NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Basketball / NZ Breakers

Kirk Penney - Deadly jump shot brings Breakers marksman back to where it began

Kris Shannon
By Kris Shannon
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
30 Sep, 2016 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Pre-season rest might not be a bad thing for Kirk Penney, who is good to go now. Photo / Greg Bowker

Pre-season rest might not be a bad thing for Kirk Penney, who is good to go now. Photo / Greg Bowker

Kirk Penney, who has been around the basketball world in between bookending his long and eventful career on the North Shore, may this season be facing an unfamiliar role.

Educated at Westlake Boys High before becoming the second Kiwi to play in the NBA, a veteran of European basketball and now back with the New Zealand Breakers, Penney could be preparing for the relatively unfamiliar experience of riding the bench.

That status, ahead of next week's tip-off in the Australian NBL, has nothing to do with the calf injury that has plagued his pre-season. Penney participated in full practice the last couple of days and has reported to coach Paul Henare that he "feels as good as he ever has".

No, Penney's possible task with his hometown club is less about poor health and more the result of a richness of options. He and Corey Webster are gunning for the same position, and the latter may have the inside running.

There's little to separate the shooting guards on the stat sheet. Last season, Webster at times carried the Breakers and finished with 19.8 points a game, third in the competition, while Penney poured in 20.4 during a one-year liaison with the Illawarra Hawks, good for second on the scoring charts.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They'll still see similar time at the two-spot; rotations mean none of Henare's guards is expected to average more than 30 minutes on the floor. And both players can dabble in other positions, Penney moving up to small forward and Webster backing up at point guard.

But, with Henare enjoying the luxury of managing minutes, one number is likely to see Penney initially consigned to the pine: the eight-year age difference between the former Tall Blacks shooting guard and younger man who took over that title.

So Penney and his 35-year-old legs may, for the first time since he chased an NBA spot with far fewer miles on the odometer, could become accustomed to watching the start of a game from the sideline.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I have no idea," Penney says when asked about his potential role. "I have no idea how that's going to go. That's a question for Pauli [Henare]."

Okay, coach, with a couple of scoring aces up your sleeve, what hand are you going to play?

"I do like the balance," says Henare. "Fully-fit, I think we can play a couple of different ways, and I do like the versatility that we have.

"When we are at full-strength, I don't think we need guys playing 35 minutes. Really, we're looking at playing hard for 26-28 minutes. Fully-fit, I don't think we need to be stretching guys in terms of their workload."

Discover more

NBA

Watch: Steven Adams stars in parody

26 Sep 06:17 PM
All Blacks

How the Pumas plan on beating All Blacks

30 Sep 07:05 PM
NRL

Anthony Mundine mulls political career

30 Sep 07:11 PM
All Blacks

Is $1.07 a good price for an ABs win?

30 Sep 10:59 PM

That news, to any normal athlete in their mid-30s, would probably be as pleasing as the post-game massage that rubs away aches and pains. But as his longevity suggests, Penney, with respect, is abnormal.

Assiduous in his health-care and fitness, a proponent of proper diet and exercise deliberately designed to extend his playing days, Penney is an exception.

And, happily for the Breakers, having signed the former favourite son to a three-year contract, his current ailment may eventually prove a positive.

"The body feels like it did last year, so hopefully I can play well and help the team as best I can," Penney says. "It's been nice to get a good break. It's hard to do that during the year, so it was relatively good timing for an injury, if you can ever have good timing for an injury."

That final qualifier is certainly relevant. The Breakers endured a winless pre-season and, while it was certainly preferential for Penney to have worn street clothes when the results counted for nothing, that troublesome calf strain would have hardly helped him settle in.

Yet, this, of course, is far from foreign territory for the sporting nomad. This is no Israel, no Lithuania or Turkey. This is a group of coaches and players with whom Penney has enjoyed regular acquaintance throughout a professional career now entering its 14th year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Obviously, for me personally, it's not a hard transition, because we have guys in here who have played together for a long, long time," Penney says. "I think we all feel pretty comfortable right now.

"But there's a lot of work to do. We have a game a week [yesterday], so it's very soon. Playing Melbourne, who I think will be one of the favoured teams, we'll get a good idea of where we're at. And we're working very hard to be ready for that game."

Few will be working harder than the new recruit. Even if, at this point, Penney has little left to achieve, having last season confirmed his status as among the best players in the league and, in another life, having led the Breakers to their maiden championship.

But there's no denying the turning of pages on the calendar, no rejecting the undeniable truth that athletes are subject to the whims of aging.

So perhaps Penney does have something to prove to his home fans and, of equal import, himself. Surely, even one of the best basketballers this country has ever produced, will at some point feel the effect of all those jump shots?

Father Time, after all, remains undefeated.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think last year I was supposed to slow down, but I felt normal," Penney says. "I was working out at a gym in Madison, Wisconsin [in the off-season], playing one-on-one with this guy, and he didn't know who I was.

"He said, 'Man, you're pretty good, I've played here, where are you from, where's that accent from?' I said, 'Well, I'm 35, man, you shouldn't be losing to me'.

"He said, 'When do you lose it, like 31 or 32?' and I said, 'Oh, that's a good question'."

One for which Penney, whether or not he's in the starting five come Friday, has no answer.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from NZ Breakers

Breakers

NZ Breakers sold to new ownership group

20 Mar 01:28 AM
Breakers

Breakers great dies aged 46

24 Feb 06:00 PM
Breakers

Injury rules Breakers star out for rest of NBL season

31 Jan 10:56 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from NZ Breakers

NZ Breakers sold to new ownership group

NZ Breakers sold to new ownership group

20 Mar 01:28 AM

The American ownership group has moved the team on after seven seasons.

Breakers great dies aged 46

Breakers great dies aged 46

24 Feb 06:00 PM
Injury rules Breakers star out for rest of NBL season

Injury rules Breakers star out for rest of NBL season

31 Jan 10:56 PM
'I hear the fans': Breakers owner on local talent and trying to get Kiwi core

'I hear the fans': Breakers owner on local talent and trying to get Kiwi core

26 Jan 04:00 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP