Silver Stars add Yilmaz and Penn for remainder of season

Published on August 12, 2004 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
San Antonio Stars News Release


San Antonio, TX– Silver Stars Chief Operating Officer Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil announced today that the Silver Stars have signed free agents Nevriye Yilmaz and Jocelyn Penn for the remainder of the season.

Yilmaz, a 6'4" center, has spent the majority of her professional career playing overseas. A native of Bulgaria with Turkish citizenship, she has represented Turkey on the national level since 1994. She has played for the Turkish National Team in four European Championships (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) and also represented Turkey in the European Championships for Junior Women on three occasions (1996, 1998 and 2000). During the 2003 European Championships, Yilmaz guided Turkey to the semifinal round, averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. In the 2001 championships she averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Turkish squad. During the 1998 European Championship for Junior Women she averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

This past spring Yilmaz played in Italy for Basket Spezia Club in the 2004 FIBA Europe Cup. She started all 14 games for the Italian club, averaging 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. In 2003 she made her WNBA debut playing in five games for the Phoenix Mercury where she averaged 2.8 points in 6.8 minutes per game. Yilmaz has also played with several teams for the Ronchetti Cup (1999, 2000, 2002) and in 2001 she played for Galatasaray (Turkey) in the EuroLeague Championship.

Penn, a 6'0" guard, spent the 2003 WNBA season with the Washington Mystics. She appeared in 30 games, averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game. Penn played four seasons at the University of South Carolina under the guidance of former Gamecocks assistant coach and now Silver Stars Head Coach Shell Dailey. In 2003 she was selected to the Associated Press All-America Second Team and was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-American Team. Penn earned All-SEC First Team honors as a junior and senior and is the SEC's all-time leader in steals with 353. As a senior she recorded two 50-plus point games to become the first Division I women's player to break the 50-point plateau in three years.

The WNBA is currently in the middle of its Olympic Break which lasts from August 2-31, to allow WNBA players to compete for their respective National Teams at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. During the break, the remaining members of the Silver Stars will remain in San Antonio and will take part in practices and various community activities.

The Silver Stars will return to action on Wednesday, September 1, when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Sparks. Fans can tune in and listen to all of the team's 2004 WNBA games on Clear Channel radio stations Ticket 760 AM and KSJL 810 AM with Andrew Monaco calling the action.

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