Palmer’s Passion For Basketball Guides His 5th Season
Senior Aaron Palmer, a mass and sports communications major, will be one of four 5th-year seniors on the team. PHOTO // KARL MOORE
November 3, 2022
Bent knees, arms cocked back ready to launch the ball, eyes focused, the crowd goes quiet, waiting.
Aaron Palmer shoots and the crowd goes wild.
Palmer’s passion for basketball started when he was a kid, more specifically in the 7th or 8th grade. Palmer’s parents wanted him to give it a try since he was growing so tall, and he wasn’t very active in any sports at the time.
“As I got older and better at basketball I slowly fell in love with the game and all of the elements around it,” he said. “As I started to get the hang of the fundamentals of basketball it was difficult at first, but over time the sport became like second nature to me.”
For Palmer, basketball is not just a way of life, but a way from life. “When I’ve had a long day of school or just been swamped with homework, I just like to go shoot some hoops to clear my mind.”
Once Palmer learned that the COVID pandemic has caused the NCAA to allow athletes an extra year of eligibility, Palmer decided to pick up a mass communications major (to go along with his sports communications major) and play one more year of basketball for the Lions.
“I was super excited when I found out that I was given the opportunity to play an extra year but at the same time, I was nervous
because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to use it or not.
because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to use it or not.
Head basketball coach Greg Neely said Palmer will bring some veteran leadership to the team, and is happy he decided to return. “Being a 5th year senior, Aaron knows the daily habits that it will take from our team to be successful. When you have the amount of experience he has, you understand not just the tactical things that make our team successful but the relational and emotional components that are equally important. Aaron is a great representative of our program. He along with the rest of
our seniors has worked hard and we’re very excited for the season.”
our seniors has worked hard and we’re very excited for the season.”
After college, Palmer hopes to work in video production and content creation, with the ultimate goal being, “working for ESPN doing the 30 for 30 documentaries.”
