Ajdin Penava (born 11 March 1997) is a Bosnian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław (), is a Polish professional Association football, football club based in Wrocław that plays in , the second level of the Polish football leagu ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

(PLK). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for

Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...

in the

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

(C-USA). He led NCAA Division I in blocks per game (3.94) in 2017–18.

Early life

Penava attended Peta Gimnazija in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

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 The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946 ...

where he had 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 blocks in a 99–96 win. He would later help lead Marshall to an upset win against

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 ...

in the 2018 NCAA tournament scoring 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and blocking 3 shots. Penava led the nation in blocks during 2017–18 season and decided to declare for the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

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. , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" ,

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, 18 , , 1 , , 6.1 , , .387 , , .143 , , .692 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" ,

, 35 , , 14 , , 15.5 , , .517 , , .225 , , .781 , , 3.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 1.0 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" ,

, 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

Professional career

On 2 September 2018, Penava signed a four-year deal with Kirolbet Baskonia of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. On 26 February 2019, Penava joined to the Baskonia

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

. On 6 July 2020, Penava signed with Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the

Pro Basketball League The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for sports clubs, clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. The league is organized by the Basketball League B ...

. In July 2021, Penava extended his contract with two more years until 2023. On 27 December 2022, he signed with Spójnia Stargard of the

(PLK). On 27 September 2023, Penava signed a one-year deal with Juventus Utena of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

(LKL). On July 18, 2024, he signed with

of the

National team career

Penava played for the Bosnian national team during the

2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was the 32nd edition of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. 16 teams participated in the competition, which was held in Volos, Greece, from 23 July to 2 August 2015. Participating teams * * * * (3rd ...

. Penava averaged 5.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg during the tournament.

References

External links

*
Ajdin Penava
at

Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which are memb ...

(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Penava, Ajdin 1997 births Living people Basketball players from Sarajevo BC Juventus players Belfius Mons-Hainaut players Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Lithuania Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Poland Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Spain Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States Bosnia and Herzegovina men's basketball players 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball players Power forwards Saski Baskonia players Spójnia Stargard players