Penney signs deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv
August 11, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Former Wisconsin men's basketball player Kirk Penney has signed a contract to play with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced last Friday. His contract with Maccabi is a one-year deal but the team has an option for a second year.
Penney, a 6-foot-5 guard, played on the Milwaukee Bucks' summer league team last month and averaged 8.8 points per game. A Badger from 1999-2003, Penney ranks sixth on UW's career scoring list with 1,454 points. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and an honorable mention AP All-American as a senior.
Penney played last season in the NBDL with the Asheville Altitude, earning honorable mention all-league honors as the Altitude captured the NBDL Title. In 2003-04, he played for the Spanish club team Gran Canaria, averaging 10.2 points. Penney has also played with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers.
Penney has made a name for himself in international competition as well, playing for his native New Zealand. He has played in two Olympic Games as well as the World Championships. In 2002, he led New Zealand to a surprising fourth-place finish at the World Championships, averaging 16.9 points per game.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is one of the premier overseas teams, having won the European Cup two years in a row and three times in the last five years. They also won the Israeli Premier League title, going 21-1 in the regular season and sweeping through the playoffs undefeated.
