Penney Nonchalant

August 09, 2002

Basketball New Zealand

Burger King Tall Black guard Kirk Penney isn't getting too excited about being named to the Wooden Award Pre-season All-American Team.
Fifty college basketball players were chosen, based on last year's individual performances and team records.
Penney led the University of Wisconsin Badgers to a share of the Big Ten conference title, averaging 15.1 points a game, and was subsequently named to the All-Conference team.
"There aren't many better shooters anywhere," said FoxSports.com college basketball writer Frank Burlison of Penney.
The Wooden Award, named after legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, is made annually to the best college player in the United States and Penney is certainly the first Kiwi ever to be mentioned in the same breath as this prestigious trophy.
Penney has one more year at Wisconsin and while he is honoured by this latest accolade, he insists it means very little until the season starts and contenders begin earning their favouritism with actual performances.