IU guards Trey Galloway and Jakai Newton are both still working their way back from injuries, coach Mike Woodson said on Wednesday afternoon at the program’s media day in Bloomington.
Galloway appears to be on track for a return to full contact basketball very soon, possibly as soon as next week.
“He’s been doing a lot of our conditioning work,” Woodson said of Galloway. “He’s not on the floor doing 5-on-5 yet. We’re hoping next week he’s able to get on the floor and bang a little bit.”
A fifth-year senior, Galloway suffered a knee injury in March that required surgery.
Galloway said later during the player session of the media day he has intentionally taken his time with the rehab to avoid reaggravating the injury, and he expects to be fully ready to go before the season starts.
The 6-foot-5 Galloway averaged career bests in points (10.6), assists (4.6), steals (1.2), and minutes (33.4) per game. He was the first Hoosier since Isiah Thomas (1980-81) to have multiple 12-plus assist games in a single season, and he closed Big Ten play with 105 total assists, tied for the second most in program history.
Newton, who missed the entire 2023-24 season due to an injury that dates back to high school, has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
“He still hasn’t fully recovered,” Woodson said of Newton. “He’s had some good days but we can’t consistently keep him in practice on the floor. It’s been frustrating for him. He’s just got to keep working through it. The medical people are telling him the same thing.”
The 6-foot-3 and 203-pound Newton was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2023. He suffered a knee injury in May of 2022 and has had multiple setbacks since.
For his part, Newton said he is “good to go” at media day on Wednesday. ”I’m 100 (percent),” he said.
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