Getting to the NBA isn’t always accomplished by taken the path most often traveled. Typically you’ll see a player be a star in high school, beat up on the AAU circuit, play in the high school all-star games, then go to a division one power house, and ultimately enter his name in the NBA draft. Kevin Palmer is taking a slightly different route, with the same destination in mind.
The wing from Texas A&M Corpus Christi had those closely following college basketball buzzing early in the year, with impressive performances against Oregon State and Texas. In the first game of the season he showed what makes him intriguing to NBA scouts, the ability to do it all on the floor. Against Oregon State, Palmer went off for 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the upset victory. Given the big stage against in-state rival University of Texas, Palmer again shined with 28 points and six rebounds. When asked about his success this season Palmer explained his game as smooth.
“Smooth. I play at my own pace. I use my lift to my advantage. Just real smooth and calm.”
That smooth play resulted in Palmer averaging 20 points and five rebounds on the season. At the end of the season Palmer was selected to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is reserved for the best senior college basketball players in the country. Again, when given the opportunity to show what he can do, Palmer delivered. For the tournament he averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, and nearly four steals and made the All-Tournament team.
Currently, Kevin is working out in Baltimore and for various NBA teams. He’s working mainly on his quickness and strength to adjust to the speed and size of the NBA. During his NBA workouts he’s impressed teams with his athleticism and ability to rebound the ball against players considered to be late first or early second round picks, including Quincy Pondexter and Trevor Booker.
Time and time again Kevin has shown his ability to rise to the level of his competition. On June 24th he hopes to hear his name called, so he’s given the opportunity to play against the best in the world night in and night out. We’re sure he’ll be up for the challenge.
Below is a transcript of the interview The Rookie Wall had with Kevin Palmer:
The Rookie Wall: You played high school basketball at Parkville in Baltimore. Baltimore is considered one of the most talented basketball cities. Who was the best player you went up against in high school?
Kevin Palmer: Uh, high school, there were a lot. I mean it wasn’t like one guy just stood out, there were a lot.
TRW: How close is the basketball community in Baltimore?
KP: It’s extremely close. Baltimore is small, I mean everybody knows everybody. Everybody plays everybody. It’s very close.
TRW: Are there specific spots that everyone hoops at?
KP: Yea, mostly Melo gym, Carmelo Anthony’s rec center/boys and girls club. That’s where a lot of players go to get runs in and stuff, and where the good competition is at.
TRW: After playing at Cecil College in Maryland you went on to Corpus Christi. What made you pick that school? What other schools were you considering?
KP: Well I had took visits on Drexel University and I went to Albany. Those were in consideration. I had a few other schools but I took visits there so I was in consideration, I was considering them. Kevin Norris [assistant coach at Texas A&M Corpus Christi] who’s from Baltimore started recruiting me; he had seen me play so he started recruiting me and I took a visit [to Corpus Christi] and I just felt that was the right place for me to go.
TRW: You were far and away the leading scorer for Corpus Christi, averaging nearly 20 points per game. For those who haven’t seen you play, how would you describe your game?
KP: Smooth. I play at my own pace. I use my lift to my advantage. Just real smooth and calm.
TRW: Which NBA player would you compare your skill-set to?
KP: I wouldn’t consider myself similar to just one specific player. I try to take from some of the best that play my position like Kevin Durant, I mean he kinda got the same body shape and body size as me. He’s tall, lanky, has long arms, so I try and take things from his game. I try and take things from like Carmelo Anthony and just add it to my own game and just create me.
TRW: What would you say your biggest weaknesses are right now and what are you doing to improve those areas of your game?
KP: Uh, quickness, strength. I mean I’m working out every day now to improve those.
TRW: What was the highlight of your college career?
KP: Beating Georgia at the buzzer when I made the shot from half court.
TRW: Where do you feel that you stand amongst Corpus Christi’s best like Michael Hicks and Chris Daniels?
KP: Well, seeing as I only played there two years I feel like I stand near the top. If I would have played there four years I believe I could have broken records, scoring records. I hold the steals record in two years, so I feel like I could have been one of the best.
TRW: Do you feel going to a smaller school has kept you under the radar of NBA scouts?
