Final Grades: Breaking Down Trey Galloway's 2020-21 Season at Indiana - Spartan Nation

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trey Galloway was the lowest-ranked freshman in Indiana's vaunted top-15 recruiting class a year ago, but he was the first one to make a good impression. And he was the only freshman to start any games, getting the call seven times. 

He played well early, showing he could handle the rigors of college basketball, especially on the defensive end. He had the best assist-to-turnover ratio among the freshmen and quickly became a fan favorite. A nagging back injury slowed his progress, but the future is bright for the 6-foot-4 guard from Culver, Ind.  

Here's a breakdown of his season, what I liked and didn't like, his best game and future prospects and – of course – his final grade.

There's also a terrific video chat with Hilltop30 Scholarship Fund winner Haley Jordan, so check that out as well:

Trey Galloway by the numbers

• Games played: 25 of 27
• Games started: 7 of 27
• Average minutes: 19.7
• Points per game: 3.6
• Rebounds per game: 1.9
• Assists per game: 1.6
• Steals per game: 0.4
• Field goal percentage: 41.7 (35-for-84)
• 3-point percentage: 18.2 (6-for-33)
• Free throw percentage: 73.7 (14-for-19)

What I liked

Because of all the COVID-related protocols and quarantines, this might have been the hardest year ever to be an incoming freshman in college basketball. But with that being said, it was all the more impressive that Galloway had such a big impact on this team right out of the gate. 

He was in the starting lineup by Game 4, a win over Stanford. He also started against Penn State, playing 37 minutes in an 87-85 double-overtime victory, scoring 10 points and dishing out a team-high five assists. He also started in the loss at Illinois and the win against Maryland. Indiana went 4-3 with him in the starting lineup – and 8-12 when he didn't.

He showed a good ability to move without the ball, and attack the basket off the dribble on demand. He was aggressive and assertive on the defensive end, and he surprised a few people with his quickness. He also showed a nice ability to decipher defenses and make crisp passes. 

He missed two games with a back injury, and two others were postponed, so he was off the court from Jan. 14 to Feb. 2, and that definitely slowed his progress this season. To be honest, he wasn't quite the same afterward.

What I didn't like

Galloway was an above-average three-point shooter in high school, playing for his father, Mark Galloway, at Culver and winning a state title there and playing for another. So it was something of a surprise that he struggled to shoot so much from deep at Indiana.

For the season, he was just 6-for-33 from three-point range and he was just 2-for-22 from three from Dec. 26 on. The back injury might have had something to do with it, because it cost him a lot of practice time. His form was a problem too, though, and his shot seemed to get too flat on him. He needs more elevation on his shot, which surely the new coaching staff will fix this season. 

Anything else? Just a get-off-my-lawn moment. Trey's thing is to tuck his candy-stripe warmups into his socks. That sacrilege in my book! Here's to hoping that tradition ends when November rolls around. 

Best game

Galloway's best game was the first one, right out of the box. On opening night back on Nov. 25, before just friends and family at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, he scored 13 points in just 19 minutes in the 89-59 win over Tennessee Tech. He also had two rebounds and two assists – and zero turnovers.

Even on the first night, he didn't look like a freshman at all. He was comfortable on both ends of the floor and aggressively attacked the basket. His court vision was very good, too, especially for the pull-back-the-curtain first night It was clear right from the get-go that he was going to be a key piece to this 2020-21 team.

Future prospects

After Archie Miller's firing and the hiring of Mike Woodson, it's gotten very crowded on the roster at Galloway's wing/guard spots. Transfers Parker Stewart and Xavier Johnson already have great college resumes and incoming freshman Tamar Bates is a top-50 recruit.

Despite that, I still see Galloway being in the mix, especially if he gets his jump shot fixed and is more of an offensive threat. He can guard people and helps the flow of the offense, which could be even more obvious when the Hoosiers are playing at a faster pace. He's a smart player too, and is very coachable. The improvements year over year should be substantial.

Final grade: B-minus

B-MINUS: Galloway did a lot of good things as a true freshman, but it's hard to do much better with the grade than a B-minus with those low shooting numbers. Still, it was a good freshman year overall and I really would have loved to have seen him stay healthy all year and continue to get better.

I do think he's going to benefit a lot from having the new coaching staff around, with Woodson and Dane Fife, who might see a lot of himself in Galloway, there to help improve his game. 

Previous 'Final Grades' stories

• TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was Indiana's leading scorer and rebounder this year, and there was no question he was the Hoosiers' best player. Here's his grade. CLICK HERE
• ARMAAN FRANKLIN: Sophomore guard Armaan Franklin made great year-over-year strides and emerged as Indiana's best perimeter threat on both sides of the floor. CLICK HERE
• RACE THOMPSON: Redshirt junior Race Thompson fought through injuries at the end of the season and battled in the post all year during his fine season. CLICK HERE
• AL DURHAM: Senior guard Al Durham was up and down, but he conclude his career as one of 53 Hoosiers to score 1,000 points all-time. CLICK HERE
• ROB PHINISEE: Junior guard Rob Phinisee really struggled with his confidence this season, and it really affected his shooting numbers. CLICK HERE
• JEROME HUNTER: It was nice to see redshirt sophomore Jerome Hunter stay healthy all year, and he made some big shots along the way. CLICK HERE
• NEXT UP: Indiana freshman Anthony Leal.
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