NZL - Injured Penney drops out of Tall Blacks squad

AUCKLAND (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - New Zealand will not have Kirk Penney in their line-up when they attempt to reach the London Games.

The Tall Blacks captain has been ruled out of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) with a torn calf muscle.

The sharpshooting guard, who started the season in Spain with Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada very strong, missed the last several games of the Liga Endesa campaign with the injury.

He will not not recover in time to play in Caracas.

In remarks published on the New Zealand Basketball Federation website, Penney said: "The decision ultimately comes down to my body.

"I tore my calf and then tore it again trying to come back too early.

"This forced me to miss the last five games of my season in Spain.

"I'm rehabbing my injury, but won't be ready for the Tall Blacks campaign this year."

Penney is a link to the very successful New Zealand past, dating back to the 2002 FIBA World Championship when the Tall Blacks made a surprising run to the Semi-Finals in Indianapolis.

The Kiwis will not only miss his scoring, but his leadership both on and off the court.

In their group at the OQT in Caracas, Venezuela, New Zealand will take on The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Angola.

The Tall Blacks must win a game to advance to the Quarter-Finals and then prevail again to reach the Semi-Finals.

A victory in the semi would punch New Zealand's ticket for the London Games, while a loss would leave them needing to beat the loser of the other semi in the last game of the OQT to claim the final qualifying spot.

Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic is wearing a brave face following the loss of his veteran Penney.

"When you lose your best scorer from the the last several years, the impact on the team has to be big," Vucinic said.

"We'll have to show strength and absorb this blow by everybody raising their level of performance.

"It could be a chance for others to step up, but it'll also be a challenge for our coaching staff to adjust to the different look of our team."

The blow is a major one for Penney, who is 31 years of age.

"Representing New Zealand on the world stage is something I've always been honored to do and not being able to play in an Olympic qualifying year is particularly tough," he said.

"But, I feel the team is in great hands with a fantastic coaching staff and young talent that keeps reaching new heights."

FIBA