Butler's Gallagher returns to prominence on college basketball court

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

January 31, 2005 Last Updated: January 31, 2005 01:13 PM College

Ben Gallagher found his old coach. Now he's found his old game as well.

The 2000 Butler graduate, who led the Golden Tornado boys basketball team to the WPIAL Class AAAA finals that year, had neither three years ago when he left Juniata College.

"Basketball wasn't fun for me anymore," Gallagher said. "I was playing OK, but the losing was tough to take. I lost the drive to play."

Gallagher averaged 13.1 points per game as a freshman at Juniata. He was averaging 16.2 points and six rebounds per game through nine games his sophomore year and was seemingly on his way to becoming one of the school's all-time scoring leaders.

But something was missing - his coach.

Rick Ferry, who recruited Gallagher and coached him his freshman year, left Juniata after that season to take the head coaching job at Albright College in Reading.

"It was a lateral move for me because the teams are in the same conference," Ferry said. "But I'm from Reading and it was a chance to go home."

Gallagher went home as well, leaving Juniata's basketball program the second semester of his sophomore year and leaving the school that spring.

He had reached double figures in 25 of his first 34 college games, but Juniata finished 11-13 Gallagher's freshman year and faded the next season after a 6-3 start.

"I was considered a leader of the team and it wasn't fair to the rest of the guys for their leader to not be totally into it," Gallagher said. "I just lost the desire to play. I left school for financial reasons to go home and go to work for a while.

"I always knew I'd eventually go back and get a degree. But I figured my basketball days were over," he added.

That was before he heard from Elu Lawrence, a friend from Franklin who was playing basketball at Albright.

Lawrence tried talking Gallagher into enrolling at Albright and resuming his basketball career.

In the meantime, Gallagher didn't play basketball or go to school during the 2002-03 season.

"I told him I'd consider it, but I wasn't taking it seriously," Gallagher admitted. "I hadn't played for a whole year and I didn't think I'd ever get back into shape to play at that level again.

"Then Coach Ferry called me, said he'd love to have me if I was interested, and he put together a financial package that I couldn't turn away. Next thing I knew, I was at Albright."

Gallagher started last season and averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as the Lions tied for the regular season Commonwealth Conference title only to lose in the first round of the conference playoffs.

Albright finished 17-10 last year and is 12-5 so far this season. The Lions are 6-1 in league play and are bidding for their first conference title since 1980.

"We were 4-19 the year before Ben got here," Ferry said. "Juniata had won only four games the year before Ben arrived there. He is definitely an impact player.

"He's matured as a player and a person. He knows the game inside and out. Ben's a captain and he's become a vocal leader. He's not afraid to get in a player's face when he has to," the coach added.

But Gallagher didn't feel like he was a good enough player last season.

"I wasn't satisfied at all," he said. "I worked out vigorously all summer, trying to find my game."

Now the 6-foot-5 senior is averaging 13.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, which is second on the team to 1,000-point scorer Trevor Deeter in both categories.

Gallagher has led the Lions in scoring each of their past three games, including a career-high 27 in a win over Susquehanna.

"I can't tell you what that felt like," he said. "For the first time in years, I felt like I was playing basketball at the level I belonged."

A business management major, Gallagher will graduate this spring, but still has an internship to serve.

And his basketball career might not be over yet.

"I've received invitations to a couple of showcase camps," he said. "There may be an opportunity to play overseas.

"If somebody will pay me to play basketball, … that's something I may have to look at," he added.

Regardless, Ferry is happy to be coaching Gallagher again.

"We wouldn't be where we are without him," Ferry said. "Ben and I have a rapport - he's comfortable telling me what's on his mind and I'm comfortable telling him what's on mine - that's a rare thing between a coach and player.

"I'll miss him when he's gone. I know that."