Anxious wait by the phone for Penney
Dominion

 Wellington, New Zealand

 Sep 25, 2001; GRAY, Kent

Kirk Penney was on tenterhooks when he returned home from a University of Wisconsin basketball practice on Saturday afternoon (US time).

The 20-year-old guard's heartache at not being released by his Wisconsin coaches for the Oceania world championship qualifiers against Australia was made worse by not knowing how his Tall Black teammates were faring.

"I knew we had won game one (in Wellington) and I heard we had gone to overtime in game two (in Hamilton), but I didn't know the result. I was just hanging out by the phone but the call just didn't come," Penney said.

But the best call of Penney's life arrived soon after the Tall Blacks beat the Boomers 89-78 at North Shore on Sunday to qualify for next year's world championships in Indianapolis.

"I'd just got back from training and there was this message on the answerphone saying `Kirky, pack your bags for Indy (Indianapolis)' . . . it was just awesome."

Penney was kept up into the early hours of Sunday morning (US time) talking to his Tall Black teammates with celebrations in full swing. Calls were also placed to Tall Blacks NBA hopeful Sean Marks but he could not be reached.

Tall Blacks head of delegation Andy Bennett had earlier telephoned Penney to give a running commentary of the final 30 seconds of the North Shore game, but it was so noisy he did not realise he was talking into an answerphone.

"I wanted to be there so badly to share in the emotion, but it's great to think I might get to go to Indianapolis anyway," Penney said. "It's a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, a huge milestone for New Zealand basketball."