GER - Berlin splash the cash on Penney

BERLIN (Bundesliga) - BBL joint-leaders Alba Berlin have eased their injury worries by signing New Zealand international Kirk Penney for the remainder of the season.

The 26-year-old guard joins the German capital club after playing for Euroleague side Zalgiris Kaunas earlier this season.

"It's great to come to a club with so much tradition like Alba and to such an interesting city like Berlin," said Penney, who arrived in Germany on Thursday.

The Penney acquisition was necessary as Berlin are dealing with a series of injuries in the guard and wing positions, including knocks to captain and playmaker William Avery, top-scorer Julius Jenkins, German international wing player Demond Greene and young German Philip Zwiener.

"We had to react," said Berlin coach Henrik Rodl. "We've been observing Kirk Penney for a while now.

"He's a good shooter and a complete team player. Kirk will fit in well with the team. I'm very happy the transfer worked out so quickly,"

Penney starred at the University of Wisconsin, going to one NCAA Final Four before playing briefly with the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.

The veteran of two Summer Olympics and two FIBA World Championships has also played in Spain (Gran Canaria) and Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv) before joining Zalgiris this season.

Penney's signing comes just days after Alba Berlin expressed a desire to increase their budget from seven million euros (£4.7 million) currently to 10 million (£6.7 million) by 2010.

The club was able to reach its goal of advancing to the final 16 of the UEFA Cup, losing both games home and away against Real Madrid.

"That will give us some back wind and is important for the club and the team," said club directing manager Marco Baldi.

But Baldi said the difference between his team and Real was the calibre of the bench players entering the game.

While Rodl was relying on 19-year-old Nicolai Simon and 18-year-old Oskar Fassler, Madrid's ninth and 10th players were established European veterans like Charles Smith and Eduardo Hernandez-Sonseca.

"These teams are deeper than before," said Baldi, noting that teams used to have eight strong players but now go 10-deep with excellent players.

Baldi hoped that such commitment to more higher-level players does not hinder the club's movement to develop young German talent, such as Simon, who netted 12 points in a 20-minute spell during the return leg ULEB Cup match with Madrid.

David Hein
FIBA