Since Indiana’s 2023-24 season came to an end, all of the focus turned to filling holes on the roster via the transfer portal.
But the Hoosiers have six players returning from last year’s squad, so it’s time to look back at how they performed, and the outlook for 2024-25.
Next up in the series is 6-foot-5 and 205-pound Trey Galloway, who is returning to IU for his fifth season with the program.
WHAT WENT WELL
Galloway saw his biggest role as a Hoosier in 2023-24, and his production followed suit. He averaged career bests in points (10.6), assists (4.6), steals (1.2), and minutes (33.4) per game.
Any time an IU player is mentioned in the same breath as Isiah Thomas they’ve done something right, and Galloway was the first Hoosier since Thomas (1980-81) to have multiple 12-plus assist games in a single season. He closed Big Ten play with 105 total assists, tied for the second most in program history.
Over his last 19 full games, Galloway averaged 5.9 assists, and that number swelled to 7.8 over his last six contests. For the season he more than doubled his assist rate from a year earlier.
Pressed into duty as the team’s facilitator after various Xavier Johnson injuries, Galloway delivered.
“Gallo did a hell of a job for us and grew in that area, being able to handle the ball and make plays not only for himself but for his teammates,” IU coach Mike Woodson said in May.
Galloway shot 58.0% from two, a career high, and he was very good at the rim where he made 70.2% of his shots — more than eight percentage points above the D-1 average.
As the primary offensive option in the backcourt, Galloway was able to show at times that he can be a big time scorer. He scored 28 points in a home loss to Kansas, and then dropped 25 in a road comeback win at Ohio State. Galloway scored in double figures 17 times.
Defensively, Galloway continued to improve fundamentally, as his 2.1 fouls called against him per-40 was a career low.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
There were many post game recaps when we wrote something to the effect of “Galloway did everything right but make threes.”
After making a rather staggering 46.2 percent of his 65 3-point attempts in 2022-23, Galloway’s make rate dropped considerably to 26 percent on 100 tries this past season. The obvious differences were the lack of Trayce Jackson-Davis — who created kick-out opportunities, other teammates like Miller Kopp who diverted attention, and a higher volume necessitated by a lack of other viable options. And at times the misses from long range started to compound, and seemed exact a toll on Galloway’s confidence.
Galloway has never been a great free throw shooter, but his 53.3% conversion rate last season was a career worst. His percentage has dropped each year at IU, and as his senior year progressed, it seemed clear he was struggling mentally at the stripe.
At 18.6%, Galloway’s turnover rate did increase substantially over his junior campaign (12.8%), but that was mostly to be expected as his ball handling duties increased. He did have four games with five or more turnovers, but Galloway was still well over a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (4.6-to-2.1 per game).
Galloway did slip some as a defensive rebounder, posting a career-low rate. But that was probably as much about his role as anything else. Beyond transitioning to the point, Indiana likes to use him as the leak-out guy in transition because he is so effective in the open court.
KEY QUESTIONS FOR 2024-25
The main question surrounding Galloway as he enters his final season at Indiana is his health. The Culver, Ind. product had offseason knee surgery related to an injury suffered at the very end of the regular season. He’s expected to be available when the ball tips in November, but will he be 100 percent, both physically and mentally? Galloway has always been sharp when coming back from injuries, but knee surgeries can be especially challenging.
Also there’s this rather surprising and yet obvious question — will he start in year five? In each of his three seasons playing for Mike Woodson, Galloway has earned starts, including 56 over the last two years. But with Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle in Bloomington, the expectation is he’ll pivot to a sixth-man role. As we’ve seen with Woodson however, starting is different than finishing, and he could be on the court at crunch time like he was as a sophomore and each season since.
And then there’s his ability to make shots. No one reasonably expected Galloway to keep making 46% from three, but he has to be better than he was in 2023-24. If Galloway can approach 35% on lower volume, with everything else he brings, he’ll be a major weapon for the Hoosiers.
PREDICTIONS
Given the guard talent that surrounds him this year, it won’t be a surprise to see Galloway’s overall production take a step back.
His usage rate swelled to a career-high 19.7 percent last season. He showed he can be a high-volume scorer at times, but his sweet spot at this level is likely a role where he can a bit more selectively pick his spots.
Surrounded by the likes of Rice, Carlyle, Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and Oumar Ballo, Galloway’s scoring average could fall this year. It almost certainly will. But with attention focused elsewhere, his offensive efficiency should get a nice bump.
And after playing 36 or more minutes in 20 games last season, less minutes will likely mean more energy and thus a greater impact on the defensive end, getting to 50/50 balls, and everything else that makes Galloway who he is. Every team needs a guy who can blow-up dribble hand-offs and high ball screens, and fearlessly sacrifice his body in transition or going for a loose ball.
Pick your cliche — glue-guy, energizer, or Woodson’s choice for Galloway — crazy man. 25 minutes of the fifth-year guard’s best might just be what ties it all together for Indiana.
PREVIOUSLY IN THE SERIES
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