Veteran coaches face new challenges

PALMER — Palmer High basketball mentors Greg Fullmer and Chuck Martin combine for more than six decades of coaching experience. But even the most veteran coaches can face new challenges.

In the 2016-17 season, Fullmer is working through a completely new experience, while Martin has worked with nearly a completely new starting lineup.

Fulmer entered the season with 35 years of coaching under his belt, but the 2016-17 season has presented something different. Fullmer is coaching a girls’ squad for the first time.

“The Palmer girls have been really good to me,” Fullmer said earlier this season.

Fullmer, a Palmer High School teacher who coached the Moose boys’ for four seasons earlier in his career, thought his time as a head coach was done. He led Bartlett to a 4A state championship in 2011 during his final run as a boys’ head coach, and was settling into life after coaching. That was until the offseason when the Palmer High administration asked about Fullmer’s interest in helping with the Moose girls program. Fullmer wanted his sister-in-law, Tirzah, a former player at UAA who coached at South, to be involved.

“If she’ll do it, I’ll do it,” Fullmer said.

Now, Fullmer is enjoying the experience.

“I feel pretty blessed,” Fullmer said. “I missed coaching. I thought I retired and would go snowmachining and ice fishing. I won’t lie to you, I missed coaching. I’ve done it for so long. It’s fun to hang out with the kids, especially these kids.”

Fullmer said he’s enjoying his time on the sideline with his assistants — including Tirzah Fullmer, Elgin Hollins and Kasara Brandenburg — and he said he’s been absolutely impressed with his group of players.

“This is the smartest team I’ve ever coached,” Fullmer said. “They’re smart. If they keep bonding, working on their team chemistry, keep playing together, weather a few storm, they have potential to do really well.”

The Moose have weathered storms, starting the season 0-4 in Northern Lights Conference play, but scored their first conference victory, a win over Kenai Central in January. Palmer has had success in nonconference play, finishing as the runner-up in both the East T-Bird Classic and Palmer Elks Showdown.

The Moose are led by a pair of seniors, veteran Emma Uschmann and Loran Suaava. On the inside, Palmer had been led by forwards Savannah Dixon and Becca Alley. Sophomore guards Abriana Busbey and Avery Pettingill have been key building blocks for the program, Fullmer said. The Moose also have Kassidy Bowman, who has emerged as a top scorer.

The Palmer boys are the defending Northern Lights Conference champions, but returned only two players with significant varsity experience.

Junior Clayton Southwick and senior Payton Martin started and played vast minutes last year, but otherwise Chuck Martin and his assistants have spent the first two months of the season helping to get the remainder of the Moose accustomed to the varsity game.

“We just have a lot of guys who really lack experience,” Martin said early in the year.

Two players, Liam Hughes-Duffy and Donovan Eiman, saw limited minutes on the varsity floor last season. But otherwise, the Moose have been working to get the newcomers more involved.

Junior Jared Hawkins emerged early in the season.

“I think Jared Hawkins is a terrific surprise,” Martin said recently. “He’s seems to have adapted to the pace of varsity basketball as apposed to junior varsity basketball.”

Freshman Dae Osiensky is also emerging at the point guard position for the Moose.

“I really like him. I think he’ll be really good,” Martin said of Osiensky. “I love coaching him. He’s tough enough to take the coaching.”

Palmer, which plays at Wasilla Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. is currently 2-2 in Northern Lights Conference play. The Moose dropped games to rivals Colony and Wasilla in January, but beat Kenai Central and Soldotna on the road. The Moose close their season with a favorable schedule, hosting five straight NLC games.

*** This is part of a five-piece series featuring the Valley’s 3A and 4A prep basketball programs. For features about the Colony, Redington and Wasilla boys’ and girls’ programs, see frontiersman.com. See an upcoming edition of the Frontiersman for a feature about the Houston Hawks. Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.