(Entering 2018-19 season)
Rod Palmer, a longtime staple in the Southern California coaching ranks, enters his first season as an assistant coach at San Diego State. He brings nearly 25 years of coaching experience at the high school and Division I levels with him to The Mesa.
Palmer arrives at SDSU after spending the previous 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Long Beach State, including the last four as the 49ers’ associate head coach. With his hiring, he became just the 12th San Diego State assistant coach since the 1999-2000 campaign, which marks the beginning of the Brian Dutcher/Steve Fisher era.
Known in the coaching circles as both an expert in West Coast recruiting and an excellent on-floor coach, Palmer helped the 49ers post a 114-64 record (.640) in Big West Conference play, which was easily the highest winning percentage in the league since his arrival prior to the 2007-08 campaign. He also helped Long Beach State acquire talent that resulted in three conference players of the year and 14 first-team all-league performers.
During his time in Long Beach, Palmer played a key role in Long Beach State claiming three Big West regular-season titles and appearing in four NCAA-sponsored postseason events (NCAA or NIT). Among the notable players he recruited and coached at LBSU include James Ennis, who was drafted in 2013 by the Atlanta Hawks and started for the Detroit Pistons in 2017-18, Casper Ware, who spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, three-time all-Big West selection Mike Caffey, two-time all-Big West honoree Justin Bibbins and the 2012 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Larry Anderson. Both Ennis (2013) and Ware (2011, 2012) were Big West Players of the Year, with Ware also being named the 2011 conference defensive player of the year.
Prior to his stint in Long Beach, Palmer coached at Centennial High School in Compton where he was the head coach for nine years (1998-2007). Palmer led Centennial to the 2004 CIF Division III State Championship and his 2002 squad was a state finalist.
Both the 2002 and 2004 squads were CIF Division III Southern Regional Champions and in 2006, Centennial was the CIF Division III-A champs. Prior to coaching at Centennial, Palmer was the head coach at Compton High School for four years (1993-97).
Palmer saw two of his former players at Centennial take the first step of realizing their NBA dreams in 2007. Arron Afflalo was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons and Gabe Pruitt was taken in the second round by the Boston Celtics.
Over 13 years as a high school coach, Palmer guided his teams to eight CIF sectional title games (six consecutive), three Southern Regional championship games, two Southern Regional championships, two state final games and one Division III State Championship. He sent over 25 players to NCAA Division I schools on basketball scholarships.
The 2004 state championship squad was led by Afflalo. Centennial went 32-3 that year and defeated Oakland Bishop O'Dowd High School, 60-36, in the title game in Sacramento. During his last season at Centennial, the Apaches were 19-5 and won the Pioneer League title with a perfect 10-0 record, but lost in the first round of the CIF I-AA playoffs to Jordan High School in overtime.
Palmer earned his bachelor's degree from UC Irvine in 1990, in psychology and received a teaching credential-secondary in social science in 2004, from Cal State Dominguez Hills. He is a member of the Black Coaches Association.
Palmer prepped at Dominguez High School and was a two-time All-CIF guard before earning a scholarship to UCLA where he played from 1985-87. He then transferred to UC Irvine for his final two seasons.
Palmer and his wife, Sherell, have three children, daughters Erin and Shevae, and a son, Joshua. Palmer’s sister, Violet Palmer, was the first female referee in the NBA and retired in 2016.
Rod Palmer, a longtime staple in the Southern California coaching ranks, enters his first season as an assistant coach at San Diego State. He brings nearly 25 years of coaching experience at the high school and Division I levels with him to The Mesa.
Palmer arrives at SDSU after spending the previous 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Long Beach State, including the last four as the 49ers’ associate head coach. With his hiring, he became just the 12th San Diego State assistant coach since the 1999-2000 campaign, which marks the beginning of the Brian Dutcher/Steve Fisher era.
Known in the coaching circles as both an expert in West Coast recruiting and an excellent on-floor coach, Palmer helped the 49ers post a 114-64 record (.640) in Big West Conference play, which was easily the highest winning percentage in the league since his arrival prior to the 2007-08 campaign. He also helped Long Beach State acquire talent that resulted in three conference players of the year and 14 first-team all-league performers.
During his time in Long Beach, Palmer played a key role in Long Beach State claiming three Big West regular-season titles and appearing in four NCAA-sponsored postseason events (NCAA or NIT). Among the notable players he recruited and coached at LBSU include James Ennis, who was drafted in 2013 by the Atlanta Hawks and started for the Detroit Pistons in 2017-18, Casper Ware, who spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, three-time all-Big West selection Mike Caffey, two-time all-Big West honoree Justin Bibbins and the 2012 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Larry Anderson. Both Ennis (2013) and Ware (2011, 2012) were Big West Players of the Year, with Ware also being named the 2011 conference defensive player of the year.
Prior to his stint in Long Beach, Palmer coached at Centennial High School in Compton where he was the head coach for nine years (1998-2007). Palmer led Centennial to the 2004 CIF Division III State Championship and his 2002 squad was a state finalist.
Both the 2002 and 2004 squads were CIF Division III Southern Regional Champions and in 2006, Centennial was the CIF Division III-A champs. Prior to coaching at Centennial, Palmer was the head coach at Compton High School for four years (1993-97).
Palmer saw two of his former players at Centennial take the first step of realizing their NBA dreams in 2007. Arron Afflalo was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons and Gabe Pruitt was taken in the second round by the Boston Celtics.
Over 13 years as a high school coach, Palmer guided his teams to eight CIF sectional title games (six consecutive), three Southern Regional championship games, two Southern Regional championships, two state final games and one Division III State Championship. He sent over 25 players to NCAA Division I schools on basketball scholarships.
The 2004 state championship squad was led by Afflalo. Centennial went 32-3 that year and defeated Oakland Bishop O'Dowd High School, 60-36, in the title game in Sacramento. During his last season at Centennial, the Apaches were 19-5 and won the Pioneer League title with a perfect 10-0 record, but lost in the first round of the CIF I-AA playoffs to Jordan High School in overtime.
Palmer earned his bachelor's degree from UC Irvine in 1990, in psychology and received a teaching credential-secondary in social science in 2004, from Cal State Dominguez Hills. He is a member of the Black Coaches Association.
Palmer prepped at Dominguez High School and was a two-time All-CIF guard before earning a scholarship to UCLA where he played from 1985-87. He then transferred to UC Irvine for his final two seasons.
Palmer and his wife, Sherell, have three children, daughters Erin and Shevae, and a son, Joshua. Palmer’s sister, Violet Palmer, was the first female referee in the NBA and retired in 2016.