Summer of Hard Work Has Trey Galloway's 3-Point Shot Looking Dramatically Better

In his first two years at Indiana, guard Trey Galloway has made only six three-pointers each season. It's the one part of his game that's been missing, but a summer of hard work to refine his mechanics has him shooting much better so far this season. He had some good teachers.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It's one thing to make perimeter shots, and it's another thing to look good doing it. 

These days, Indiana junior guard Trey Galloway is doing both. 

Since last April, Galloway has been in the gym refining his three-point shot. The hundreds of hours of work have paid off. He says he hasn't changed much mechanically, but his shot definitely looks better. He squares up better, and has better elevation. 

He was 2-for-4 from deep in the win over Bethune-Cookman last Thursday, and also made 2-of-3 shots during the two exhibition games.

Sure it's early, but that's a dramatic improvement from his first two years at Indiana. He shot just 18.2 percent (6-for-33) from deep as a freshman, and was just 6-for-28, a meager 21.4 percent average last year.

As a coach's kid, he's never been shy about putting in the work, and it's nice to see results already in this young season. He got a lot of help from new assistant coach Brian Walsh and former Hoosier great Jordan Hulls, who joined Mike Woodson's staff this year as the team and recruiting coordinator.

Those two know a little bit about shooting. Walsh shot 44.2 percent from three-point range at Akron in 2012, leading the Mid-American Conference. Hulls, who played at Indiana from 2009 to 2013, made 254 threes during his Indiana career, shooting 44.1 percent during his four years playing for Tom Crean.

Some impressive resumes there. 

"There were a lot of guys in the gym with me, helping me out,'' Galloway said Thursday. "Coach Walsh was with me this spring for most of that time, focusing on my mechanics and doing all the little things on my shot to keep grooving it. Jordy as well, those two guys were in there with me, trying to help. 

"Those guys really helped me out just by making me stay disciplined in my shot and keep it the same way every time. I feel more confident, and that's just all with the process. I'm really just focusing on my mechanics, and getting under it and shooting it higher when I'm fatigued, that's what I've been focusing on.''

Indiana junior Trey Galloway (32) shoots a three-pointer against Saint Francis on Nov. 3. (Rich Janzaruk/USA TODAY Sports)

Galloway has dealt with back, wrist and groin injuries during his first two years at Indiana, but he's healthy now. He's always been one of Mike Woodson's favorites, because he's an above-average defender and a solid passer with a high basketball IQ. 

It's the perimeter shot that he's lacked. If that comes now, he become even more important to this No. 12-ranked team. Woodson loves the improvement in Galloways's game.

"The only way you're going to make them is you've got to put time in in the gym,'' Woodson said. "They've spent a lot of time this summer and it's starting to pay off. Trey's shot looks totally different than last year. His free throws look different, too, and he's healthy.

"That guy was kind of beat up last season because of the fact that he plays so hard. He took some bumps, and it's been a while to get him back on the floor. Now he's back and playing pretty well for us. He was valuable last year. I can't help but think he's going to be valuable for us this year so early into the season.''

All that hard work is a plus for Woodson, too. He loves what Galloway brings to the table.

"Listen, the guy plays hard. That's a big part of it,'' Woodson said. "I mean, it helps that he can make shots now. He's confident enough to knock the three ball down. He just makes basketball plays and he plays hard, and playing hard for me trumps a lot things. That's what I look at first and foremost, how is your motor?

"He's got a high motor in terms of how he plays. When he's doing all the things we have asked him to do on the floor, he will be out there getting minutes.''

Indiana guard Trey Galloway (32) dribbles the ball while Bethune-Cookman guard Damani McEntire (5) defends on Nov. 10. (Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Galloway played for his father, Mark Galloway, at Culver Academy, and he's been hanging around in gyms since before he could walk. Mark coached at Carmel from 2002 to 2010, and at Culver ever since. He demanded a lot from his son, and that's become engrained in Trey's personality, on the court and off.

"Just being around the game my whole life, I've seen different players and being a coach's son, you need to be a tough player,'' Galloway said. "You have to do a lot of things on the court, and toughness has always been a part of my game.''

Galloway is a tough defender, too, and all of Indiana's guards want to get after people this year. Woodson thinks Indiana's defense will be even better this year, primarily because they'll be able to pressure the ball better.

"Whenever you can put some heat on the ball as the ball is coming up the floor to kind of slow or disrupt their early offense, your opponents' early offense, it helps,'' Woodson said. "Xavier (Johnson) was pretty much the only guy that could do that last year.

"Now we've got Tamar Bates comfortable, Galloway comfortable, Jalen (Hood-Schifino) is comfortable now where we can extend our defense a little bit.''

Indiana is 2-0 so far with easy wins over Morehead State and Bethune-Cookman. Now it gets serious, starting with a tough road test at Xavier on Friday night. The Hoosiers have five high-profile games in the next month — No. 1 North Carolina, No. 6 Kansas, No. 14 Arizona and No. 40 Rutgers follow Xavier — and only one of those games is at home, North Carolina on Nov. 30.

Winning on the road is going to be critical this year. That's saying a lot for an Indiana team that went 3-8 in true road games last year. That has to change, with the veterans leading the younger players through what it's like to play in hostile environments.

"It's never easy to win on the road, but we have to embrace that challenge and win games on the road,'' Galloway said. "It's always fun to go on the road and get a win. Our focus is locked in on Xavier.''

Friday's game starts at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on FOX Sports 1

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