This article is a part of the Inside the Huddle podcast series, which is run by the Women’s Basketball side of the Massachusetts Collective. Inside the Huddle will feature interviews with current players as part of the Massachusetts Collective’s monthly newsletters. The first edition of the series features current UMass player, Allie Palmieri, who joined the team in the 2023-24 season, but redshirted with the team last season.
Allie Palmieri is a 5’10” guard from Trumbull, Connecticut. Palmieri spent her freshman and sophomore seasons of high school at Trumbull High, during which she averaged an impressive 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game as a sophomore. During her sophomore season at Trumbull she also earned all-state honors. Allie transferred to Green Farms Academy in her junior year of high school, and she picked up right where she left off averaging 24.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks through her junior season. Palmieri surpassed her 1,000th high school career point midway through her junior year at Green Farms Academy. Her hard work during her junior year saw her named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Connecticut in 2020, and was a finalist for Gatorade National Player of the Year.
“I graduated high school early, during the COVID year, and I went to Boston College,” Palmieri said. Graduating a semester early she began her college career playing at Boston College for the second half of the 2020-21 as a year zero athlete. During the spring semester of the 2020-21 season Palmieri appeared in seven games for the Eagles, and averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in her appearances. During Palmieri’s freshman season, she appeared in only two games before entering the transfer portal. “Then midway through the next year, I ended up transferring [for my] mental health. [There was] a lot of struggle for me there,” Allie mentions about entering the transfer portal for her mental health.
While Palmieri was in the transfer portal for her first time after leaving Boston College, she went on two official visits to two colleges/universities — Seton Hall and UMass. “It was between Seton Hall and UMass originally when I was transferring, and I was just turned off [by] the school [being] so big, and they had most people returning,” she said when she was making her decision of what school to transfer to. Allie chose Seton Hall, and transferred there in December of 2021. Palmieri sat out the rest of her freshman season to work on her mental health.
For Palmieri’s sophomore season at Seton Hall, she appeared in 7 games, and averaged 5.6 minutes per game, 0.7 points, and 0.9 rebounds. Allie injured her ankle during her summer session at Seton Hall, and had to have surgery on her ankle prior to the season getting to start which limited her games. “I had a big ankle injury, [and] I had to get surgery right before the season started,” she mentions about the start of her sophomore season. “Then at the end of the season, I had to get another one. I just thought that it was best to transfer again.” After the 2022-23 season, Palmieri entered the transfer portal for a second time, and came to visit UMass prior to former head coach Tory Verdi leaving to go to Pitt. While on her visit at UMass for a second time, she spent time talking with current coach Mike Leflar. Allie also had a last minute phone call with Coach Verdi at Pitt after he was hired there, but ultimately decided to commit to UMass and help Coach Leflar continue to build the women’s basketball program in Amherst.
Allie had ankle surgery in the offseason leading into the 2023-24 season and was sidelined until mid-November while recovering. “Preseason in the summer was all rehab,” she said Palmieri about her arrival at UMass. “Then once I could get back I was working with Scott [Myrick], our trainer, and just trying to do what I could.” Due to Palmieri having transferred multiple times, she would have to sit out for the 2023-24 season due to an NCAA policy. That policy set by the NCAA was then overruled by a federal court judge in December of 2023 which gave Allie eligibility immediately. “I talked to Coach Leflar about it,” she said. “My biggest takeaway was that I had missed some years with injuries and…I just wanted to have two full seasons.”
While Allie did not play last season, sitting out gave her an opportunity to learn the system that Coach Leflar was putting in place in his first season as the head coach of UMass. “I think just watching from the sidelines was very helpful because it is a whole new system for me, [and] whole new coaching staff [and] players to understand and grasp everything.” An important thing for her when she got recruited by the Minutewomen was finding a coach that could challenge her. “I definitely told [Coach Leflar] ‘I need somebody who is really hard on me’ and I respond very well to somebody who is more in your face yelling,” she said about what she was looking for in a coach. Her style of play consisted of being a shooter, with her range of shooting being anywhere from shooting three-pointers and mid-range shots to attacking the hoop and going for the layup. “I just like scoring and winning,” she mentions about her style of play. “Not really flashy or anything, just definitely like a pull up or driving to the hoop.” She styles her play around Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale as she sees fit.
Palmieri is looking forward to her first season of playing at UMass and getting to play on the court with some of her new teammates. “I feel very confident going into this year,” Allie said about how she feels about the upcoming season. “I think it’s more clear what his expectations are, and what he’s looking for in me and the team, [and] how we can take steps forward.” She looks forward to getting to share the court with her teammates this upcoming season, and really looks forward to sharing it with Aleah Sorrentino who just transferred in this offseason. “I actually got to go up and do some workouts with Aleah,” Palmieri mentioned. “[Aleah] is a very versatile, big post player that could shoot, drive, and everything.”
With the season starting on November 4th at Harvard this year, Allie asks for the support of UMass fans for the women’s basketball program this season. “Stay up to date with [the Mass Collective and A10 Talk],” she said on how to support the team this season. “Supporting us from afar in any way that helps, but just staying up to date and coming to our games when [people] can.”
Featured Graphic: Kaily “KG” Godek, A10 Talk
Image Used in Graphic: Chris Tucci, UMass Athletics
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University (WNE). She has been a supporter of UMass Athletics for over 15 years. Kaily focuses on both UMass Basketball teams and occasionally on the other Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she works in the athletic department at WNE. When she graduates from WNE she wants to go into either Sports Broadcasting and Journalism or Coaching. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgumass23.
