More nuggets from Steve Rennard

I wrote a piece for the paper today about the emergence of sophomore guard Steve Rennard in Penn's starting lineup. There were some bits that didn't make the dead-tree version but are worth sharing, so here are a few more nuggets from Rennard:

You've got a really quick shot and are able to get shots off despite tight defense. Have you been working on that?

Yeah. Ever since I was little, I had this one trainer, Mike Rice, he was the coach of Robert Morris [and current Rutgers coach], he was my trainer and that was one of the things he emphasized most was quick release — 'be fast but don’t rush' — ever since then I’ve been trying to get my shot off quickly. But once I got to college I didn’t really know what that meant. It’s a whole 'nother level.

You've hit some pretty clutch shots over the last few weeks, do you like getting the ball in those situations?

Absolutely. Obviously the confidence comes in knowing how much work you’ve put in. I’ve been trying to get up as many shots as possible before practice so when I do get in the game I feel confident in myself that I can make those shots.

That corner spot right in front of the Penn bench [see photo above] has become your favorite shot. What is it about that spot?

People say that they don’t like the corner for whatever reason — I don’t know, if the backboard's not behind it. It’s a circular net. The only reason why people don’t like the corner shot that I can think of is they don’t practice it. Every shot is the same to me. I just try and practice every spot just in case. I never know where I’m going to be on the floor, so I don’t want to not like one shot less than the other.