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PG Scoonie Penn (B1G POY, All-American, Asst. Coach Memphis Grizzlies)

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I had met Scoonie for the first time about an hour earlier. When I arrived at St. John?s Arena I introduced myself, and we talked some about what he?s been up to these days. Guy hits you like a tornado of positive energy when you meet him. With about five minutes left during pregame warm-ups, he walked off the floor to sit back down next to me under his team?s basket. I was in the first row, next to Team Columbus? bench.

?This game is great to be a part of,? Scoonie told me before the Battle for Ohio tipped off on Saturday. ?I?ve played basketball overseas for eleven years now. I?ve been on some great teams over there with some really good players, and I?ve had some tremendous experiences. I played with Olympiacos the year we had Josh Childress and Linas Kleiza for example, and we were really good. But it?s just always great to be back in Columbus. I live here now with my family, and we love it here.?

The people of Columbus love Scoonie, too. He wore a microphone for a local television station during the first quarter, and the first question every person I talked to in Columbus later that night asked me was whether or not Scoonie Penn was at the game. Then they?d tell me how much they loved watching him on that team with Michael Redd, who he was back in town with on Saturday.

?It?s great to be back with these guys, with Mike [Redd] sitting on the bench with us, lot of my old teammates here, it?s great.?

Free Agent Michael Redd was an honorary coach for Team Columbus. He sat on the bench with former number one overall pick Greg Oden, who also participated as a coach for the 614. Antonio Daniels, Samaki Walker, Terrance Dials, Jon Diebler, and others were alongside Scoonie with Team Columbus, headlined by the Sixers Evan Turner.

?My tournament also started this weekend, I?ve been busy this week,? Scoonie went on to tell me. ?I have teams down here from Kentucky, Pennslyannia, Indiana, West Virginia and Michigan all playing in my T.O.U.C.H Hoops Classic right now. It?s a double elimination tournament that raises money to help out our charity, and the grand prize pays out $10,000 to the winning team. David Lighty came by last night to play in it for us. It?s been good working trying to get that off the ground, and I?m hoping to make that event even bigger next year.?

As we continued to talk, David Lighty was introduced as a starter for Team Cleveland, alongside the Cavaliers Tristan Thompson, who came down to rep for the 216. Huge roars from crowd followed, that got even louder as Evan Turner and the home 614 Team was introduced. Then Scoonie Penn?s name rang out over the PA, and we?d have to pick our conversation up later.

?Gotta go my man,? Sconnie said as he popped up, slapped me five, and ran out to take the court. ?Talk to you later on.?

His Team 614 would get that 94-91 win over the visiting Team 216 in the first ever meeting between the two sides before it was over. I?m hoping to find that audio he recorded while he was mic?d up too, it?s gotta be some classic stuff I imagine.
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http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2012/07/battle-for-ohio-recap-michael-redd/
 
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The 5-11 Penn played for the Buckeyes in 1998-2000 together with former Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd. He was a two-time All Big 10 selection and was a third team All-American as a senior.

In his junior year, he led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 1999. He played one more season, earning the Naismith Award for the top senior under six feet.

After his collegiate stint, was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2000 draft but never made the team. Instead, he played 11 seasons in Europe.

?I played in Athens, Rome, Milan, Istanbul,? said Penn. ?I played on some really good teams. Through my work, I was able to become a captain for my team in Greece, in Istanbul and in Italy. Everything came from the hard work. It came from me believing in myself.?

Before playing for the Buckeyes, Penn had a troublesome freshman year at Boston College, where his off-court controversies overshadowed his fine performance on the court.

?On the court, I was fine,? said Penn. ?Off the court, I had some things I had to work out. ? For my punishment, everyone (on the team) had to run for something I did. Obviously, the seniors and juniors were mad at me. ?Look at that little freshman here. He thinks he?s the man already.?

?My attitude was pretty bad at the time. But the work I had to put in to get the respect of my teammates, my coach and my school was something I was embarrassed about,? he added.

Penn played for Jim O?Brien at Boston College for a year. He then followed O?Brien to Ohio State, but had to sit out one year.

