Bo Ryan exudes confidence

He offers big dose of optimism; chaser of reality

By Rob Schultz

June 12, 2001

[Note: This article is also greatly condensed to include only parts including Kirk Penney]

Bo Ryan is a big fan of Kirk Penney.

It's not so much Penney's penchant for scoring points for the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team that Ryan loves. That is a given. What tripped the new UW basketball coach's trigger with Penney was the sophomore guard's

love of life.

"He'll do well because he enjoys people, he's not afraid to work, he really enjoys doing what he's doing," said Ryan.

Ryan, of course, just described himself, too, which explains why Ryan and Penney have hit it off.

"Isn't it neat to be around people who enjoy doing what they're doing?" Ryan said as he relaxed in his office inside the Kohl Center last week. "Every day you run into people who want to tell you for a half-hour how tough their job is

and how terrible their life is. It's like what my parents always say. When you meet somebody, you don't always remember what they said, but always remember how somebody made you feel."