Ajdin Penava
{{short description|Bosnian basketball player}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Ajdin Penava
| image = Ajdin Penava.jpg
| caption = Penava with Marshall in 2015
| number = 11
| position = Power forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| weight_lbs = 220
| league = PLK
| team = Śląsk Wrocław
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|3|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| high_school =
| college = Marshall (2015–2018)
| draft_year = 2018
| career_start = 2018
| years1 = 2018–2020
| team1 = Baskonia
| years2 = 2019–2020
| team2 = → Baskonia B
| years3 = 2020–2022
| team3 = Belfius Mons-Hainaut
| years4 = 2022–2023
| team4 = Spójnia Stargard
| years5 = 2023–2024
| team5 = Juventus Utena
| years6 = 2024–present
| team6 = Śląsk Wrocław
| highlights =
- NCAA blocks leader (2018)
- Third-team All-C-USA (2018)
- C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2018)
- First-team All-C-USA Defensive Team (2018)
}}
Ajdin Penava (born 11 March 1997) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for Śląsk Wrocław of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He played college basketball for Marshall University in the Conference USA (C-USA). He led NCAA Division I in blocks per game (3.94) in 2017–18.
Early life
Penava attended Peta Gimnazija in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
College career
Penava was a reserve player during his first two seasons with the Herd. He had his breakout season as a junior when he became a full-time starter. One of his best games came against the Ohio Bobcats where he had 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 blocks in a 99–96 win.{{cite web|author=Final/OT |url=http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400990170 |title=Marshall vs. Ohio box score |work=espn.com |date=2017-12-16 |accessdate=2018-04-19}} He would later help lead Marshall to an upset win against Wichita State in the 2018 NCAA tournament scoring 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and blocking 3 shots.{{cite web|author=Final |url=http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401025822 |title=Marshall vs. Wichita State box score |work=espn.com |date=2018-03-16 |accessdate=2018-04-19}} Penava led the nation in blocks during 2017–18 season and decided to declare for the 2018 NBA draft at season's end. He initially did not sign with an agent, but decided to do so on April 19. He did not return to Marshall for his senior season.{{cite web|author=Landon, Chuck|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/_zapp/penava-not-returning-to-marshall/article_b495e580-43db-11e8-9983-fb85ee040d70.html |title=Penava Not Returning to Marshall |publisher=The Herald-Dispatch |date=2018-04-19 |accessdate=2018-04-19}}
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | 2015–16
| align="left" | Marshall
| 18 || 1 || 6.1 || .387 || .143 || .692 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.4 || 1.9
|-
| align="left" | 2016–17
| align="left" | Marshall
| 35 || 14 || 15.5 || .517 || .225 || .781 || 3.9 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 1.0 || 6.1
|-
| align="left" | 2017–18
| align="left" | Marshall
| 34 || 34 || 29.4 || .562 || .340 || .753 || 8.5 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 3.9 || 15.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 87 || 49 || 19.0 || .538 || .291 || .758 || 5.1 || 1.0 || 0.6 || 2.1 || 9.0
{{S-end}}
Professional career
On 2 September 2018, Penava signed a four-year deal with Kirolbet Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.{{cite news |title=ACB.COM - Ajdin Penava completa la plantilla azulgrana |url=http://www.acb.com/redaccion.php?id=142959 |accessdate=2 September 2018 |work=www.acb.com |date=2 September 2018 |language=es-ES |archive-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902151657/http://www.acb.com/redaccion.php?id=142959 |url-status=dead }} On 26 February 2019, Penava joined to the Baskonia reserve team.{{cite news |title=ACB.COM - Ajdin Penava ayudará a Grupo Eleyco Baskonia en la fase de permanencia |url=http://www.acb.com/redaccion.php?id=145800 |accessdate=16 August 2019 |work=www.acb.com |date=26 February 2019 |language=es-ES |archive-date=4 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304093046/http://www.acb.com/redaccion.php?id=145800 |url-status=dead }} On 6 July 2020, Penava signed with Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the Pro Basketball League.{{cite news |title=Ajdin Penava joins Belfius Mons-Hainaut on two-year deal |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/ajdin-penava-joins-belfius-mons-hainaut-on-two-year-deal/ |website=Sportando |accessdate=July 6, 2020 |date=July 6, 2020 |last1=Skerletic |first1=Dario }} In July 2021, Penava extended his contract with two more years until 2023.{{cite news |title=Equipe 2021-22: Ajdin PENAVA prolongé pour deux saisons - Belfius Mons-Hainaut |url=https://monshainaut.be/info-generale/equipe-2021-22-ajdin-penava-prolonge-pour-deux-saisons/ |access-date=19 July 2021 |language=fr-BE}}
On 27 December 2022, he signed with Spójnia Stargard of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).{{Cite web|url=https://plk.pl/aktualnosci/n/22857/nowy-podkoszowy-w-pge-spojni.html|title=Nowy podkoszowy w PGE Spójni|last=|first=|date=December 27, 2022|website=plk.pl|publisher=|language=pl|access-date=December 27, 2022}}
On 27 September 2023, Penava signed a one-year deal with Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).{{Cite web|title=Komplektacija baigta: "Uniclub Casino – Juventus" papildė Bosnijos ir Hercegovinos rinktinės aukštaūgis|url=http://www.utenosjuventus.lt/news/1363/16/Komplektacija-baigta-Uniclub-Casino-Juventus-papilde-Bosnijos-ir-Hercegovinos-rinktines-aukstaugis|website=utenosjuventus.lt|language=lt|date=27 September 2023|access-date=2 October 2023}}
On July 18, 2024, he signed with Śląsk Wrocław of the Polish Basketball League.{{Cite web|url=https://plk.pl/aktualnosci/24771/penava-z-dwuletnia-umowa-w-wks-slasku|title=Penava z dwuletnią umową w WKS Śląsku|last=|first=|date=July 18, 2024|website=plk.pl|publisher=|language=pl|access-date=August 16, 2024}}
National team career
Penava played for the Bosnian national team during the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. Penava averaged 5.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg during the tournament.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Eurobasket.com player|314214|Ajdin Penava}}
- [https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ajdin-penava/005415/ Ajdin Penava] at EuroLeague
- {{FIBA|new_id=217832|name=Ajdin Penava}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180706212552/http://www.herdzone.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ajdin_penava_977534.html Ajdin Penava] at Marshall Thundering Herd (archived)
{{Śląsk Wrocław (basketball) current roster}}
{{NCAA Division I men's basketball blocks champion}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penava, Ajdin}}
Category:Basketball players from Sarajevo
Category:Belfius Mons-Hainaut players
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Belgium
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Lithuania
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Poland
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Spain
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States
Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina men's basketball players
Category:21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen
Category:Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball players