CEDAR CITY, Utah, April 24 ? Southern Utah University alumnus David Palmer has been named Most Valuable Player of the Japanese BJ professional basketball league.
Palmer, a 6-foot-7 forward who played for SUU from 2002-2004, averaged 17.4 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Osaka Evessa this past season, helping the Evessa to a first-place finish in the BJ League. Although he started the season coming off the bench, Palmer moved into the starting lineup down the stretch and helped the team bounce back from a slow start to finish atop the league's standings by winning nine straight games down the stretch.
Palmer was an honorable mention all-Mid-Continent Conference performer for SUU in 2003-04 and earned all-tournament team honors following the 2002-03 season. He holds SUU's career and single-season 3-point percentage records and is second on the Mid-Con's career charts, at .496.
The BJ League is one of two primary professional leagues in Japan. Former UCLA star Charles O'Bannon was named MVP of the other league, the Japanese Superleague.

her league, the Japanese Superleague.