PG Scoonie Penn (official thread)

[JohnnyCockfight]

Why isn't Scoonie in the NBA for crying out loud? This guy has every bit as much talent as half the starting point guards in the league. He sure as hell has more talent than Mateen Cleaves, and that ugly bastard was in the league.

Somebody tell me why.

[HabaneroBuck]

Cause he's short, doesn't have the greatest handles, and isn't the greatest shooter. Just like top -100 lists of recruits, someone good has to come in place #106 or whatever. He's close, but not quite a League guy.

[jlb1705]

I agree. I think he'd make an excellent coach somewhere though.

[vrbryant]

...or he could just keep living like a pimp playing in Europe.

[screwblue22]

Last I heard of him he was playing for Scavolini an Italian Team in the FIBA. He was also still recovering from that broken leg he suffered a year or so back. I think he is better than probably 50% of the NBAs point guards, but maybe thats just me.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

6/29/06

Scoonie organizes Buckeye Legends for hoops camp

News file photo
Former Ohio State University point guard Scoonie Penn has joined with former coach Rick Boyages to put on the Buckeye Legends Hoop Camp, which will be July 31 through Aug. 4 at Columbus Academy.
By JONATHAN KNIGHT
For one week this summer, Columbus Academy will serve as the center of the Ohio State basketball universe.

From July 31 though Aug. 4, the Gahanna private school will host the first Buckeye Legends Hoop Camp, organized by former OSU men's basketball assistant coach Rick Boyages and former point guard Scoonie Penn.

Designed for boys and girls ages 9 through 15, the camp will feature a smorgasbord of former Buckeye players who will work with youngsters and teach them the fundamentals of the game.

Michael Redd, Terrence Dials, Brian Brown, George Reece, Kenny Johnson and Brent Darby are all expected to appear and orchestrate sessions on individual skills training, instruction of 3-on-3 concepts, and 5-on-5 scrimmaging. Additionally, there will be skill competitions and speeches.

"I'm excited about it," said Penn, who has been playing professionally in Europe since leaving Ohio State. "I've wanted to do it for a while, but I haven't had much time. It's going to be annually, and maybe we can even have it where it can be done two times a summer."

Boyages, now the associate commissioner overseeing men's basketball in the Mid-American Conference, said the Legends camp has been a year in the making.

"We started talking with Columbus Academy a year ago," he said. "I have a good relationship with the headmaster and we talked for a while. We got together with Scoonie Penn and decided we could do a couple things: have a camp for kids at a great location and a great school, and also recruit a lot of former players and teammates to come back."

It will also mark the first time Academy has ever hosted an open-to-the-public athletic camp.

"We both thought it was a good idea," said CA athletics director Dominic Facciolla.
Boyages said Academy is an ideal location for the camp, with two gymnasiums and four outdoor basketball courts, as well as a large lobby in the athletic wing for registration and access to the school cafeteria.

"The way our campus is set up, it's really conducive to this kind of thing," Facciolla said. "This is a new avenue for us, so we're taking a look and seeing if it's a way we want to go."

Facciolla said they're looking at a maximum of about 200 campers.

"It will be fun for the kids," Facciolla said, "but also well-executed."

Which is exactly what both Boyages and Penn want.

"We all love working with little kids and teaching fundamentals," Boyages said. "Over the course of a week, the combination of working with the kids and seeing all the old teammates will be great."

"I want them to come and learn something," Penn said. "I remember how precious it was for me to go to camp when I was young and I'd take things from the camp and put them into my game.

"I like to teach kids. I look at it like I'm a student of the game. I get a kick out of that kind of thing."

Penn will lead the parade of former Buckeye standouts, fresh off his best professional season in Europe, playing for leagues in Italy and Croatia. Penn hopes to land a spot on an NBA roster this summer.

Meanwhile, the camp also allows Boyages to scratch a coaching itch he's felt since he moved into an administrative position with the OSU athletic department following head coach Jim O'Brien's resignation in 2004. Boyages began his collegiate coaching career as the head coach at Bates College in Maine, then joined O'Brien as an assistant at Boston College and followed him to Columbus.

Boyages also served as William & Mary's head coach for three years from 2000 to 2003 and has conducted hundreds of summer camps and clinics throughout the United States and Europe.

He now lives in Upper Arlington and drives to the MAC offices in Cleveland for a few days each week.

"I miss the coaching at times," Boyages said. "I don't miss the recruiting or the stress of coaching, but that's why doing camps and clinics gets my fix for me. I do enjoy being around basketball and being constantly in touch with the coaches and the issues."

