'The Little Prince' Mario Saint-Supery Makes 'Stunning' Decision on CBB Future amid EuroLeague Buzz

After playing one season at Gonzaga, Mario Saint-Supéry is returning to his home country of Spain.

Valencia Basket Club announced on Saturday that Saint-Supéry, whose nickname of "The Little Prince" was given to him in Liga ACB, is going to play for them next season.

ESPN's Myron Medcalf described the move as "stunning" with Gonzaga, along with a translation of Valencia's statement announcing Saint-Supéry's addition.

"The Little Prince will make the Roig Arena his new palace," the statement said.

Saint-Supéry's decision to go back to Spain caught Gonzaga completely off guard.

College basketball insider Jeff Goodman noted the Bulldogs were "shocked" in part because Saint-Supéry was practicing with the team on Friday.

It also deals a huge blow to Gonzaga's outlook for the 2026-27 season. Saint-Supéry was set to be in the starting five after moving into the opening lineup for the final eight games of the 2025-26 campaign.

Medcalf also pointed out there are "limited" avenues for Gonzaga to find a replacement at this stage of the offseason since the transfer portal is closed.

There are some reinforcements coming with Jack Kayil, a combo guard from Germany, committed to Gonzaga. Isiah Harwell transferred to the Bulldogs after spending his freshman year at Houston.

Saint-Supéry showed tremendous promise as a college player in his lone year at Gonzaga. He averaged 8.6 points on 40.3 percent three-point shooting, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game in 35 appearances.

His best game was in the West Coast Conference tournament title game against Santa Clara. He put up a career-high 21 points on 6-of-12 three-point shooting in a 79-68 win.

Prior to playing at Gonzaga, Saint-Supéry spent three years with Unicaja Málaga in Liga ACB. He also won a silver medal with the Serbian national team in the FIBA U-18 EuroBasket tournament in 2023.