From athlete to coach: How Nic Palmer made the transition from playing wheelchair basketball to coaching the game

The Laval, Que. native is an assistant coach with the Senior Men’s National Team

Nic Palmer was first introduced to wheelchair basketball as a 10-year-old and has been hooked on the game ever since. Palmer’s father, Raymond, was an able-bodied athlete and opened the door for Nic and his younger brother Ben to begin playing at an early age.

With access to his father’s chair, Palmer was able to try the game at home and has been involved in the game ever since.

“I really liked the team aspect of it, and I just saw the wheelchair as a piece of equipment,” Palmer explained. “When you sit down, you can play with anybody. I wasn’t interested in pursuing other sports. I really enjoy wheelchair basketball, so that’s why I kept going.”

Without a club for kids in Laval, the Palmers travelled to Montreal to play with CIVA. Palmer would go on to represent Quebec at three Canada Games before transitioning to coaching.

At 17, Palmer’s club had a program to mentor young coaches. Led by coach Christian La Serra, Palmer was encouraged to give back to the club and get involved on the coaching side.

“It’s nice to have somebody that knows a lot about the game but also keeps it light and enjoyable,” Palmer said of La Serra’s guidance. “He pushed me and others in the club to really give back. That’s how I first got involved with coaching.”

After representing Quebec at three Canada Games as an athlete, Palmer became involved on the coaching side with his provincial team, first as an assistant coach before taking as the head coach.

“I knew I wanted to be involved on the coaching staff of the Canada Games team for Quebec,” he said. “I was supposed to be an assistant coach and see how that went, but I became the head coach two years into the quad. I applied for the position and got it. It was eye-opening. I was improvising, but as I gained confidence, I knew I could make a difference, and I knew the game.”

Palmer has coached Quebec to back-to-back bronze medal finishes at the Canada Games and even had the opportunity to coach his brother Ben at the 2019 Games in Red Deer, Alta.

“That was a special dynamic compared to playing with him,” Palmer said. “Playing with him was easier because I could see what he was doing on the court and adapt my game. I’m more of a playmaker, and he’s more of a shooter. It was a bit of an adjustment, but we got along very well with that part.

“He listened to me. He’s a very coachable athlete.”

The 31-year-old credits La Serra for getting him involved in coaching first and considers Paul Bowes a coaching mentor. Palmer learned from Bowes while he was a member of the black aces playing against the National Team.

More recently, Palmer has been learning from Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Matteo Feriani. Palmer debuted with the men’s team as an assistant coach at the 2018 IWBF World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

Five years into his tenure with Team Canada, Palmer said he’s much more confident in his role on Feriani’s staff.

“I’m more confident in giving my point of view,” Palmer said. “Having a background as an athlete, I knew I could get the athletes to buy in on things or understand what I’m trying to say, but it was mainly a confidence thing—having conversations in my second language—all these things I found in Hamburg were a bit of a barrier for me. Now, just being around the team more and feeling I have the athletes’ trust and Matteo’s trust—that’s the main improvement I see in myself.”