No
current college basketball player has spent more time and traveled to more places
to play the game over his career than the University of Wisconsin's Kirk Penney.
Thus, rooming with
Penney on the road has been one of the greatest learning experiences this
season for Alando Tucker.
"The coaches put
us together, so I guess they saw something and figured he could help me out and
give me some advice and tips on how to do things on the road," said the
Badgers' prized freshman forward.
"He knows road
trips are hard," Tucker added. "So with his leadership and seniority,
it has prepared me for the road trips."
As the Badgers (20-6
overall, 10-4 Big Ten) prepare for their biggest road trip of the season - they
take on Minnesota (16-8, 8-5) at Williams Arena Sunday in a nationally
televised game they must win to stay on top of the Big Ten Conference standings
- Tucker said the best lesson he learned from Penney is how to relax.
Prior to games, they
will have a serious discussion about what they must do to succeed on the court.
They will talk about
working hard and playing smart on the court. They go through UW coach Bo Ryan's
checklist that includes understanding the opposition's tendencies and what it
is trying to establish; what the Badgers can counter with; and understanding
their strengths so they can play to those strengths.
Penney said his routine
isn't anything special. "It's just experience from playing in different
places and understanding when you play a lot of games that you have to watch
trends and play hard and intense every game," said Penney.
But it is special
because it's so simple and easy to understand. Tucker, for instance, learned
that a pregame routine must include some levity.
Penney's recipe is
watching the Discovery Channel. Tucker prefers watching cartoons, Tom and Jerry
in particular.
"Jerry always
gets the best of him. I want Tom to get the best of him one time," Tucker
said.
The best times are
reserved for the nights before games.
"I taught him how
to rent movies in the hotel, how to sneak food up to the room," said
Penney with a smile.
It's much more than
that, according to the intense Tucker, who admitted he has a hard time sleeping
because he's waiting for the next game to start. Penney calms him down by
watching SportsCenter with him or just talking with
him.
Tucker will listen to
Penney talk about growing up in
Tucker said Penney is
a good listener, too, and will talk to him about growing up in
But Tucker doesn't
just spend time with Penney. The Badgers are an extremely close team and rarely
do anything separately. All of them will gather in one room to talk and joke
around the night before games.
Penney, of course, is
right in the middle of it all. One of his greatest assets as a team leader is
making sure the team stays tight-knit.
"He just showed
me and told me what to expect on the road," said Tucker. "That really
helped me a lot, especially this far into the season."
It shows
statistically. Unlike most freshmen, Tucker's numbers don't drop off much on
the road compared to at home. He's the team's second-leading scorer (11.6) and
third-leading rebounder on the road (5.1). He's the
team's third-leading scorer (12.7) and third-leading rebounder
at home (6.5).
" 'Do' is a guy
who has a great head on his shoulders," said Penney. "He is going to
be just fine because he knows what it's all about at such a young age and he
knows how to get intense enough for every game. There's a lot of hope for
him."
Published: 8:46 AM
