'You could always count on Oskar': Palmquist has brought determination, reliability to Rutgers men's basketball
"I'm just trying to help the team in any way I can. For me, the most important part is winning," said redshirt senior forward Oskar Palmquist after draining three straight three-pointers late in the first half to help the Rutgers men's basketball team earn a come-from-behind 63-60 win against Northwestern in February.
Palmquist may have had a limited role this season, but the 6-foot-8 forward from Kinna, Sweden, has always been reliable off the bench and would provide an offensive spark, especially from beyond the arc. Often dubbed the "Swedish Sniper" by fans, Palmquist is known for hitting big shots when called upon.
Before his time on the Banks, Palmquist competed for Sweden's U-20, U-18 and U-16 national programs. In the U-20 European Championships, he averaged 6.2 points per game (PPG), 3.8 rebounds per game (RPG) and shot 36.8 percent from downtown.
Palmquist then joined the Scarlet Knights in the Spring 2020 semester and made his debut in the season-opener against Sacred Heart. Palmquist saw action in only 27 games in his first two seasons at Rutgers, but his role would increase in his junior season.
Palmquist averaged 9.2 minutes per game in the 2022-2023 season. Although he was not a starter, Palmquist featured in 21 games and shot 36.4 percent from three-point range, the third-best on the team among players who recorded more than 20 attempts, falling behind Cam Spencer and Paul Mulcahy. Palmquist also notched a career-high 13 points while shooting 3-4 from three in a 90-55 win over Minnesota.
Before the start of the 2023-2024 season, Palmquist entered the transfer portal and ended up committing to Elon in May. After the Knights lost Spencer and Mulcahy in the summer, Palmquist decommitted from the Phoenix and returned to Rutgers for his senior season.
Palmquist appeared in 28 games this season and averaged 2.7 PPG while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from behind the arc. He also made 73.3 percent of his free throws and averaged 1.4 RPG.
Head coach Steve Pikiell has nothing but respect and kind words for Palmquist and his character.
"The all-time 32 years of coaching, (Palmquist) has been maybe the best teammate and best guy that a coach could depend on," Pikiell said. "You could always count on Oskar (to) come to practice every day with the right mindset, and he's gonna play basketball for a long time because he’s a winner."
With one more year of eligibility remaining, it is unclear whether Palmquist will return next season. One thing is for certain, though, Palmquist has always put the team first and will do whatever it takes on and off the court to help the team win. Due to his do-it-all mentality, Palmquist was named a Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree ahead of the Big Ten Tournament.
"I just want to win, whatever coach wants me to do, I'm willing to do," he said. "I'm a Rutgers guy, I just want to see us win."
For more updates on the Rutgers men's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Matthew Mangam's work, follow @matthewmangam on X.