KP: Yes, yes. I didn’t really get that much television time. I mean, we played against some good teams so people saw me in the gym but we didn’t really get television time so it was hard for people to really see me and notice me unless my coach made calls and he has done that. He got me some exposure.
TRW: We’ve read on Twitter that you’re working out with Ricky Harris, Devin Sweetney, and others. Can you walk us through one of those workouts?
KP: Ok, well we come in, we usually do a shooting routine where you shoot mid-ranges, just working on form and technique, and making sure everything is just all in one motion. Then we start to do things off the dribble, shooting on the move. Then after that we do some ball handling, some little conditioning, going up and down the court. Then we get into competitive stuff and that’s how the [NBA] team workouts go. So after we do all the skill work and teaching we get into competitive games like one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three. We play a series, like a two-on-two will play a series to seven, best out of seven, and the losers have to run with bricks. And I mean it’s just really competitive at the end. Then we close it up with a drill called 15s where we have to make shots on the run. We have to run from full court and do a dunk, then do a layup, then a shot, and just keep moving back all the way to the NBA three point line. Then we start that cycle all over again, all the way to fifteen.
[Note from Joe Connelly, Kevin Palmer’s Trainer, on the workout “15s”]: That drill is called the 15s and it’s done to end every session. Kev[in] will go from half court to the basket doing the same sequence of shots going back to half court after each shot; dunk, floater, foul line, college three, and NBA shot with each bucket worth 1pt. He will repeat the same series of shots until he reaches 15. Always ending with an NBA three.
TRW: How long would you say the entire workout lasts?
KP: Well, it varies. Depending on how many people come, it varies. The longest it has been is three and a half [hours], but if it’s just two of us in there we might go hour and a half to two hours. Some days if you have like five or six guys it may go like three hours to make sure everybody is getting in good work.
TRW: We read today that there were basically three “generations” of Baltimore players in the gym today, with you, Ricky [Harris], Devin [Sweetney], a younger guy (Roscoe Smith), and ex-NBA player Juan Dixon. Is that typical?
KP: Yes. Random days you just have people showing up. We had Mo Hatten come in there some days, we had Rudy Gay come in there, we had Jack McClinton. So some days it just be different competition for different guys to get exposure to different things and learn how new people play and everything. Some days you just never know who is going to come in, which is good for us.
TRW: Which NBA players from Baltimore come back and compete in those workouts or run in games?
KP: Well, Rudy has come to workouts. I played against Melo. He has a league that goes on in the summer time and I played against him there. We don’t really have that many NBA players that are playing right now that are in the NBA. But if a player that is playing professionally comes, then you have guys like Mo Hatten, and people playing overseas and stuff.
TRW: Which NBA teams have you worked out for?
KP: I worked out for a few teams already. I went to Detroit, then I went to Houston, the Lakers, and I went to Charlotte, and I have some more coming up.
TRW: What players were you competing against in those workouts?
KP: Different players like Trevor Booker, Andy Rautins, A.J. Slaughter. Umm, Quincy Pondexter, Jerome Dyson, and some other people.
TRW: Which team do you feel you performed best at?
KP: I mean I performed well at all, but overall I performed best at the Lakers.
TRW: What have you heard about your draft position?
KP: I haven’t heard anything specifically about my position, but I’ve heard feedback saying that I’ve done a good job in workouts. I haven’t really hurt my stock, I’ve only been getting better, and getting my name out there more so people can notice me. Some teams have said they like me and maybe I’ll be on their summer team.
TRW: If given the choice, what team would you ideally like to play for?
KP: I would be satisfied that I made it, to be honest. But if I had to choose I would love to play with Denver cause I think I can learn a lot from Melo.
TRW: What do you feel you can contribute to an NBA team?
KP: Defense, intensity, hard work, a knock down shooter, and game changer.
TRW: If you aren’t drafted do you plan on taking your game overseas, or will you go to the D-League and hope to be called up?
KP: Whichever route would be easiest for me to get [to the NBA], and to be seen, and to work my way into the NBA I would take. Whether that means going to the D-League and developing, or going overseas for a year or two and developing and getting exposure and then coming back. Whichever way is easiest in my eyes when that time comes.
TRW: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
KP: Still playing basketball for someone, somewhere.
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