Indiana appears to be a healthy team as the Hoosiers open practice for the 2022-23 season this week.
The lone player who is known to have had a major offseason procedure was Trey Galloway, and right on schedule with the opening of practice, he is unlimited and back to live action. Even that timing was a bit conservative just to make sure the junior guard didn’t push his repaired groin unnecessarily.
“I’ve been running up and down the past couple weeks, and the five-on-five just started this week,” Galloway said at the program’s media day on Thursday. “I feel like I’ve been ready to go for the past couple weeks, but I’ve just been trying to be really protective, because there’s really no rush.”
Galloway had hoped the groin injury he suffered in February would heal itself during the offseason, but it became apparent by June that surgery would be necessary. And although the groin procedure he had entails a long recovery timeline, it was done with the understanding that Galloway would be fully recovered by now.
It was the third time in the last eight months Galloway has returned to the court after suffering an injury — first a fractured wrist and then the original groin injury. Each time the Culver, Ind. product appeared to not miss a beat when it came to being in game shape and having the ability to play with his trademark aggressive, physical style.
Although the return to live basketball has taken time, Galloway has been focused on the cardiovascular side for a while, and he says he has once again hit the ground running.
“Before I started cutting and doing all those things I was running on the treadmill, just trying to get my body right. I think I’m back to normal,” he said.
The key for Galloway to continue to see significant playing time this year is likely his ability to make jump shots. While he’s been limited in some areas, Galloway has also been able to shoot for the last couple months.
“Shooting more game like shots is the biggest thing for me, and I feel like I’ve done a good job with that and I’m going to keep doing it before and throughout the season just to prepare myself,” Galloway said.
When he returned to the court, Galloway was met with a bit more competition for playing time than what he saw during his first two years at IU. In each of his freshman and sophomore seasons he played his way into the starting lineup before suffering injuries.
Now he has promising freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino, sophomore Tamar Bates and several others battling for minutes in the backcourt. Galloway doesn’t deny the competition is stiffer, but he likes what it means for the team this year, as well as his own development.
“There’s a lot of talent. It’s really good for us,” Galloway said. “In practice it makes us all better. Just going out there and competing with each other, it just makes the whole team better.”
The collection of experienced talent and a promising freshman class at IU has also caught the attention of the outside world.
For the first time in his college career, Galloway will be playing on a team with significant preseason expectations.
While he is happy to be back on the floor, preparing for a promising season, he wants no part of the outside noise.
“It’s always too soon if you haven’t won a game yet. We’ve got to prove it,” Galloway said.
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