Senior Day Spotlight: Oskar Palmquist
In this Senior Day Spotlight, The Daily Targum highlights the University's athletes who are being honored at senior day and have made an impact for their respective teams.
Junior forward Oskar Palmquist was honored on Sunday during the Rutgers men's basketball team's senior day game against Northwestern.
Palmquist has been a part of the team for three and a half seasons. The former three-star recruit made a big commitment when he decided to come to the Scarlet Knights (18-12, 10-9), as he is originally from Sweden. Palmquist joined Rutgers as a redshirt in the spring semester of 2020.
Palmquist previously competed for Sweden's U-20 national team, where he averaged 6.2 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game in the U-20 European Championships. He has been representing Sweden on the international stage since he was 16 years old.
Palmquist was only in a Knights uniform for roughly two months before having to go back home to Sweden during the lockdown. Although he didn’t spend much time on the Banks before the pandemic, he still received a warm welcome from the team and the Rutgers community.
"I think it would have benefitted me if (the pandemic) didn’t happen so I could’ve been here more," Palmquist said. "But at the same time, you know, it made you lock in on a different level because you couldn’t really do anything else. It was just basketball, you know. So in that way, it helped me a lot."
Palmquist made his Knights debut as a freshman during the 2020-21 season in their season-opening win over Sacred Heart. As a freshman, he played in 12 games and scored 9 total points.
As a sophomore, Palmquist played in 15 games and scored 22 total points. He scored a season-high 4 points against Maine and Central Connecticut State.
Palmquist had made significant improvements this year, especially when junior forward Mawot Mag suffered a season-ending ACL tear on February 4, and he was given a bigger role. This season, he has played in 17 games and started in two games.
This year, Palmquist had his breakout game against Minnesota on February 1, scoring a career-high 13 points against the Golden Gophers (8-20, 2-16). The crowd at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus responded to Palmquist’s efforts with loud chants of "Oskar Palmquist" throughout the game.
Six days later, Palmquist would prove to be crucial again, scoring 15 points against Indiana in a comeback attempt that fell just short of victory.
"The job that (Palmquist) has done, just waiting his turn playing behind some guys, and he’s really helped us here down the stretch a great deal," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "Another great kid trusted us from Sweden."
Palmquist has been a fan-favorite during his time on the Banks. Though often playing from the bench, he has stayed ready and performed well when called upon. Palmquist has also given Rutgers a unique look when on the court due to his ability to shoot three-point shots.
He is shooting 41.4 percent from three-point range this year, which is the second-best statistic on the team. If the Knights are to have postseason success this year, Palmquist will be crucial coming off the bench.
"Being a part of Rutgers, the whole community has been amazing," Palmquist said. "It’s everything you can ask for in a school. Great people in the program all around who really care about all of us. They would do anything for us. So just very thankful for the opportunity to come here and spend my last three and a half years here."
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