Hot shot

Forward is consistent bright spot

By ADAM McCLELLAN
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

The SUU basketball team has had its share of highs and lows, but there have been a couple of consistent bright spots this season and forward David Palmer is definitely one of them.
Palmer was the team’s leading scorer up until three games ago and a constant force on both ends of the court.
Palmer is a transfer student from American River Junior College where he led the Beavers in scoring with 19 points a game and was second in rebounding, pulling down nearly 10 per game. Last year at American River he managed to earn Bay Valley Conference MVP and All-California honors.
Palmer was heavily recruited by a number of schools including Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton, Idaho State; but after visiting the campus at SUU, it was all he needed to make his decision.
“Once I came to Cedar and saw the way the coaches treated the players and the way they talked to me, they had me interested, but it was more than that,” Palmer said. “I love the outdoors and the small town atmosphere. On top of that it seemed like a fun place, the guy that hosted me took me to a football game and then a ‘Dave Pretzer’ party. It seemed like a really cool place and somewhere I wanted to come.”
After that, Palmer canceled his other recruiting trips and never looked back.
Since his arrival, he has made a large impact on the team. Teammate Donnie Jackson commented on how Palmer’s attitude toward the game rubs off on the other players.
“David is someone who gives you 100 percent every minute that he’s on the floor,” Jackson said. “He is always diving for balls and hustling on every play. His defense is improving, but for whatever he lacks on ‘D’ he makes up for on ‘O.’”
Palmer was born on Jan. 12, 1982 in Yuba City, California. He has an older brother who is now 23 and whom David said made him the competitor that he is today.
“I grew up playing sports with my brother and his friends, they were all a couple of years older than me, but it forced me to elevate my level of competiveness,” Palmer said.
That drive and competitiveness stayed with him and is what has helped him develop the love that he has for basketball. While growing up he played all the usual sports baseball, football and basketball but has always found that his true love was basketball.
“I remember how whenever I was stressed or needed a release from whatever was going on around me, I would go and shoot hoops for hours,” Palmer said. “No matter what was on my mind, playing basketball was where I always found comfort.”
While Palmer is a little disappointed on how the season has gone as a team and individually, men’s basketball coach Bill Evans finds comfort whenever Palmer is in the game.
“David’s forté might be his versatility,” Evans said. “He can score around the basket but he is also a good 3-point shooter. He can use the dribble and create opportunities as well. He also has a high basketball IQ and he plays hard on both ends of the floor.”
After the tail end of an intense practice, Palmer talked about Evans and the way that he has affected his life.