BENNETT, BADGERS STAND BY PENNEY DESPITE GOING SCORELESS IN THE OPENER, KIRK PENNEY HAS THE BACKING OF HIS COACH AND TEAMMATES.
Wisconsin State Journal

 Madison, Wis.

 Nov 25, 2000

 Vic Feuerherd

As much as he may want to forget his performance in the University of Wisconsin's loss at Tennessee Wednesday night, be sure Kirk Penney has been reminded over and over again about it.

UW coach Dick Bennett has talked to him about it. So have his teammates. If that hasn't been enough, newspaper columns and broadcast reports have highlighted Penney's inability to find the basket in 16 shots, a figure that is in dispute because UW maintains it was just 13.

But this time a recount won't change the outcome in what was a 66- 56 loss to the Vols. What will change Penney's misfortune is some good fortune this afternoon when the Badgers open their home season against Northern Illinois at the Kohl Center.

"It always has to come from within," senior forward Mark Vershaw said. "You know when you have a game like that you go home and see "SportsCenter" and know that's going to be on there, and in the papers and everything. You wake up in the morning and see that number.

"But it's not going to change until (today) when he can get back on track."

Bennett has made that a point of emphasis for Penney as the Badgers approach this game against their Mid-American Conference foe who upset the Badgers last year in DeKalb. He spoke with Penney immediately following the game, upon the team's return from Knoxville and during the past few days of practice.

The message has been simple. Penney took the shots he is expected to take in that game and Bennett doesn't want to see him stop taking them.

"I didn't get on him for missing shots but other things," Bennett explained. "I've always tried to get a guy to focus on his defense or handling the ball to take his mind off shooting."

Vershaw certainly understands what Penney is thinking. He's had his share of his slumps in the past three seasons. Sometimes those slumps last a game or two or three; sometimes they occur during a certain stretch in a game. He airballed his first attempt against the Vols and missed all four of his 3-point tries.

"If you're a shooter and you don't have confidence and you're hesitating, it makes the game a struggle," Vershaw said. "You look at all the shooters - Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, guys like that - they all have nights like that. They're not taking bad shots. Kirk wasn't forcing anything. He was taking the shots we want him to take.

"You'd like to get a layup, just to see the ball go in the basket. You'd like to get to the free throw line, too. That's important. But if you have those open shots, you can't change anything. If you're out there thinking too much, it just gets worse."

As ugly as Penney's shooting line was, Bennett's disappointment was more with his perimeter scorers as a whole than with any individual. He was not pleased with the performances of starter Roy Boone and backup Ricky Bower and would like to see Penney and his teammates pick up the slack.

"I've been disappointed in our guards as a whole," Bennett said. "They have to take ownership of our offense. They have to make sure it runs and take responsibility for the ball. They played rattled. That is not the way we can survive. Our guards have to be poised."

There is little doubt among his teammates that Penney can rebound from the Tennessee game.

"One thing we know is that we're not going to have another game like that from Kirk," Vershaw said. "That's just one of those things that happen."