By Barry Faulkner for ucirvinesports.com

For now, Jonathan Galloway serves and protects without a badge. A 6-foot-10 defensive star became the all-time leading rebounder in UC Irvine men's basketball history on March 1. The fifth-year senior has a bachelor's degree in criminology, law and society and is pursuing his master's in criminology. After basketball, he wants to work patrol for a police department.

Just now, however, he dispenses the rule of law in the lane for the Anteaters (26-5), the Big West Conference regular-season champions for the fourth time in the last six years, who are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament at Honda Center.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Galloway had amassed 927 career rebounds, eclipsing a 44-year-old school record held by Dave Baker.

A two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Galloway uses his size, skill and savvy to anchor a UCI team that ranks fifth in the nation in defensive field percentage (37.9). If, as expected, he is again named the conference's top defender, he would be the first to claim the honor more than twice.

"He is really, really hard to score against individually," UCI head coach Russell Turner said. "He is not only doing things himself, but he is making everyone else better by seeing things and saying things. It's a team job to be as good defensively as we are and Gallo is our leader on that end."

Galloway entered the final two regular-season games averaging 6.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and just more than one block per game. The conference player of the year candidate had 29 assists, just 23 turnovers and 12 steals. But the school's all-time leader in games played (140 entering the regular-season finale and senior night March 9 at home against CSUN) has contributed to the Anteaters' success well beyond his numbers.

"Gallo's true value can't be measured statistically," said Turner, who noted Galloway ranked No. 76 in the country in offensive rating, according to statistical guru Ken Pomeroy. "Offensive rating is probably one of the stats that comes close. He leads the league in screen assists and secondary assists (the pass before the pass that leads to a bucket). His passing has been outstanding and he never turns the ball over. To be the unquestioned leader on a team that could end up being 15-1 in conference and having as many wins as we have (a regular-season school record) and as few losses as we have, I mean that's rare air."

Through March 6, Galloway was shooting 59.5 percent from the field. His 215 points this season (through March 8) are a career best and his offensive development has added to his demonstrative defense.

"The improvements that are most evident with Gallo are that he is making shots and making shots in big moments," Turner said. "That's confidence and maturity showing up, but also a credit to the work he has put in. He has been able to contribute offensively at a really high level, whereas in the past, he was not a player who exhibited offensive confidence. He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the conference and one of the best we've ever had."

Galloway credits Turner, a former collegiate big man himself, as well as the UCI assistant coaches for helping him become a more well-rounded contributor. He also believes his journey as a player has been linked to his development as a person since coming to UCI from Salesian High in the Bay Area suburb of Richmond.

"Before, my mindset was just strictly defense and rebounding," Galloway said. "I was just trying to get the ball to everyone else. But now, it's my senior year, and I just want to contribute that much more. I want to be more productive offensively, my teammates are finding me, and it has been working out. I have been scoring the ball more and that has been fun.

"Coming in, I would never have imagined being a captain," Galloway said. "I was a really quiet, kind of shy player. But I've grown on and off the court and accepted a leadership role. I had to jump outside my comfort zone and start pushing people and being a tone-setter for this team.

"I wanted things to come quicker than they did on the offensive side. Being immature and younger, I kind of blamed other people for that. But it wasn't anybody else holding me back but myself. Coach Turner has a lot of sayings that really stick with you. He always says 'Point the thumb, not the finger.' That is a concept I really had to grasp throughout my years here."

Galloway shakes a figurative finger at opponents attacking the basket, helping the 'Eaters rank 17^th nationally in scoring defense (63.2 points per game through March 6). His instincts, desire and strength had also helped UCI rank No. 10 nationally in total rebounds with two regular-season games remaining.
"I think everyone can see now that he believes in himself, and that his teammates and coaches all believe in him," Turner said. "All those things together have led to him having such an outstanding performance this year."

Galloway's season and career reached a high point when he collected his record-setting 927^th rebound on March 1 at UC Riverside. At that instant, with UCI comfortably ahead, Turner called timeout to allow the UCI bench, as well as a healthy number of Anteater rooters in the stands to salute Galloway's achievement.

"I was able to call a timeout I saw (then-Wake Forest coach) Dave Odom call for Tim Duncan," said Turner, who was an assistant coach at Wake during NBA great Duncan's collegiate career. "That kind of made me realize I hadn't seen a player have an impact on a program the way Gallo has on ours, since coaching Tim at Wake Forest. That's pretty cool to think of it that way and it is a good comparison for Gallo for sure. I'm lucky to coach him."

Galloway said the moment moved him to tears.

"To get an ovation like that was really special," Galloway said. "We had so many fans there it felt like a home game. I didn't think I was going to get emotional, but I did. I just kind of soaked it all up and didn't say much. Everyone was hyping me up, pushing and shoving me. I was just taking it."

Galloway would like to take his talents to professional basketball, before possibly taking a police beat. Turner said his senior forward will likely need to place his law-enforcement career on hold.

"He can absolutely play professionally," Turner said. "He is a winning player and an incredibly high-level player. There are guys who make the NBA in the role that he has. I would not want to saddle someone with a label that they should make the NBA, but I would not put it past Jonathan if he continues to improve. When you have Gallo's combination of size, athleticism, durability, commitment and basketball brain, it's hard to know what the ceiling for him would be. I know if he were on an NBA team, there would be somebody playing against him every day that hated having to trying to score on him."

Galloway, a redshirt freshman on the first UCI team to earn an NCAA Tournament bid in 2015, said helping strengthen UCI's winning tradition has been rewarding. But anything less than a return trip to the NCAA Tournament this season would be a disappointment."

"It's like all or nothing," Galloway said of the potential postseason run that would follow the program's second Big West Tournament crown. I've been on the side that has failed too many times, as well as that time we made it to the Big Dance. All the individual accomplishments are great, but if we don't reach our ultimate team goal, it just won't be the same."