The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $295 per camper.

Lunch will not be provided, but water will be readily available to all campers and sports drinks will be available for purchase.

There will be a closing award ceremony at 3 p.m. on Aug. 4.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/30/06

Scoonie Penn and Ken Johnson, teammates of Michael Redd at Ohio State, spent three days last week trying to land a contract with Redd’s current team, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Penn and Johnson were among 18 free agents who participated in a team minicamp in Milwaukee.
Penn has played overseas, most recently in Croatia, since leaving Ohio State in 2000. Johnson played last season in South Korea. Both live in Columbus during the off-season.

[Steve19]

I watched Scoonie Penn play for Olympiacos last night in a televised European game. His game appears to have matured a lot and it was a lot of fun to catch up and watch him in a game. He was patient and spread the ball around a lot. He was leading scorer at the half with 12 points. He appeared to be the shortest guy on the floor and I laughed out loud when he took a rebound away from a guy who must have been 6'11".

I haven't watched Euroball before. Lots of Americans playing and they look to be reaching a good critical mass. Not NBA but good.

[Buckskin86]

Published: May 31, 2007 12:00 am
Scoonie's Coming Home: Penn to return for Salem Hall of Fame induction
By Mike Grenier , Staff Writer
Salem News

SalemNews.com, Salem, MA - Scoonie's Coming Home: Penn to return for Salem Hall of Fame induction

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

A Euroleague basketball game Wednesday in Istanbul, Turkey, had an Ohio flavor to it.
Shaun Stonerook and Romain Sato helped Montepaschi of Siena, Italy, edge Efes Pilsen of Istanbul, featuring Scoonie Penn and Kenny Gregory, 79-76 in overtime. Stonerook played for Ohio State and Ohio University, Sato for Xavier, Penn for Ohio State and Gregory for Kansas after playing at Independence High School.

[RugbyBuck]

It's not the NBA, but I've got to think it would be a hell of a time to play the sport one loves for a living in Europe. Beats the hell out of coaching high school ball. No offense, OG, you know what I mean. I'd drop the bar license in a heartbeat to play professional basketball or rugby somewhere.

[Clarity]

Vince caught a few minutes of Scoonie while he was over for the Matta presser. Only about 3 minutes long, but he touches on what he's been doing, the progression of Buckeye basketball since his departure, and former coach Jim O'Brien.

YouTube - Scoonie Penn, former Ohio State Basketball Buckeye. 6/27

YouTube - Scoonie Penn, former Ohio State Basketball Buckeye. 6/27

[fourteenandoh]

there's some great stuff on that video.

[Buckskin86]

Published: August 28, 2008 03:20 pm
Scoonie Penn legend overlooked
Mike Grenier

Has time dimmed the memory of all the extraordinary things that Scoonie Penn did on the basketball court? Apparently it has, because Scoonie?s magnificent career was overlooked in our list of the Top 10 Most Amazing North Shore Sports Accomplishments in the last 25 years.

There is absolutely no question in my mind that the dynamic 5-foot-10 point guard from Salem High, who ranks as one of the greatest scorers in state history with 2,189 points, belongs in our Top 10 whether you?re talking about his final fantastic year with the Witches or his overall body of work.

Following in the footsteps of Rick Brunson at Salem, Penn capped off a brilliant four-year high school run by carrying the Witches to a 25-0 record and the Division 2 state championship in 1994-95. He was the complete package | a leader, playmaker, scorer, defender and the heart and soul of coach Paul Garrity?s program.

His most memorable regular season game as a senior came in the finale against a very good Peabody team. With his sidekick, Jamal Camah, forced to sit out the game, Penn stepped up and scored 53 points in a 77-75 victory. The Witches then went 5-0 in the postseason, and I still have this image of Scoonie bowing to all the Salem fans at the Worcester Centrum near the end of an 81-68 drubbing of Greenfield in the state title game.

Scoonie Penn legend overlooked - SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

[schwab]

How much fun was this guy to watch during his days in Columbus?

Don't forget the 1999 Final Four that never happened.. it happened..

My fellow Morrill Tower-ites started off calling them Scoonie bombs... then Scoobie bombs.. then Scoobie snacks.. we ended up with snacks... i.e., 4 snacks for Scoonie tonight.. that [Mark May] was fun!!

Scoonie Penn was awesome for the Buckeyes, and I can't believe I have gone this long without hearing his name So damn fun to watch

I just remembered his block against St. Johns...