Former Gonzaga standout Haiden Palmer is returning to the Gonzaga Women’s Basketball Program as the Bulldogs’ video coordinator.
“We are so excited to welcome Haiden back to Gonzaga,” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “She is a great role model and is going to make such a great impact on our players being able to share personal experiences she has had as an athlete and a professional. She made great contributions to our program in her years here as a player and we are thrilled to add her to our staff.”
Palmer was selected in the third round (29th overall) in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. She became the fifth player in Zag women’s basketball history to be drafted by the WNBA. Palmer played the 2014 Preseason schedule with the Fever before being released. Since then, she has played professionally with Team USA in the Four Nations International Basketball Tournament and began playing overseas in 2014 with Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. She moved to Netanya in Israel in 2014-15, then Snaefell in Iceland in 2015-16, Herne TC in Germany in 2016-17, and Wasserburg, also in Germany, in 2017-18. Overall, Palmer has spent the last eight seasons playing basketball professionally overseas and has won three league championships and three cup championships.
During her senior season at GU, she led the team in points (15.1), rebounds (5.5) and steals per game (3.0), while also dishing out 2.6 assists per game. Palmer, named All-WCC for the third-consecutive year her senior year, scored in double-figure points in 27 of 34 contests, including six games with 20 or more points. She registered three double-figure rebounding games and had two double-doubles. She was named Associated Press All-American honorable mention, becoming the fourth Zag in school history to earn the accolade.
“I am excited to be back at Gonzaga,” Palmer said. “This university and the community as a whole changed my life. I am looking forward to making an impact and learning from the elite coaches I get to work with.”
Palmer graduated from Gonzaga with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. She went on to earn her Master’s in Communication and Leadership at GU as well.
