The 2008-born Frenchman Swann Penda has shown some intriguing flashes this season for the U21 Paris Basketball team and like his brother, Noah, Penda appears to be a bit of a late-bloomer with some long term upside.
The talented forward met with Pro Insight’s Eric Guilleminault to talk about his beginnings in basketball, his development as a player, some of his aspirations, and more.
For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2027 prospect Swann Penda, from Paris, France:
Pro Insight: To start things off, can you tell us about your basketball journey?
Swann Penda: Hi, for my basketball journey, I started at six or seven years old in a small club in the French country. My parents give me the desire to play basketball because it's a beautiful sport and in my family, all people play basketball. At the age of 12 or 13, I went to the academy, and after I went to the training center, I was offered by Paris Basketball.
PI: For those who maybe haven’t seen you play before — can you describe your game?
SP: To describe my game: I have a good basketball IQ and I get a lot of rebounds and am a nice passer. I tend to drive and score.
PI: Can you share a bit more about your strengths as a player?
SP: My strength. My wingspan – it’s 6-10. For my size, I run fast. My handle, it’s not good, but I am improving. My shot, too. That’s all.
PI: Talk about one way that you really impact winning.
SP: To winning, I bring a lot of rebounds and a lot of the time, I make good decisions quickly and I have cold blood.
PI: What are some of your on-court goals for the next couple of years?
SP: My goal in the next year is, for me, is to integrate into professional foreign play, to play as a pro, and be part of the French National Team – and why not go abroad.
PI: OK. Is playing in the NCAA something you are planning on?
SP: Not necessarily.
Eric: Your brother has gone through the NBA Draft process and is already a professional. What has he told you as far as advice, or what have you learned from him?
SP: He pushes me to work all the time, even if I’m tired. It’s in those moments when I have to work even harder. He’s taught me that all of that repetition and working hard when you are tired will make it easier during games.
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