Gallman commits to MTSU

Fulton senior guard, James Gallman, verbally commits to the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders. Gallman plans to sign with MTSU during the NCAA early signing period and is MTSU basketball's second verbal commitment this week, joining Mississippi high school guard John David Little. He chose MTSU over Appalachian State and Dayton.


Fulton guard commits to MTSU basketball team

Defense, for a change, is what wows people about Gallman's game, and he doesn't mind it a bit.

Gallman's lock-down defense was well known even before he led Fulton to a Class AA state title last season. But it was confirmed in the state tournament at MTSU's Murphy Center.

"He may be the best on-ball defender in the state," Fulton coach Jody Wright said. "He gets after it every time, and he's got a great motor. That's our personality as a team. We focus on man defense and rebounding.

"And that's what people like about James. He's got that rare combination of being a great shooter and defender. At the high school level, you just rarely see a scorer like him work so hard on the defensive end."

Gallman's defensive masterpiece came at last season's state tournament, where he disrupted and frustrated three of the state's best scorers.

Gallman forced Livingston Academy star Chase Dunn into six turnovers. He held Mr. Basketball finalist Justin Blake from Dyer County to 5-of-16 shooting.

And finally, one day after Memphis Mitchell's Kenyan Torry scored 48 points in the state semifinals, he was limited to only 18 points on 0-of-6 shooting from 3-point range by a relentless Gallman in the Class AA championship game.

Gallman helped guide Fulton to back-to-back 28-win seasons and last season's state title. He averaged 15 points per game and shot 40 percent from 3-point range on the season.

In three state tournament games in March, Gallman averaged 19.3 points.

But defense continues to be Gallman's identity entering his senior year.

"He is a tenacious defender, and I've seen him play a lot over the years," said Andre Whitehead, a recruiting analyst for TNPrepHoops.com.

"He's an ideal player for any coach because he never has to be motivated. He sets the tempo with his defense from the opening tip. He's a relentless defender, and he takes defense very seriously. I've seen a lot of players, but he's one of my all-time favorites."