Scoonie Penn facts for kids
Penn, with Efes, in 2008.
|
|||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1977 Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
||||||||||
| High school | Salem (Salem, Massachusetts) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College |
|
||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2000 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall | ||||||||||
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||
| Pro career | 2000–2011 | ||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2019–present | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Trieste | ||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Virtus Roma | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Asheville Altitude | ||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Cibona | ||||||||||
| 2004 | Makedonikos | ||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Scavolini Pesaro | ||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Cibona | ||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Olympiacos | ||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Efes Pilsen | ||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Kyiv | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Virtus Bologna | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Olympiacos | ||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Prima Veroli | ||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||
| 2019–2024 | Memphis Grizzlies (assistant) | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
As player:
|
|||||||||||
|
Medals
|
|||||||||||
James Donell "Scoonie" Penn (born January 9, 1977) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played as a point guard during his career, mostly in Europe. Scoonie was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2000 NBA Draft. He was the 57th player picked overall. Even though he was drafted, he never played a game in the NBA. Most recently, he was an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Contents
High School Basketball Career
Scoonie Penn played high school basketball at Salem High School in Salem, Massachusetts. He was a very talented player. In 1995, he led his team to win a state championship. This was a big achievement for him and his school.
College Basketball Career
After high school, Scoonie went on to play college basketball. He first played for Boston College. Later, he moved to Ohio State University.
At Ohio State, he teamed up with Michael Redd. Redd later became a shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks. Together, Penn and Redd formed a very strong backcourt. They were a powerful duo on the court.
Professional Basketball Career
After finishing college, Scoonie Penn decided to play basketball overseas. He moved to Europe to start his professional career. He made a big impact with the team Crvena zvezda (also known as Red Star Belgrade). This team plays in the Adriatic League.
The 2002–03 season was a great year for Penn with Crvena zvezda. He was the team's leader and played his best basketball. Fans really loved watching him play.
After leaving Red Star, Penn played for many other teams in Europe. In the 2005–06 season, he played for Cibona Zagreb. The next season (2006–07), he joined Olympiacos, a team in the Greek Basket League.
He then moved to Turkey to play for Efes Pilsen during the 2007–08 season. After that, he played for Kyiv in Ukraine for the 2008–09 season.
In 2009, Penn went to Italy to play for Virtus Bologna in the Italian League. On New Year's Day in 2010, he returned to Olympiacos in Greece. He replaced another player who was having trouble adjusting to European basketball. In October 2010, he signed with Prima Veroli. This team was in the Italian Second Division. He played there until 2011, when he finished his playing career.
Playing for Team USA
Scoonie Penn also represented his country, the United States, in basketball. He was a member of the Team USA. In 1999, he competed in the Summer Universiade in Palma. At this event, he helped Team USA win a gold medal.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing professional basketball, Scoonie Penn started a new career as a coach. He first worked for the Ohio State basketball program. There, he was the director of player development. This role helps players improve their skills.
On August 5, 2019, Penn took on a new challenge. He became an assistant coach for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He worked with the Grizzlies until 2023.
Awards and Achievements
Scoonie Penn earned many awards during his college and professional playing days:
College Achievements
- In the 1995–96 season, he was named the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year. He was also part of the First Team All-Big East Conference.
- For the 1996–97 season, he was again First Team All-Big East Conference. He also won the Big East Conference tournament championship and was named its Most Valuable Player (MVP).
- In 1998–99, he was the co-Player of the Year for the Big Ten Conference.
- He led Ohio State to the NCAA Final Four in 1999.
- In 1999–2000, he received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. This award goes to the best senior player under 6 feet tall.
- He was named Third Team All-America in both his junior and senior years. He was also First Team All-Big Ten Conference in those seasons.
- Scoonie finished his college career at Ohio State University as the school's all-time leader in three-point shots made.
Professional Achievements
- He won the Croatian League championship twice (2004, 2006).
- He won the Greek Cup in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Scoonie Penn para niños
