Coaches, fans, and pundits alike often concern themselves with a team's best player. How do you make sure you put your best player in a position to help you win games? How do you neutralize the opposition's best player? With time running out in a close game, who is getting the ball?
As the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team gets into the thick of Atlantic 10 play, it's fair to ask: who is the Hawks' best player?
Is it senior forward Ronald Roberts, Jr., whose motor and athleticism rival any player in the league? You could make an argument for senior forward Halil Kanacevic, who is a threat to post a triple-double every time he suits up. Maybe it's senior guard Langston Galloway, a dead-eye shooter who can knock down a jumper from anywhere on the floor.
While the phrase “best player” leaves itself open to interpretation, if you instead were to ask who is the leader of the squad, there is one Hawk who rises head and shoulders above the rest: the squad's undeniable leader is its captain, Langston Galloway.
Galloway is only in his second year as a captain by title, but from the first day of practice his freshman year, he's been leading by example.
“I've always tried to lead by example,” he said. “I remember my freshman year I dove into the stands [for a loose ball during a game], and earlier this season I dove into the stands again. I just play hard and try to lead by example.”
While it's not recommended that he or his teammates make a habit of hurling themselves over the scorer's table, to hear Galloway tell it, it's just part of what it means to be a leader.
“To me, it's just helping the team any way possible,” he said. “If it's getting called on to finish a game off, or dive for a loose ball, or encourage the team…whatever it takes to help the team win.”
And while Hawk fans may certainly remember his forays into the crowd or any number of big offensive performances from the first three and a half years of his career, Galloway's style of leadership was seen on a national stage back in November of 2012.
The Hawks were taking part in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. With five minutes left in the game and the Hawks trailing 20th-ranked Notre Dame by six, the Hawk defense forced a turnover. As he's done dozens of times throughout his career, Galloway dove onto the floor after the loose ball. He won possession for the Hawks, but lost something, too: one of his teeth. Having played the entire game to that point, Galloway made his way to the bench.
He missed exactly 23 seconds.
Upon his return, Galloway made a pair of key free throws and the game-tying layup with 1:40 to go to send the game to overtime. And in a game that basketball fans across the country talked about for days afterward – “Did you see the St. Joe's guy get his tooth knocked out?!?” – there was Langston Galloway, a wad of gauze where his front tooth used to be, punctuating the 79-70 victory with a dunk as time expired.
Of course, if you see Galloway on campus, don't bring it up. He's not the type of person to talk about it. It was one game, and in terms of basketball, he's long since moved on, but he still feels the physical effects of the injury.
“I have to go to the dentist a lot for checkups,” he chuckled. “It's always a process after that.”
While his dental work may serve as a constant reminder of who he is as a leader, not every incidence of leadership leaves a physical mark. Sometimes, it's more personal.
Near the end his sophomore season, Galloway overslept while on a road trip at George Washington and violated head coach Phil Martelli's one rule: don't be late. Galloway paid the standard price for his tardiness: he did not start the game.
“I learned from it,” he said. And even though Galloway has been a key player since his arrival, the incident proved that he is still part of a greater whole.
“It doesn't matter who you are,” he explained. “You could be a bench player or a starter; it doesn't matter. No one is above the team.”
It wasn't all bad, though. Galloway atoned for his mistake exactly as you'd expect him to: he checked in at the first media timeout and scored a game-high 18 points, leading the Hawks to a 73-66 win.
As a senior, Galloway is the Hawks' leading scorer, averaging 17.2 points per game over the squad's first 15 games this season. That's not surprising; anyone who shoots over 42% from three-point range over the course of his career is going to score a lot of points.
What may surprise you is that the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native is his team's third-leading rebounder as well. A guard, among his team's top rebounders?
That's just something leaders do.
“It's just hustle,” Galloway said of rebounding. “Most of the time, you're just trying to get to the ball.”
Galloway also shows that hustle on the defensive end. He is often charged with guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player, and while a lesser player might see other facets of his game suffer because of it, the Hawk captain instead feels that it takes his game to another level.
“I think it raises my game because I'm engaged and focused on stopping [his defensive assignment],” he explained. “Then, when we're on offense, it's like, 'all right, let me find ways to get easy buckets so I don't tire myself out throughout the game.'”
His ability to get those easy buckets and conserve his energy also serves to keep him on the floor. And on a squad that is still developing its depth, every one of his team-high 35.1 minutes per game is crucial.
But that's what a leader does, and it's something Galloway has done throughout his career.
“I'm always in there, battling with the team,” he said with a smile. “I love it that way.”
Despite his hustle, his defense, and his durability, Galloway's on-court calling card is his three-point shooting. He's not only one of the best shooters in the country – his 280 career three-point field goals rank him fifth nationally among active players – he's one of the best three-point shooters in Saint Joseph's history. In fact, he sits just 15 threes away from breaking Pat Carroll's all-time school record.
Numbers like that, however, are fodder for fans and historians. The only numbers of importance to Langston Galloway are wins and losses. And whether his team has notched one of the former or one of the latter, he knows he's the proverbial face of the team, and people that see him on campus are always looking to offer words of encouragement or consolation.
