HUSKER MEN’S BASKETBALL: Palmer Signed To Play On Suns’ NBA Summer League Team
LINCOLN–(NU Athletics July 3)–James Palmer Jr. will begin his professional career with the Phoenix Suns, as he was signed by the organization for their NBA Summer League team. Palmer will play for the Suns’ in the Las Vegas Summer League beginning this Friday in Las Vegas.
The Suns’ schedule includes games against Denver (July 5, 10:30 p.m., ESPN), New York (July 7, 8:30 p.m., ESPN), Memphis (July 9, 6:30 p.m., NBA TV) and San Antonio (July 10, 8 p.m., NBA TV). Palmer will join Isaiah Roby, who will play for the Dallas Mavericks Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Palmer, a 6-foot-6 guard from Upper Marlboro, Md., spent the three years at Nebraska after beginning his collegiate career at the University of Miami. Palmer finished his Husker career ranked second on NU’s scoring average chart with an average 18.5 points per game, as his 1,276 points at NU was the most by a two-year player. Palmer also ranked among NU’s career leaders in both free throws made (378, sixth) and attempted (503, seventh). He was a two-time All-Big Ten and all-district honoree and led the Huskers to 41 wins and consecutive postseason appearances at Nebraska.
As a senior, he averaged 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game to earn all-district and All-Big Ten honors. He was third in the Big Ten in scoring and fourth in scoring and set school single-season marks for points (708), free throws attempted (282), free throws made (215) and minutes played (1,269). A third-team All-Big Ten selection and a first-team All-District pick by the USBWA, Palmer had 18 20-point games as a senior, including a 34-point effort against Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament. He is also one of just five Big Ten players in the last 50 years to have 200 field goals and 200 free throws in a season. Following the season, he played in the Reese’s College All-Star Game and was named to the Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament team.
He burst on the scene as a junior, averaging 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, ranking in the top five in scoring and among the team leaders in both rebounds and assists to garner first-team all-conference honors. He topped the Huskers in double-figure (31) and 20-point games (eight), highlighted by a 34-point performance at Ohio State. He was at his best down the stretch, averaging 20.8 ppg on 48 percent shooting over the Huskers’ final 12 conference games, as Nebraska won a school-record 13 conference games.