While thumbing through a binder filled with manager's reports, a
simple sentence in the 1962-63 men's basketball report proved to be
prophetic: "Only a freshman, Penoncello has already won the hearts
of WPI followers and it looks like he will be supplying exciting
basketball for Tech in the future."
During his freshman campaign, Penoncello led the Engineers in
halves played, a real rarity in an era that saw JV and freshman
squads. He averaged 10.1 points and was the second leading scorer
on the team. He continued to excel as a sophomore, averaging 11.9
points and a career-best 3.7 rebounds during the 1963-64 season. He
helped the team play extremely well at home in Alumni Gym, posting
wins against Suffolk, Lowell Tech, Nichols, AIC, and Coast Guard.
"What stands out about Larry was his hustle and awareness of the
game," commented teammate and Hall of Famer Bill Nims. "He was the
heart of the team who set the tempo in the game. Larry was a triple
threat to take the outside shot, drive to the basket for a score,
or create a shot for someone else."
As a junior, he led a much improved WPI during the 1964-65
season. The Engineers saw their win total from the previous season
double to 10, including notable wins over Brandeis, Clark, and
Tufts. For the second
season in a row, Penoncello averaged 11.9 points, and more
impressive, as point guard he helped five teammates average double
figures for the first time school history.
Little did he know, the second game during his senior year would
turn out to be perhaps the most notable in the history of WPI
basketball. The Crimson and Gray lost a hard-fought 71-62 decision
to Army-the victory would be the first for rookie Bobby Knight, the
all-time Division I leader in coaching victories.
Offensively, Penoncello's best season was the last for 19-year
head coach Charlie McNulty. As a captain, he averaged 13.6 points,
while draining a career-best 45.4% of his shots from the outside.
As team MVP, he totaled 945 career points and started for Worcester
in the annual Boston/Worcester all-star game.
Penoncello excelled outside the basketball arena at WPI as well.
He was class president as a sophomore, junior, and senior and he
was an active member of Skull.
"Larry deserves this honor because his passion for the game
combined with his basketball skills earned him the respect of both
teammates and opponents," commented teammate David LaRue. "He did
everything a quality point guard does and he was the best one I
ever played with. Larry always had a great attitude and I'm sure
his years after WPI have revealed him as a better person than
player."
Larry Penoncello graduated from WPI with a degree in civil
engineering. He recently retired after a distinguished career in
the automotive supply industry. Born and raised in Bristol, Conn.,
he and his wife, Karen, live in Canton, Conn. They have four
children-Scott, Jamie, Nicole, and Gregory-and three
grandchildren, Will, Abby and Mia.
