I was in attendance when Ramon Galloway, leading a fast break in the first round of the NIT, threw down a double-clutch °180 dunk that registered number two on Sportscenter’s top-10. I’d seen Galloway dunk before and the South Carolina transfer had proven that he was an SEC-caliber athlete all season.
But man, looking back…
In anticipation for college basketball season, ESPN interviewed Galloway and others about the excitement and perils of dunking. The La Salle senior had this to say about his exciting slams:
“I got so excited that I got light-headed and missed the free throw because it was an and-1,” Galloway said. “I’m chest-pumping, I’m turning around and my teammates [are] hitting my chest. I got so hype and so amped that I missed a free throw.”
There are some great dunkers in Philadelphia right now. Ron Roberts and CJ Aiken were both featured on Sportscenter’s top-10 last season, but the freakish athleticism of Galloway’s dunks really excited the La Salle faithful.
The ESPN piece includes this funny tidbit:
La Salle coach Dr. John Giannini occasionally yells from the sidelines as Galloway runs up the floor on a fast break: “Regular dunk! Regular dunk!” “He freaks out when I do fancy dunks; he loses it,” Galloway said. “He always turns to the assistant coaches, and the assistant coaches always tell me he’s like, ‘Why can’t you just tell Ramon to do a regular dunk? It’s only two points.’”
Where is the fun in that?
UPDATE: ESPN’s Myron Medcalf has followed followed this piece with an article highlighting the top dunkers in the country. Galloway is the only Philadelphia player to make the list.
Read the original ESPN article: HERE
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Joe Fedorowicz
