Capital Times (Madison, WI)

March 3, 2001 Saturday, ALL Editions  

HEADLINE: PENNEY SHOOTING KEY TO UW'S SPIRIT

BYLINE: Rob Schultz The Capital Times
  
Some replays showed that Kirk Penney defied physics last Tuesday night during the Wisconsin men's basketball team's 51-47 loss to Michigan State at the Kohl Center.

The replays made it appear that Penney banked in two 3-pointers off the glass even though he shot them from close to the baseline and was behind the backboard. UW acting coach Brad Soderberg watched tape of the shots and believed Penney's shots actually grazed off the edge of the backboard before settling into the hoop.

Whatever happened, the Badgers' 6-foot-5 sophomore guard didn't have much confidence that he'd made either shot after they left his hands. "They felt kind of left," he said sheepishly. "They didn't feel like the best rhythm shots that I've taken in my life. If they did hit the glass from that angle, it's a pretty spectacular shot."

Penney then broke out in a smile as he added his theory to how he managed to score on those shots. "It's the Kohl Center spirits," he said. "That's what it is."

He knows he won't get help from any ghosts in Carver-Hawkeye Arena when the 22nd-ranked Badgers (17-9 overall, 8-7 Big Ten) take on Iowa (18-10, 7-8) this afternoon here in an important Big Ten Conference regular season finale for both struggling teams.

If the UW wins and ends their two-game losing streak, the Badgers will clinch the fifth seed and a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament next week. It would also end any lingering doubts that they have done enough to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

If Iowa wins and ends their two-game losing streak, the Hawkeyes will clinch the fifth seed in the tournament if Ohio State also wins on the road at Penn State today. The Hawkeyes also need the win to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.

"I'm excited about Iowa," said Penney. "We need to get our confidence higher going into the tournaments. This time last year at Iowa, it was a real turning point of our season. This time again, we can elevate our game starting with this one. We're really looking forward to it."

Penney already has elevated his game and hasn't needed any help from Kohl Center demons to do it. He has been the Badgers' top scorer over the past eight games, averaging 15.7 points on 48 percent shooting overall (37 of 77) and 53.8 percent overall from 3-point range (28 of 52).

The native of Auckland, New Zealand who leads the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, admitted that he can't wait for games to start because he's playing with so much confidence. Yet, his trademark over the past eight games has been his patience finding the right time to torch opponents.

He waited 12 minutes to take his first shot during the Badgers' 64-54 win over Minnesota the Kohl Center. But he promptly made five straight - including 4 3-pointers - during a 17-1 UW run that dug the Badgers out of a first-half hole.

It was no different against Indiana. He didn't score until 5:32 was left in the first half. But he finished the half with 10 points and helped cut the Hoosiers' 17-point lead down to single digits before the Hoosiers crushed them in the second half.

Last Tuesday against Michigan State, Penney scored just 3 points and took just 3 shots in the first half. He finished with a team-high 13, thanks, in part, to those two miracle bombs from the corner.

"Sometimes it takes while and sometimes it comes straight away. You just have to play the defense, let it come and it will come," said Penney. "You just can't start forcing up terrible shots. The team will suffer, you'll get down and that's worse than being patient and waiting for your time to come."

Plus, Penney added, defenses have been focusing on stopping him and teammate Roy Boone. The only way to beat the pressure is to keep running until the opponent tires.

"Sometimes you move to a spot knowing you won't get open. But you do it to move the defense, just make them work, make them tire," he said. "You don't want to make it easy for them."

Penney has always had a keen shooting eye. Soderberg even thinks Penney could duplicate those banked 3-pointers he made against the Spartans if given 50 balls to make one in a practice session. "I think he could hit one of them. He's pretty precise," said Soderberg.

The key to Penney's development this season, however, has been his movement without the ball. Like his shooting, his cuts through a defense have become more aggressive and precise, too. He learned that from the master, former UW shooting star Jon Bryant.

"'It's about not being repetitive," said Penney. "You're cutting through the defense the whole time going to every spot you can on the court until you see a screen that you can work off of."

Penney likes the idea of being in Bryant's old position heading into the most important part of the season. Bryant, the NCAA tournament's West Regional MVP, led the Badgers to the Final Four last March.

"I'm going to stay aggressive," said Penney. "If it opens up for us when we're playing teams that aren't from the Big Ten, I'll be going for it no doubt. Jon showed that it can be done. So there's some confidence there."

After all, the spirits are with him.