Palmisano Gladly Doing Backup for These Commodores

Michelle Palmisano insists a move to Nashville, Tenn., hasn’t changed her.

A year in the country music capital hasn’t turned her into a two-stepping cowgirl.

She did attend a recent concert by Garth Brooks at the urging of a friend, but the former Thousand Oaks High standout states specifically in the Vanderbilt women’s basketball media guide that her musical allegiances are with U2, Tom Petty and the Beatles.

“You don’t think I have an accent, do you?” she asked an interviewer recently.

The accent is still 100% California, but there have been changes.

The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard couldn’t remember when she had played fewer than all 40 minutes of each game. Now she averages 20 minutes as a reserve for Vanderbilt.

Palmisano averaged 26.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 1991-92, her senior season at Thousand Oaks. She was accustomed to dominating.

At Vanderbilt, she averages 9.1 points and a little more than two rebounds and two assists.

At Thousand Oaks, she was a machine. At Vanderbilt--which is 14-4 and has seven players who average 7.6 points or more--one could say Palmisano acts as a gear in a big engine.

“That’s probably new to me,” she said. “But we have a lot of depth. We had a great team at UCLA. But this team is more productive, with the depth we have. We still have fresh legs at the end of the game.”

Oh, yes. UCLA.

Palmisano played there as a freshman after finishing as the fourth-leading scorer in California history (2,798 points) at Thousand Oaks.

She started 26 of 27 games for the Bruins and made the Pacific 10 Conference all-freshman team.

She would still be a Bruin if not for the unexpected resignation of Coach Billie Moore after the 1992-93 season.

“That was a shock,” Palmisano said. “I was happy playing for (Moore). But then I saw UCLA would have to rebuild. One of my goals is to win the NCAA championship--and I don’t know if they can bounce back that quickly.”

So, Palmisano transferred to Vanderbilt (where she redshirted last season), reasoning that the national title odds would be better. In the three seasons since the arrival of Jim Foster as coach, the Commodores have reached the round of 16, the round of eight and the Final Four (1993) in the NCAA Tournament.

Palmisano’s roommate at UCLA was Meredith Chiles, a freshman tennis player from Memphis--who also transferred to Vanderbilt. The two never discussed their plans until the paperwork was turned in. They were floored by the coincidental turn of events.

Chiles and Palmisano rarely cross paths on their new campus.

But Palmisano is already making a name for herself, despite the limited playing time. Opposing teams are putting their best defender on her.

“In another year you’ll see her start to step forward,” said Chuck Brown, Palmisano’s coach at Thousand Oaks. “All she needs to do is acclimate herself.”

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Add Palmisano: It is difficult to imagine Palmisano being challenged as much on the court as she is in the classroom. She has decided on a double major of biomedical engineering and electrical engineering.

Yet through 2 1/2 years of college, Palmisano has an almost-perfect grade-point average: all A’s except for one class: She received an A-minus in freshman English at UCLA.

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Shimoyama quits: Dreams of a bright career at California unfulfilled, former North Hollywood High guard Suzi Shimoyama has quit the team.

The 5-8 sophomore, who received All-City Section honors three years in a row, cited a lack of playing time and an interest in graduating in 3 1/2 years with a degree in ethnic studies.

“I’ve been keeping busy,” said Shimoyama, who plays on an intramural team with several former Cal teammates. “I’m having fun playing. It doesn’t take as much time, and it’s not as physically demanding.

“I’m doing better, academically. I’m taking classes now that I never would have been able to take.”

Shimoyama said she plans to study for a master’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis on broadcasting.

“There’s regrets,” she said. “I had dreams and hopes.”

Shimoyama might have been a versatile player for Cal. Her senior year at North Hollywood, she averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 assists, 5.6 steals and five rebounds.

But after sitting out her first year because of reconstructive knee surgery, she was the least-used among 13 Cal players during the 1993-94 season. She played a total of 65 minutes, scored 14 points and had 11 assists, seven steals and seven rebounds on a team that finished 8-20.

Shimoyama, who would have been a redshirt sophomore, said her knee was fully recovered and it played no part in her decision to quit. She said she considered transferring.

“But by the time I thought of it, it was too late,” she said. “It was (last) fall. My eligibility would be down to a year or so.”

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Around the country: Arizona State junior reserve center Joana Ziuraitis (Camarillo/Hancock College) had 10 points against Grand Canyon and six rebounds against San Diego State in recent games. . . . At UC Santa Barbara, junior guards Lauren Goldstine (Westlake) and Sasha Scardino (Thousand Oaks) average 4.4 and 3.4 points in reserve roles. Scardino is fifth on the team with 51 rebounds.

In men’s basketball, senior forward David Harbour (Camarillo) averages 10.4 points for Stanford. . . . USC junior guard Brandon Martin (Cleveland) averages 11.5 points and four rebounds. . . . Westmont center Braden Weber (St. Francis) had 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 74-73 victory over Cal Baptist on Tuesday.