Kyle Palmer, who spent last season as a men’s assistant basketball coach at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., is the new women’s assistant basketball coach at Lewis-Clark State College, Warrior coach Brian Orr has announced.
Palmer comes to LCSC with more than a decade of basketball coaching experience and has spent the last seven years coaching men’s collegiate basketball.
Palmer spent last season with Pacific and first-year coach Tim Cleary, who came to Pacific from Boise State. Palmer spent last season helping with the development of the perimeter players, special game situations, recruiting, scouting, and day-to-day operations of the basketball program.
Prior last season, Palmer spent one season (2008-09) as an assistant coach at Grand View University, a NAIA school in Des Moines, Iowa. In that season, the Vikings amassed a 25-9 record, captured the Midwest Collegiate Conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament losing to eventual champion Oklahoma Wesleyan. Palmer was responsible for development of the post position, which included NAIA All-American Cory Viet. Palmer also was in charge of high school recruiting and scouting of the Vikings’ opponents.
Prior to Grand View, Palmer spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Montana Tech. In his time at Montana Tech, Palmer served as recruiting coordinator and recruited 2006 Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year Dirk Anderson. Palmer was also in charge of the development of the post position developing all-conference performers Casey Briggs and Dusan Veselinovic. Palmer also served as camp director for the Orediggers summer basketball camps, and was head junior varsity coach for one season.
Palmer went to Montana Tech after two seasons at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. While on the staff, the Cavaliers went 54-15, won the NAIA Division II National Championship in 2005, and back-to-back American Mideast Conference Championships. In his time at Walsh Palmer assisted in the development of NAIA Player of the Year and second-round NBA draft pick Robert Whaley.
Palmer began his college coaching experience as a student assistant coach at Boise State University. During his time at Boise, the Broncos went 23-10 and advanced to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) winning two games. At Boise State Palmer served on the scout team, assisted Cleary with the post position, helped with on-campus recruiting, and was in charge of the Broncos’ recruiting database.
Palmer has also coached at Cole Valley Christian School in Meridian, Idaho where he served as the junior high coach for two seasons and was the varsity assistant coach during the Chargers’ 2002 state championship team.
Palmer earned his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Boise State in 2003 and earned a Master’s in Education from Walsh University in 2006. A native of Stevensville, Mont., Palmer and his wife, Melissa, are parents of a daughter, Kambree (2), and are expecting the birth of a son, Righter, in September.
