From Orlando, where he is experiencing his first NBA season, Noah Penda was connected in front of his screen to follow the European meeting at Le Mans against Spartak Subotica (76-61) on Tuesday evening.
To support his former teammates, who were playing for their continental future, certainly, but also hoping for a good surprise because his younger brother, Swann Penda (17), was sitting on the pro bench for the first time. And the pleasant surprise arrived, right in the middle of the second quarter, when Guillaume Vizade called on the former Parisian to replace Lucas Dufeal.
Noah’s pride
Entering with plenty of aggression, the former Parisian first contributed to a big defensive stop on his first possession, stifling Shevon Thompson before returning to contest Uros Banjac’s lay-up at the buzzer. Then, like Oscar Wembanyama on Sunday in Monaco, he went for his first point on the penalty line after a foul caused on an offensive rebound.
“The first pro point for the brother: a proud big brother, that’s what I am”Noah Penda immediately posted on Instagram.
If he wasn’t afraid to take the open shot in the corner that the game demanded, the first basket will wait. Nothing to dampen the happiness of Swann Penda who finished with 1 point and 2 rebounds in 4 minutes of play during a decisive match, which allowed MSB to qualify for the play-in.
Big progress in Espoirs, and a trainee contract signed
Arriving last summer at Le Mans, thanks to the trust that the Penda family had acquired in the Sarthe institution following the treatment of Noah last season, Swann Penda grew up with the Espoirs. While he still has a lot of technical work to do to truly establish himself as a position 3, his athletic predispositions make him a very interesting potential.
Promises confirmed by booming statistics with the U21s (from 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds to 9.2 points at 40%, 7.3 rebounds and 2 assists on average). This notably allowed him to sign a professional trainee contract with the MSB last week.
PLAYER PROFILE
Post(s): Winger/Strong Winger
Size: 202 cm
Age: 17 ans (12/02/2008)
Nationalities:
Stats 2025-2026 / ELITE hopes
Grasshoff also distinguished himself
At a press conference, coach Guillaume Vizade highlighted the good contribution of his Espoirs. “I liked the fact that it was a team victory, that everyone participated, including the young players,” he slipped into the microphone of the Free Maine.
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A sentence which is also addressed to Bastien Grasshoff: a more regular member of the professional rotation, the Marseillais celebrated his first start in the European Cup and made a real contribution (6 points at 2/3, 2 rebounds and 2 assists for 7 ratings in 16 minutes). For his part, David Simonovic was entitled to his first European appearance, playing the last 32 seconds of the match.
