Taqwa Pinero

Taqwa Pinero[1] (born Taquan Dean on August 6, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who lastly played for Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez of the LNB Pro A.

Taqwa Pinero
Pinero, playing for Murcia in 2009
Free Agent
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (1983-08-06) August 6, 1983
Red Bank, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High schoolNeptune
(Neptune Township, New Jersey)
CollegeLouisville (2002–2006)
NBA draft2006: undrafted
Playing career2006–present
Career history
2006–2007Pallacanestro Biella
2007Dynamo Moscow
2007–2008Junior Casale Monferrato
2008–2009Murcia
2009–2010Unicaja Málaga
2010Baskonia
2010Kavala
2010–2012Scandone Avellino
2012Valencia
2012Aliağa Petkim
2012–2014Scandone Avellino
2014–2015San Sebastián Gipuzkoa
2015Mahram Tehran
2015–2016Socar Petkim
2016San Sebastián Gipuzkoa
2016Hoops Club
2016–2017Iberostar Tenerife
2017–2019Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

He was born in Red Bank, New Jersey and attended Neptune High School in Neptune Township, New Jersey.[2]

Dean during the 2005 NCAA tournament

Dean was a star college basketball player for the University of Louisville through 2006, where he majored in justice administration. Throughout his four-year college career, he scored 1,657 career points, and made 361 three-point field goals. Considered a lock to be drafted in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft after Louisville's great season and subsequent run through the NCAA Tournament, he decided to stay at Louisville for his senior season. This proved to be a mistake, draft stock wise, as Dean spent much of his senior season on the bench with an ankle injury.

Professional career

He went undrafted in the 2006 NBA draft, and he signed with Angelico Biella of the Italian League. After half of the season, he transferred to the Russian Super League club Dynamo Moscow.[3] In 2007, he signed with the Italian 2nd Division team Junior Casale Monferrato.

In July 2008, Dean played for the Phoenix Suns in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League.[4] In 2008, he signed with the Spanish Liga ACB club Murcia.

In 2009, he joined the Euroleague club Unicaja Málaga of Spain[5][6] by signing a one-year contract.[6] He moved for a short time to Saski Baskonia before finishing the 2009–10 season with Greek Kavala B.C. He then signed with Italian club Air Avellino for the 2010–11 season.

In August 2014, he signed with Spanish club San Sebastián Gipuzkoa.[7] On April 9, 2015, he left San Sebastián,[8] On and on April 27, he signed with Mahram Tehran of the Iranian Super League.[9]

On July 11, 2015, Dean signed with Socar Petkim of the Turkish Basketball Second League.[10] On April 19, 2016, he signed with his former team San Sebastián Gipuzkoa for the rest of the season.[11]

On October 10, 2016, after changing legally his name to Taqwa Pinero,[1] he signed with Hoops Club of the Lebanese Basketball League.[12]

Two months later, Pinero signed with Spanish team Iberostar Tenerife.[13] In February 2017, Pinero leaves the team.[14] Later that month, he signed with French club Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez for the rest of the 2016–17 Pro A season.[15] On June 2, 2017, he signed a two-year contract extension with Pau-Orthez.[16]

Personal life

In October 2016, he changed his name from Taquan Dean to Taqwa Pinero, as he found after a DNA test that his supposed father was not the real one, adopting finally the surname of the new one and as he converted to Islam, taking an Arabic given name.[1][17]

References
  1. "I changed my name from Taquan Dean to Taqwa Pinero: This is why". Hoopshype.com. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  2. Pelzman, J.P. "Feeling the pain of troubled lives", The Record (Bergen County), April 2, 2005, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2016. Accessed October 14, 2016. "Dean's college career hasn't been easy, either, although his various injuries and maladies pale in comparison to what he's already been through. The former Neptune High School standout was hampered by a sports hernia last season, when he averaged 10.8 points."
  3. "Dynamo adds Dean to back court", Euroleague, February 13, 2007. Accessed March 12, 2008.
  4. NBA.com : Summer League 2008 Archived 2008-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Sportando.net Unicaja inks scoring machine Taquan Dean
  6. Unicaja inks scoring machine Taquan Dean
  7. San Sebastian Gipuzkoa announces Taquan Dean
  8. Gipuzkoa agreed to part ways with Taquan Dean
  9. Taquan Dean inks with Mahram
  10. Taquan Dean moves to Socar Petkim
  11. Gipuzkoa lands Taquan Dean
  12. TaQuan Dean signs with Hoops Club in Lebanon
  13. "El Iberostar Tenerife se hace con los servicios de Taqwa Pinero" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  14. Acuerdo de desvinculación con Taqwa Piñero (in Spanish)
  15. TAQWA PINERO À L'ÉLAN BÉARNAIS JUSQU'À LA FIN DE SAISON (in French)
  16. Taqwa Pinero signs two-year extension with Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez
  17. "Taquan Dean changed his name in Taqwa Pinero". Sportando. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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