Following unforeseen events regarding varsity basketball coach Dustin Leochner*, the varsity basketball team needed someone to fill the role of head coach. Spanish teacher and varsity basketball assistant RJ Palmgren said he was happy to help.

“After all of the craziness with Coach Leochner, I was asked if I’d like to step in as the interim head coach,” Palmgren said. “I wanted to help the program and honor Coach Leochner, so I said, ‘yes.’”

Palmgren has been involved in the basketball program for almost nine years now, and he’s taken on almost every coaching position during this time.

“I started as the sophomore coach, then the freshman coach, then I was the JV Coach for a while,”Palmgren said. “The last couple years I’ve been the varsity assistant.”

Senior Dylan Dunn is on the varsity basketball team. He said he has played basketball since he was little, and he enjoyed playing under Coach Palmgren.

“I’ve played basketball since Kindergarten,” Dunn said. “[Palmgren was my coach] for the JV Team and WolfPups, the middle school basketball team. It was a lot of fun.”

Palmgren said he’s excited to go into the upcoming season with players he has known for so many years. Like Dunn, many of them played on WolfPups, which Palmgren coached.

“We have a good group of seniors that I’ve coached since they were in our WolfPup program, so I have a good connection with them,” Palmgren said. “We had a strong year last year and we have a lot of returners, so I’m excited about our opportunities this season.”

Dunn said he’s looking forward to a team with so many returners, especially the eight seniors he’s played alongside in years past.

“I’m excited for this basketball season,” Dunn said. “I’m excited to play with Palmgren and we have eight great seniors.”

Alongside basketball, Palmgren runs student council, Spanish National Honor Society and is the world language department chair. Palmgren said his involvement in so many extracurriculars is fueled by a desire to connect with students outside of the classroom.

“It comes down to connecting with kids. Being a Spanish teacher, I’m able to see them in the classroom, but there’s more to kids than what they do in school,” Palmgren said. “Learning about them has been a lot of fun, as well as providing opportunities for them to pursue.”

*for information and updates on Dustin Leochner’s condition, visit his Caring Bridge page at https://www.caringbridge.org/public/dustinleochner