NASHVILLE, Tenn. — College athletics takes dedication. Most student-athletes move to different states and some even across the country to pursue their dreams.
Enna Pehadzic moved halfway across the world to continue her career.
The Horsens, Denmark, native began her journey at the University of South Florida in 2016 after her senior year of high school.
Her college career got off to a slow start. The week before the first game of her freshman season she tore her ACL in her right knee. When she was almost done with rehab later that season, she started feeling pain in the same knee.
Eventually, doctors found damaged cartilage and had to clean up the knee even more.
“That was a tough time,” Pehadzic said. “At first, the doctors thought it was mental, but I know my body and when they went back to look at my knee, I was right.”
Pehadzic returned after about six weeks of rehabilitation and played in nine games for her team before missing the rest of the season due to re-injuring her knee.
Then in her first full year of playing college basketball, Pehadzic proved she belonged. She led the Bulls in scoring and total minutes played as a redshirt-sophomore in the 2018-2019 season.
“That was a special season,” Pehadzic said. “It felt good to just be able to get out there and play.”
Pehadzic’s commitment to athletics trails back to her family. Pehadzic’s father Senad Pehadzic played professional soccer in the country formerly known as Yugoslavia and her sister Anja Dukic played professional soccer in Norway.
From a young age, Enna Pehadzic was always involved in sports. Along with basketball, she played soccer and handball during her youth.
At 13 years old she decided to play basketball full time because of an opportunity to join the Denmark Women’s National team.
“The national team took a lot of time and my coaches told me I had to pick one sport,” Pehadzic said. “I picked basketball because I love it so much.”
In her first year of high school, Pehadzic moved to Bologna, Italy, for seven months to face better basketball competition. In Italy, she learned the importance of education and it made her first realize her dream to play basketball in America.
She then moved back to Denmark to finish out her high school years.
As part of the Denmark U-16 team, she helped her team finish top three in Division B which allowed for the next Denmark U-16 team to play in Division A against larger European countries such as Russia, Spain, Italy and France.
“That was one of the most special times of my youth career,” Pehadzic said. “It was the first time in our country’s history that the women’s basketball team moved up to Division A.”
With plenty of high-level experience already, Pehadzic is excited to join the Commodores for her fifth season. And whatever happens next, Pehadzic will be ready for it.
“Since coming to America, my journey has taken many turns,” Pehadzic said. “But I would not change any part of it because it has helped shape who I am.”
— Scott Meyer is a fifth-year senior for the Vanderbilt football program.
