Family Outing a Picnic for Palmisano

Some of Michelle Palmisano’s fondest memories are of her crowding onto the driveway of her family’s Ventura home with her older brothers and sisters to compete in a game of basketball.

So it was only appropriate that most of her family was on hand at Thousand Oaks High on Saturday night when she scored 36 points to become the fourth-leading scorer in state girls’ basketball history. The 59-40 victory over Westlake gave the Lancers (24-1, 12-0 in league play) the Marmonte League championship.

In becoming the state’s all-time scoring leader among guards with 2,607 points, Palmisano (25.7 scoring avg., 4.4 assists and 8.2 rebounds) also piled up 34 and 41 points in wins last week over Royal and Channel Islands.

“It is real nice to look up in the crowd and see my family there,” Palmisano said. “I’ve always looked up to them.”

Palmisano was 4 years old when she first ventured onto that family court. And, as the youngest and smallest (5-foot-9) of eight children, she has taken her share of lumps.

“Everyone is stronger and taller,” Palmisano said. “We still get out there and play. . . . Those games are really intense. Every once in a while, they show me what aggressiveness really is.”

Things can indeed get competitive around the Palmisano household. Father Joe played professional baseball in the Philadelphia Athletics minor league system and his dad was a member of the A’s American League championship team in 1931. Brothers John and Leon played basketball at Ventura College, and sisters Dina, Marguerite and Teresa competed in basketball for Sonoma State, Cal State Sacramento and California, respectively.

And Michelle will continue that college tradition in the fall at UCLA.

There are benefits to being the youngest child in an outstanding basketball family, Palmisano says, “because you can learn from their experiences.”

Palmisano, a four-year starter, learned those lessons well. She is the Southern Section’s all-time leading three-point scorer with 188 field goals and holds school records for rebounds (983) and assists (512). The only players ahead of her on the state scoring list are Cheryl Miller of Riverside Poly (3,446, 1979-82), Terri Mann of San Diego Point Loma (3,188, 1984-87) and Lisa Leslie of Morningside (2,896, 1987-90).

Palmisano’s prowess as a shooter showed early on. Starting when she was 8, Palmisano claimed California-Hawaii divisional championships in Elk’s Club free-throw shooting contests five years in a row, winning the Western regional title twice and competing twice in the nationals. She also placed third and seventh in the national Pepsi Hot Shot competition as a youngster.

Although many of their children were standouts at nearby Buena High, the Palmisanos made the controversial decision to enroll Michelle at Thousand Oaks before her freshman year. At the time, Joe said he wanted to see Michelle get the individual recognition he believed Teresa had not received in the team-oriented Buena system. Michelle moved in with Dina in Thousand Oaks and continues to live there with her sister and brother-in-law.

“I think the hard part was leaving the (Ventura) area,” Michelle said. “But it turned out to be a great move. I still see my family often and I still have friends in Ventura.”

However, Thousand Oaks Coach Chuck Brown said Palmisano is more concerned with team goals than in individual accomplishments. “Obviously, she is interested in the records, but the success of the team is more important to her,” Brown said.

Despite all of the accolades, Palmisano said she would like to be remembered for leading the Lancers, the defending Southern Section 1-A Division champions, to even greater heights in the postseason. “I’ll be more proud if we do well in the state playoffs,” said Palmisano, whose team will open the postseason Saturday night against Wednesday’s Hart-Hueneme winner. “What we accomplish as a team is more important to me.”