Indiana men’s basketball will be relying on Trey Galloway this coming year.
He already played an important role for the Hoosiers last season, as a sixth man that eventually became a regular starter after Xavier Johnson’s injury. And Galloway was a solid role player.
But with so much roster turnover after last season, including most of the team’s leadership core, Galloway will be under a brighter spotlight as a senior.
And heading into the offseason, IU coaches ensured Galloway knew they’d need him to step up.
“I’m a senior now, and I’ve been here the longest with this coaching staff, and I know what it takes,” Galloway said Thursday in a Zoom availability. “So I think (coaches wanted him to focus on) just my leadership, leading on the court, off the court. And then, obviously, expanding my game on the court as well, offensively and defensively. I’m a veteran now. I need to know every spot and know where to be on offense and defense. So I think just everything that comes with it.”
The shooting guard made strides as a junior from his underclassman years at IU. In 27.6 minutes per game, Galloway averaged 6.7 points, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and three rebounds per game. He finished with the best 3-point clip on the team at 46.2 percent, though at a low volume with less than one made 3-pointer per game. But after shooting 21.4 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore, the improved percentage at any volume was a positive development.
Although the Hoosiers added some players this offseason who could help with outside shooting, they’ll likely need Galloway to be a bigger presence from 3-point range beyond his two attempts per game last year. IU lost its three highest-volume 3-point shooters from 2022-23 in Miller Kopp, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Tamar Bates.
Galloway will be key in filling the void left by those players, along with other losses like Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson. He thinks his veteran perspective of the game — and working to build that — will help him see other ways to impact IU’s offense with more regularity.
“I think just watching film, and growing my knowledge of the game, seeing different things I can do to create more offense for us. I think film really helps,” Galloway said. “I think just seeing that and knowing what I can do to kind of expand my game will be big, and then going out there and replicating it in my workouts and doing different things. I think I’ve done a good job of that so far this summer.”
But even with added offensive responsibilities, Galloway isn’t expecting much to change with his role on the new-look Hoosiers.
He was one of the team’s best defenders last season, often tasked with guarding opponents’ top guard. Defense remains something he knows he can impact games with.
“I want to guard the best players on their team. I want that assignment every night,” Galloway said. “I think just keeping that and being willing to guard whoever it is, every night, that’s that’s one thing I like to do. I take pride in that. Defensively, (my role’s) not really going to change.”
Galloway and Johnson are set to lead IU’s backcourt this year, and it’s a young group behind them in sophomore CJ Gunn and freshmen Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton. Galloway said the freshmen have taken a mature approach to workouts this summer, and described both as “strong, physical guards that can guard at the Big Ten level already.”
Beyond the backcourt, overcoming the loss of Jackson-Davis will be IU’s biggest challenge heading into the season. But there’s no surefire way to replace one of the top players in program history. And with the Hoosiers set to adjust their playing style, they may not need one individual to do everything Jackson-Davis did.
This IU team may be defined by how well its new and existing pieces mesh together. And Galloway has liked what he’s seen in that regard so far.
“We’ve got guys that have really been working on our games this offseason. I’m really proud and honestly just happy to see the new guys come in and really step up,” Galloway said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that do a lot of things, top to bottom. I think we’re all just ready to go. I think when the opportunity presents itself, we’re going to have a guy step up when it’s time.”
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