A fierce competitor, Galloway doesn't like to talk much after a loss. But he understands that even when the results don't go his way, he is still expected to represent his team. That's the duty of a leader. But don't think for a second that he doesn't appreciate the faith and trust that everyone associated with Saint Joseph's basketball has placed in him.
“It comes with the territory,” he said. “But it's an honor to fill that role.”
A lot of what makes Galloway the perfect leader for this Hawk squad is a result of hard work – both on the court and in the classroom – and his authenticity of personality. You will not meet a more genuinely good person than Langston Galloway. And a big part of that can be attributed to his family, both in Baton Rouge and here on Hawk Hill.
“Back in high school I had that support system,” he said. “Even some of my mom's friends would come out to my games.”
And, of course, he is not without family at his games in college, either. His parents, Jeralynn and Larry, travel often, but his uncle Geoff makes it to every game as well. That's because his uncle Geoff is SJU assistant coach and former Hawk guard Geoff Arnold.
Just like in high school, having his family around him has had its benefits.
“Having that support system here at Saint Joseph's made it easy for me to transition into college,” he said.
That transition from a high school student-athlete into a collegiate student-athlete can be a tough one, especially on the academic side. You would understand if a star player like Galloway slacked off in the classroom; after all, there are only so many hours in the day. But his older brother, Lawrence, who now resides in Dallas, Texas, always made sure that didn't happen.
“He didn't play sports. He was always more of a 'books' guy,” Langston said of his brother. “He always stayed on top of me [academically].”
Visiting his brother also allows the younger Galloway to take some much-needed time away from the court to recharge his batteries. Plus, it gives him an opportunity to not be the so-called “big man on campus.” That's Lawrence's gig.
“He's the principal of a school, so he's big time now,” he laughed.
Part of being a leader is giving your best effort in all your pursuits. And Galloway's best effort is a pretty good one: he has two majors: sports marketing and communications.
There's also one other thing he has: a college degree. Galloway finished the coursework required for his degree during the fall semester, and will wrap up the communications portion of his studies this spring.
Of course, in typical fashion, he tried to keep it to himself. As always, the team came first.
“I'd been keeping it a secret from pretty much everybody,” he said. “But it felt really good [to finish].”
It is one of the biggest accomplishments of his life, and his first thought was not to take any attention away from the team. Why?
All together now: that's what leaders do.
It's not just outsiders that view Galloway as the leader of the team: he's embraced taking on that role with his teammates. Along with fellow captains Kanacevic and Roberts, Galloway aims to help foster a family atmosphere among the brotherhood that is Saint Joseph's basketball. The demands of being a student-athlete are unique, and bonding with those who share those experiences is important to Galloway.
“We try to make it feel like a family because we're the only ones who know what it's like [to be on the team],” he said.
One of the things that most families do together is eat, and the Hawks are no exception. Galloway and junior Chris Wilson, a North Carolina native, did their best earlier this year to bring a little bit of Southern flavor to their basketball family.
“We had a fish fry,” Galloway said. “Chris and I fried some fish for the team.”
After all, despite having so much family around, Baton Rouge is still 1,300 miles away from Philadelphia. How does he stay close to home? The same way many college students do.
“The food gets me by,” he said with a laugh.
Soon, the college experience will be over for Galloway and his classmates, something that is not lost on a thoughtful young man like Galloway. And even though he's smack dab in the middle of basketball season, he's still able to look back on his time at Saint Joseph's and reflect on what he'll take away when all is said and done.
“I'll remember the times we've spent over the years, on and off the court, as a family with my teammates, and on campus, all the friends that I've made,” he said. “We'll move on and hopefully keep building relationships with each other. It's going to be a crazy experience knowing that I'm 30 or 40 years old and I'll still be able to have the same friends, so that will be something to take away.”
Galloway also hopes to take a career in basketball with him, whether it's on the court or near it.
“My goal and my dream is to keep playing ball; it doesn't matter where.” he said. “But if not, then I definitely have a backup plan to maybe try to be an agent, or maybe a broadcaster.”
Many former players stay involved with the game by starting coaching careers, but Galloway doesn't think he'll be one of them.”
“I'm not really a vocal coach, so I don't think I would really help players develop,” he laughed.
“I could be a shooting coach, that would be pretty good,” he conceded.
If he were to go down that road, Galloway would no doubt be one of the best shooting coaches you could find. Then again, he's one of those talented individuals who will be successful in whatever pursuit he chooses simply because he won't allow himself not to be.
One autumn night in New York City, a young man from Baton Rouge dove into the annals of Hawk history. Every Hawk fan in attendance at the Barclays Center, or at home watching on television, will always remember the last 10 minutes of that game.
But long before that night, Langston Galloway was already a name Hawk fans would never forget. And as he plays the final games of his collegiate career over the next few months, take a moment to appreciate everything he's given to this program.
Clutch shots. Thrilling victories. Over 1,600 points. His heart and soul.
One of his front teeth.
In short: everything you could ever ask of him.
That's just what leaders do.
