UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin has found the “West Coast flavor” he said he was seeking on his staff, hiring San Diego State’s Rod Palmer as an assistant.
A native of Los Angeles who starred at Compton Dominguez High and played for the Bruins for two seasons, Palmer has spent the last 25 years coaching in Southern California. He rose from high school head coaching positions at Compton and Compton Centennial to assistant roles at Long Beach State and San Diego State.
“Coach Palmer comes highly recommended from his peers and has the most important quality that I seek in coaches — that he cares about his players,” Cronin said in a statement.