Madison - Besides a quick release and rugby-tough frame, Kirk Penney's best
weapon is his short memory.
Ask the University of Wisconsin sophomore about his dreadful shooting day
against Tennessee in the season opener and he says he learned from the
situation and moved on. Watch him play and you believe it.
The 6-foot-5 guard is shooting the ball with the accuracy of a forward or
center, except he is doing it from a much farther distance.
The native of New Zealand is fast becoming an indispensable component of the
Badgers' offense. Much like it needs Mike Kelley's defense and leadership and
Andy Kowske's toughness and rebounding, the team needs Penney's ability to
stretch a defense in order to be successful.
"When Kirk makes shots, our offense is actually pretty good. It's that
simple," said acting coach Brad Soderberg, whose team plays Ohio
University at 3 p.m. today at the Kohl Center.
Since a 66-56 loss to Tennessee Nov. 21, the Badgers have won four straight
games with a lot of help from Penney.
He is averaging 17 points per game during that stretch and is making shots
at a 58.1% clip (25 of 43). Behind the three-point line, he is 14 of 24
(58.3%).
However, his 0-for-13 showing against Tennessee drops his overall
percentages to 44.6% and 42.4%, respectively.
"He can get by people," Badgers assistant coach Tony Bennett said.
"I wouldn't say he is lightning quick, but from a standstill he's pretty
explosive and he's very strong."
Despite playing on a senior-dominated team, Penney has become the Badgers'
No. 1 option offensively. He leads the team with 56 shot attempts, eight more
than senior guard Roy Boone.
At this rate, Penney will take 300 shots this season. He had 135 attempts
last season when he averaged 3.7 points per game.
"He's got to become more consistent. He's got to prove he can hit the
big shots more on the road, down six or seven, but I like what I'm seeing from
him," Bennett said. "When he is hitting his shot, he is very
difficult to play against on the offensive end."
Penney's play is merely an extension of what he did during the exhibition
season and over the summer.
He led the team in scoring with an average of 21.5 points per game during
the Badgers' four-game tour of Italy in August. In two exhibition games, he led
the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game and made 50% of his shots (11 of
22).
In between those stretches, Penney played on his country's Olympic team,
averaging 6.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in a reserve role.
"I've played a lot of basketball, and the confidence comes with
that," Penney said. "I'd certainly hope so. Having played where I
have, being able to play in different countries and experience all of that. . .
if I didn't come in with any more knowledge or any more experience, then
something would be wrong."
Before the start of practice, retired coach Dick Bennett said Penney had
made the biggest jump of any UW player during the off-season.
Penney is proving him right so far. The key will be to maintain it.
Appeared in the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Dec. 10, 2000.
