Trey Galloway is just a teenager, but he has already established deep roots in two thirds of the state of Indiana.
As a young boy, Galloway looked up to future NBA player Josh McRoberts as his father Mark coached at central Indiana’s Carmel High School until 2010.
The next stop for the Galloway family was northern Indiana — Culver to be precise, where the father-son duo has led Culver Academies to back-to-back state finals appearances including the 2018 Class 3A title.
Now the question on everyone’s mind is whether the next stop for Galloway will be in the southern third of his home state — in Bloomington.
With his AAU career winding down, college decisions are beginning to take precedence for uncommitted incoming seniors like Galloway.
While rumors have swirled that Galloway might be leaning towards IU after a May official visit, he hasn’t shown his hand publicly when it comes to his college decision.
AAU teammates and close friends with another class of 2020 Indiana target, Galloway isn’t afraid to admit that the idea of continuing to play alongside Bloomington South’s Anthony Leal in college has been discussed.
“We (Galloway and Leal) don’t talk about it much, but playing together is definitely something that we have talked about,” Galloway told our broadcast media partner Indiana Sports Beat today. “We obviously know that Indiana is an option for us if we do want to play together.”
Moreover, Galloway acknowledges that playing alongside a good friend while representing his home state is appealing.
“It would be super cool, just knowing that we both have the opportunity to go to the same school and represent the state of Indiana,” Galloway said. “It would be cool experience to go out there and do that stuff with him for sure.”
While there are legitimate questions regarding whether bringing on a pair of 6-foot-5 shooting guards is the best answer for both Indiana and the players, few would know better than Galloway and Leal whether their games complement or overlap with one another.
“We benefit each other well on the court,” Galloway said.
Each player is thought to be leaning towards Indiana according to the national recruiting services like Rivals and 247Sports.
That has long been the case for Leal, while Galloway’s recruitment seems to have taken a turn after that May official visit to Bloomington.
So what, if anything, changed when Galloway spent a couple days with the IU coaching staff?
Strong relationships are important to the 6-foot-5 guard, and it sounds like the foundation of just such a relationship was laid after spending meaningful time with Archie Miller and the other IU coaches.
“You definitely want to have a good relationship with the coach if you are going to a school,” Galloway said. “I feel like that’s one thing that they’re really trying to build with me so I can build that trust if I want to go to Indiana. That’s one thing that I really feel like Coach Miller has pushed towards is building a relationship with me. That’s one thing that is really important for sure.”
The next step in the relationship is to keep it going and to continue to demonstrate a high level of interest.
Miller has continued full speed ahead.
“The way they’ve recruited me has really stood out to me,” Galloway said. “Coach Miller has been to all of the games. It’s been really cool to see how much they care and how much they want me to be part of their program.”
“One thing that I look into is to see how much they need me and how much they want me and that definitely plays a factor into it,” Galloway added.
It is clear that both sides have a high level of interest in making this happen, but what’s next for Galloway?
After playing with each other for four years, Galloway and Leal will play their final AAU games together this weekend at Ladera Ranch, California at the Adidas Gauntlet Finals.
But will it really be their final time playing together?
With AAU play wrapping up, it is time for players like Galloway and Leal to shift their focus more towards finalizing their recruitment. Both players have indicated that they don’t want to see the process go into their final high school basketball seasons.
Galloway has enjoyed hearing from a variety of college coaches throughout his recruitment.
“It’s been really cool to be able to talk to different coaches and get a feel for what they like about my game and learn about different programs and different schools,” Galloway said.
But will he continue on with the process, or has he learned enough at this point?
For now, Galloway is looking forward to just taking a step back from everything.
“Just hanging out and enjoying the rest my summer as a high school student and focusing on getting better and getting prepared for the upcoming season,” Galloway said when asked what’s next after this weekend.
“I haven’t planned any more visits yet,” he added.
“Whenever the time feels right I’ll make my decision,” is all Galloway is willing to say right now regarding wrapping up his recruitment process.
If it ends up that he wants finish his statewide journey down at the southern third, he appears to have a coaching staff that will welcome him with open arms.
Oh, and a good friend that could show him around Bloomington, and maybe even end up being his teammate again — for four more years.
You can listen to the full interview with Galloway on Indiana Sports Beat right here.
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