Madison -- An
international family tie has resulted in Kirk Penney, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard
from New Zealand, committing to play for the University of Wisconsin basketball
team beginning next season.
Tony Bennett, the son of UW coach Dick Bennett, coaches Penney in New
Zealand and helped the Badgers get an early foot in the door in recruiting the
sharpshooter.
"I told my dad, 'You have to check this kid out,' " Tony Bennett
said in a phone interview from New Zealand Sunday night. "Offensively,
he's a great player."
Two weeks ago, assistant coach Brad Soderberg flew to New Zealand to watch
Penney in workouts and came away impressed, Tony Bennett said.
Dick Bennett and his staff are prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting on
prospective recruits until they sign a national letter of intent, which is
expected from Penney later this week.
"He's a fine shooter who can put it on the floor and score," Tony
Bennett said. "When his feet are set, he is outstanding. He was 53% from
the international three-point line (which is a foot farther out than the
college three-point line)."
After the Badgers started recruiting Penney, the word spread rapidly through
U.S. college ranks. He chose Wisconsin over Notre Dame, Southern California,
California, Princeton and Michigan.
Tony Bennett, who played for his father at UW-Green Bay and later with the
Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association, coaches a team that
features players generally ranging in age from 20 to 35 years old.
At 18, Penney -- playing as an amateur -- was named the league's rookie of
the year and averaged 14 minutes and eight points a game.
"He's used to playing against men who play a physical game," Tony
Bennett said. "Our league is better than any high school league in the
United States." When he competes against players his own age, the results
are more striking.
Penney played on New Zealand's 20-and-under team during a six-game tour
against Australia's 20-and-under team and averaged 32 points a game.
Adding Penney to the roster should improve the Badgers' offensive outlook
next season. He joins Waukesha South small forward Julian Swartz and junior
college transfer guard Roy Boone, who are both expected to add life to an
offense that went flat as the Badgers ended last season. Also in the recruiting
class is Appleton East center Dave Mader. With the departure last week of
freshman forward Maurice Sessoms, the Badgers have one additional scholarship
available.
