(Big game veteran)Last Saturday in the Greek Cup Final (2.20.2010) , Scoonie Penn nailed a big three before a raucous fourth quarter crowd in a 9-0 stretch that would lift Olympiakos over rival Panathinaikos. Right now the Reds of Piraeus, Greece are on some 'best team' in Europe type ish. They have established themselves as clear Euroleague title contenders, having not lost a Euroleague game since November of 2009. They are also nice in the Greek League as well with a 15-2 record. The dethroning of Panathinaikos was yet another message & marking point about this team's play. Right now you would be hard pressed to argue against Olympiacos being one of, if not the hottest team on the continent.
One of the better stories from this squad is the backcourt which is led by young Serbian star Milos Teodosic. Milos has a wealth of knowledge to draw from both of his backups, Greek great Theo Papaloukas, & European Basketball extraordinaire James 'Scoonie ' Penn, whose patience & right attitude is not only paying off for himself, but for his club as well.
Penn returned to Olympiacos, a club he played for in 2006/2007, in early January 2010. Scoonie, the consummate professional that he is, quickly recognized the opportunity of re-joining & being apart of a club & roster such as Olympiacos. He arrived in Piraeus with selfless, team first attitude of any thing it takes for a W, whatever the minute or individual stat totals. Scoonie started out in Euroleague play with minimal minutes, but his defense & poised play had led to more time on the court in the most crucial situations. You could tell that he was really just trying to ease himself into this talented team in January. But now in late February, Penn is player more comfortable and fully integrated. The reds expect and rely on Scoonie for tough defense & heady play in clutch situations. He has already made some key shots for Oly including a three in overtime vs Efes Pilsen, & threes vs Partizan & PAO in the Greek Cup.
Was there any doub that Penn would be able to adjust his mindset, step in & play in big time Euroleague games? There should not have been, he is a Pro's Pro. Scoonie perfectly explains his role & frame of mind in this interview before a Euroleague game vs another former club, Cibona from Croatia.
First half 3 agianst PAO in the Greek Cup
The Reds play their hated rival PAO yet again today in a Greek League game at around 4:00pm eastern time.
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