?I love Columbus. I do,? said Penn. ?I go back to Boston and visit my family. But I like Columbus. The cost of living is better. The traffic is a lot better. People, in general, are much warmer.?
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http://gantdaily.com/2012/08/13/ex-ohio-hoop-star-scoonie-penn-advises-students-to-stay-in-school/
 
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Big Ten Tales: Ohio State?s Scoonie Penn

Written by Sean Merriman, BTN.com contributor
posted on
1/10/13

What?s the best way to settle a friendly argument over what type of music to play in the locker room? For former Ohio State basketball star Scoonie Penn and his Buckeye teammates, the solution was wrestling. I met Penn in the Big Ten Network studio to hear that story and others from his Ohio State playing days for my latest Big Ten Tales.

After transferring to Ohio State from Boston College after the 1997 season, Penn enjoyed two outstanding years under Buckeyes coach Jim O?Brien. The 5-foot-11 point guard was honored as the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year in 1998-99, became Ohio State?s all-time leader in made three-pointers, and went on to play 10 years of professional basketball overseas.

More recently, he?s worked as analyst on ?Big Ten Basketball Report,? one of several studio shows on BTN.

BTN.com: You starred at Ohio State in the late 1990s, but you didn?t start your playing career in Columbus. Can you take me through the story of how you wound up at Ohio State?
Scoonie Penn: Well, I was born and raised a Boston kid, so I ended up staying at home and going to BC. After my sophomore year, I remember watching TV and I see that Coach O?Brien, who was my coach at the time, is leaving Boston College for Ohio State.

When O?Brien left, we had guys in my year transfer, but I was stuck in the middle. I had a really good sophomore year, but I wanted to play with my coach. My choice was enter the draft, stay at BC or transfer, so I sat back and thought about it long and hard. I thought the best move for me was to stay in college because I wanted to get my degree. I remember my first visit was to Ohio State and I knew they had a lot of rebuilding to do. But in the end, I really enjoyed it there and I wanted to help rebuild that program, so I ended up in Columbus.

BTN.com: You and Michael Redd formed one of the greatest college backcourts not only that year, but of that entire decade. How was it playing alongside him?
Penn: I love Mike. We remain great friends. But when playing, to be honest, Mike and I would bump heads. You would never think that if you watched us on the court.

cont...
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http://btn.com/2013/01/10/big-ten-tales-ohio-states-scoonie-penn/
 
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Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013 Announced

Group includes 14 inductees, with 12 former student-athletes and two coaches

June 13, 2013

James "Scoonie" Penn
Basketball 1999-00
James "Scoonie" Penn played for two seasons (1999, 2000) at Ohio State following a transfer from Boston College. A tireless competitor, Penn helped orchestrate one of the most monumental turnarounds in Ohio State and Big Ten history.

As a senior, Penn was awarded with the Francis Pomeroy Award, given to the best player in the country under 6-feet tall. He was one of the most well-rounded players nationally during his time with the Buckeyes. In just two years at Ohio State, Penn set the Ohio State record for career 3-pointers made with 153, a mark that is now tied for fourth all-time. Penn's 88 made 3s in 1998-99 is the fifth-best total in a single season at Ohio State.

The two-time captain, who was named captain before playing his first game as a Buckeye, Penn was named co-team MVP along with Michael Redd following the 1998-99 season, and again following the 2000 season.

A consensus Second Team All-America selection in 2000 and two-time First Team All-Big Ten guard, Penn is tied for the No. 20 spot in single season scoring in the Ohio State record book with 609 points scored during his junior year (1998-99). Though he was an accomplished scorer, Penn was best known for setting up his teammates and playing defense. He recorded 284 assists in two seasons with the Buckeyes. He was credited with 70 thefts as a junior and 66 as a senior. Both totals are among the Top 10 single-season efforts in Ohio State history. In both his junior and senior seasons, Penn led the Buckeyes in both assists and steals. In 66 career games, Penn became a 1,000-point scorer in an OSU uniform. He finished with 1,076 career points as a Buckeye for a scoring average of 16.3 points per game. He is one of three Buckeyes in history to score 1,000 or more points in just two years in an Ohio State uniform.

Over the history of Value City Arena (1999-present), Penn is one of just six Buckeyes to reach 30 or more points on Ohio State's home court. He tallied 30 points vs. Wisconsin Feb. 24, 1999 and his 12 assists vs. Florida A&M Dec. 4, 1999, also is an arena record. Against Oakland University Nov. 13, 1998, the first game played at Value City Arena, Penn recorded the first assist in the building's history.
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http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/061313aaa.html
 
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