake a claim in the frontcourt. I expect Prey to make the most of his minutes and carve out a big role on the team as they look to make a run in the NCAA D1 Basketball tournament. If he sharpens up some aspects of his game, namely his shooting, while continuing to show that he is a force on the glass and a capable shot blocker down low, he could very well hear his name called come Draft time in June.

The ball is in Prey’s court but a big year with St. John’s could see him vault his way up draft boards as we get closer to June. All eyes on Prey.