Madison - Kirk Penney may not walk to midcourt, drop to his knees and
lay a wet one on the red and black "W" emblazoned in on the Kohl
Center floor but make no mistake, he has special feelings for the place.
"This is home," the University of Wisconsin
junior said. "This is where we practice every day. This is where the crowd
supports us. I just love playing here. The first time I was here I loved it,
and I still do."
After opening the season with their longest stretch of road games since the
early 1900s, the Badgers men's basketball team (1-4) plays its home opener at 1
this afternoon against Wisconsin-Green Bay (1-3).
Perhaps no one missed the Kohl Center more than Penney. The shooting guard
has been a much more productive player there.
Last season, he shot 54.1% at the Kohl Center, 51.4% from three-point range
and averaged 12.5 points per game. Away from home, his numbers dropped
significantly: 36.8% shooting, 37% from three-point range and 10.1 points per
game.
"The crowd always is so special," Penney said. "I'm glad to
get back here for a little bit."
Although he ranks second on the team in scoring this season at 10.8 points
per game, Penney is shooting 40.4% (21 for 52), including 33.3% (8 for 24) from
three-point range. He particularly struggled in the final two games of the Big
Island Invitational in Hawaii, where he made two of 14 shots, including just
one of six from beyond the arc.
But can Penney continue to be effective at home? Or are his
struggles tied to the different role he has in the offense rather than the
stretch of road games?
The Badgers still need his shooting but there aren't as many screens being
set for him. That was his strength during his first two seasons.
That's part of coach Bo Ryan's swing offense, too, but the attack also calls
for guards to post up or put the ball on the floor and get into the lane.
"I want all our guys not to be pigeon-holed into one move, one
thing," Ryan said. "Now do one thing real well but have a
counter."
Ryan has the unique perspective of both coach and opponent on this matter.
Last season, his UW-Milwaukee team lost to Wisconsin by eight points at the
Kohl Center and Penney, who started that game, made one of six shots and
finished with four points.
It was his worst shooting day at home last season.
"When we did our scouting report for him last year, we felt there were
ways to take him away, take him out of the flow of the offense because he was
only one-dimensional," Ryan said.
Penney isn't off to a fast start this year but you can't say he has been
one-dimensional.
His three-point attempts are down to 4.8 per game this season from 6.6 a
year ago. His assists are slightly up but so are his turnovers, in part because
he is doing more with the ball.
"I'm glad I was able to put on a little weight this
year so I'm more comfortable playing there (in the post)," said Penney,
who weighs about 225 pounds, 20 pounds more than last year. "I've never
played inside before but, hey, what a great opportunity that I can learn how to
play inside and become a more complete player.
"But it's just a big learning curve."
Penney has faced challenges before. In the season opener against Tennessee
last year, he had to shake off a 0-for-13 shooting night.
And there was a three-game stretch when he made two of 18 shots but came
back to make some pivotal shots in an overtime victory over South Florida.
There are glimpses that he is catching on. Wednesday against Georgia Tech,
he scored 14 points and shot 6 for 12, making half his 4 three-pointers. He
spent most of the game taking intermediate shots or posting up.
On the final shot, he took the ball at the top of the key in deep
three-point range, pump-faked and dribbled left before getting a decent shot
from about 15 feet out.
He missed. Maybe next time he won't.
"The game is all about momentum and even with shooters, every shooter
has a bad night. Once you understand that, you get your confidence back right
away," Penney said. "Even during the middle of the game, you might
not be shooting well but you've got to find nerve and find your rhythm. That's
all part of it. I'm fully confident coming to this point."
