Basketball: Lemanis sure leaving Penney out of team was right call

Kirk Penney. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Breakers have clearly had enough of the Kirk Penney circus, but that doesn't mean it is over just yet.

The star shooter standing outside the team huddle dressed in jeans and a T-shirt was an incongruous sight as the Breakers struggled to subdue the Tigers on Thursday night.

The Breakers needed Penney, he was there, but he wasn't permitted to be part of the team.

Coach Andrej Lemanis was adamant he'd made the right call to overlook Penney, who had returned from his US sojourn on Tuesday, regardless of the result against the Tigers.

"It was purely based on what is best for the team," Lemanis said.

Lemanis wouldn't be drawn on whether Penney's omission contained an element of punishment, however, the line of questioning annoyed guard CJ Bruton.

"It is all about the team," Bruton interjected. "We are in this together to win the championship. When Kirk left he was gone. We only focused on us. You guys [the media] focused on him. This is about the Breakers, it ain't about one player.

"Now that he is back we will address that and we will move forward."

Asked if he expected Penney's re-integration to run smoothly, Bruton said: "It goes how it goes. You guys can ask all the questions you want but you probably won't get the answers you want because it is in-house. This is a team. We are not going to get our dirty laundry out there in the open. We don't have anything to discuss right now. It is about us."

Having just knocked down seven three-pointers in a stellar personal performance to help defeat the Tigers and take the club to 3-0 - a mark that equals the club's best start to an NBL campaign - Bruton's exasperation was understandable. But his attempt to draw a line under the issue isn't likely to succeed.

The Breakers now face three tough road matches against the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth. Should their form dip, questions about Penney's influence are certain to resurface.

Bruton later softened his stance, pointing out that Penney was "family" and that the team was delighted to have him back. "I'm happy," Bruton said. "[But] I'm annoyed that the media wants to press an issue which is not about our team."

The club's record without their star scorer is particularly good in recent times, with the team having won nine of 11 games he has missed over the past two seasons. The mid-season form slump that ultimately cost a finals place last season coincided with Penney's return from an eight-match absence with a back injury.

Lemanis, however, is confident that won't happen again.

"Last year we had an issue with a difference in style that we needed to play when Kirk was out and when he was in. This year the style stays the same. That's why I don't see it as an issue."