James "Scoonie" Penn

James “Scoonie” Penn enters his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant coach for head coach Taylor Jenkins following two seasons (2017-19) as director of player development at his alma mater of The Ohio State University.

Penn originally attended Boston College where he was named the 1995-96 Big East Rookie of the Year selected to the 1996-97 All-Big East First Team. He then transferred to Ohio State, where he was named the 1998-99 Big Ten Player of the Year and led the Buckeyes to the 1999 NCAA Final Four.

A two-time All-American and All-Big Ten selection while at Ohio State, Penn scored 1,076 points for the Buckeyes, and his 123 points scored in NCAA Tournament play rank seventh in program history.

Voted into The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, the Massachusetts native was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft and enjoyed an 11-year professional career in Europe.