Pare Pene came around the world to play basketball for UTC. The 5-foot-7 guard is preparing for her freshman season with the Mocs, who open Nov. 6 against Lee.Pare Pene’s learning curve this summer and fall has been more like a gigantic hill.
The shift hasn’t just been on the basketball court for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman. There has been a culture change for the New Zealand native, who is Maori (eastern Polynesian), Portuguese and Chinese.
The 5-foot-7 guard was the last of the four freshmen on this year’s UTC roster to report to the team, not arriving until August because she was competing for the Rotorua Basketball Lady Volcanoes in New Zealand. Pene averaged 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while ranking fourth in the league in steals with 1.8 per game.
Her contributions helped the team reach the WBC Tier 2 Grand Final in July, but the change to the American style was an adjustment for her.
“Here, I feel like we get more energy from the team and our teammates,” Pene said Wednesday. “Here, it’s more aggressive and a faster pace, plus I feel like I’m learning everything from scratch, like the plays, how to play defense, because it’s very different in New Zealand. I’ve also been learning about my teammates and how they play the game.”