Career: Celik Zenica (Bosnia-First Division, 1997-2004), Bosna Sarajevo (Bosnia-First Division, 2004-05), Azovmash Mariupol (Ukraine-Superleague, 2005-…).

Kenan Bajramovic is 24 and largely unknown at the European level. A physical player evolving in a demanding position in the line-up, he has exploded in the last two years and slowly begun to earn recognition. The EuroBasket is the ideal opportunity for him to put himself on the European map and help his team improve on past performances.

Not that basketball is a game of brute force, but Kenan has loads of it. Bosna Sarajevo's former player is the prototype enforcer - 205 centimeters of muscle in a tailor made, wide power forward’s body. Back in the seventies and eighties, European teams used to hire such players from the States to bang inside and score points, before Europeans hit the weights and filled that role themselves. Kenan is one of those guys, who learned body building prior to basketball. But it paid off. After two quiet years (5,5 pts and 2,2 rebs per game) in Celik Zenica in the Bosnian league, Kenan moved to the capital and its formerly prestigious powerhouse Bosna. Kenan finally received some legitimate time - his minutes tripled - and so did his numbers: Bosna's young leader posted 18,8 points and 5,5 rebounds in less than half an hour of play, earning a spot in the regional Goodyear League all-competition five. What's more, Kenan helped Bosna qualify for the competition's Final Four in Belgrade, for the first time in history. In Sarajevo they hoped to have him stay at least another year, but prying eyes had watched Bajramovic's performances last year closely; realistically, there was no way his team could possibly keep him. He signed for the second-best Ukrainian team of Azovmash. Why Ukraine? After the "velvet revolution" early this year, that country has suddenly appeared on the European map as a new destination of choice for basketball mercenaries, thanks to a fresh influx of money and capital. "True, Ukraine is not a basketball superpower, but they offered me great terms. I reached my peak in Bosnia and it was time to move on and try to earn a better living", Bajramovic said. In the preparation period, he confirmed to be the potential surprise of the EuroBasket and the sure fire leader of the ambitious Bosnian team. He will probably be the starting power forward, alongside Elvir Ovcina, Jasmin Hukic, Damir Mrsic and Henry Domercant. And he too is not without ambition: "I didn't play much in the national team before because they perceived me as being inexperienced. Now I sense I can be one of the leading players, and our team can surprise more than one". And might we add, one win would make more than one happy, for it would be the first after 12 years.