@kirkpenney “Signed to play in Ankara, Turkey”
Former NBL MVP and New Zealand Breakers star Kirk Penny announced via Twitter today that he has signed with Turkish club Ankara Kolejliler after severing ties with his Spanish club Baloncesto Fuenlabrada.
Penney joins a team on a high in the Turkish capital as Ankara Kolejliler earned promotion to the top league in Turkey, after winning the TBL-2 this past season with a 20-2 record.
Penney played last season with Fuenlabrada in the Spanish ACB where Australian Boomer Joe Ingles won the Spanish League title last month. He appeared in 28 games and averaged 14.4 points and 2.2 rebounds. Penney finished fifth in scoring in the ACB despite his team finishing 16th in the 18 team competition.
Penney also represented Fuenlabrada in EuroChallenge competition, the league formerly known as the FIBA EuroCup where Chris Anstey won a Championship with UNICS Kazan in 2004. He averaged 12.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 14 games of EuroChallenge play.
Kirk Penney played for the New Zealand Breakers from 2007-2011 and has career averages of 22.9ppg, 4.5rpg and 2.6apg in the NBL. Penney was both the NBL leading scorer and MVP in 2009 and still holds the record for highest single game scoring effort in the NBL (since it moved to 40 minute games) by scoring 49 pts in 35 mins in 2010 against the Adelaide 36ers.
Kirk Penney scorches the 36ers for 49 pts in 35 mins
Penney played college ball at Wisconsin before two short stints in the NBA for the Miami Heat (2003) and LA Clippers (2004). Today he is widely considered as one of the best players outside of the NBA.
Penney was who has unable to play for the New Zealand National team this year due to a calf injury he sustained during his season in the ACB.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
