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Former county stars to face off

By DAWN REISS
Published December 14, 2006

Former Lecanto guard Mychal Nichols remembers facing Jamaal Galloway in high school.

Nichols was a sophomore, a first-year varsity player. Galloway was a star Citrus senior.

"I guarded him," Nichols said. "It wasn't easy. He's a fast, athletic, smart player who can shoot anywhere from over half court."

Nichols, or at least his team, will get a chance to face Galloway again when Eckerd plays at Armstrong Atlantic State at 8 on Friday night.

Nichols, a freshman guard at Eckerd, may not play but is still excited about the chance to see his former foe.

Galloway, who comes off the bench to average 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 27 minutes, is also glad to see Nichols, a 2006 Citrus graduate who averaged 18 points a game last year.

The two worked a weeklong basketball camp this summer, teaching kids how to play.

At the end of camp, Nichols told Galloway he'd see him in December.

"It's always good for two former Citrus County players to be able to play against each other on the next level," said Galloway, a 2004 Citrus graduate who scored more than 1,800 points during high school.

Galloway made a name for himself as a shooter.

"Jamaal is a terrific shooter," Armstrong Atlantic State coach Jeff Burkhamer said. "He gets more minutes than most of the starters. He's understands what it takes to get a quick shot and to run hard."

On the other hand, Nichols was a far-ranging shooter who could also hit 3-pointers and led Lecanto to the program's first district title last year in the Panther's 22-5 Class 4A region semifinal run.

Nichols has only played one game this season for Eckerd, a veteran team that became ranked 25th in NABC Division II poll Tuesday.

Eckerd coach Tom Ryan said that like most freshmen, Nichols needs to improve his quickness and speed to play at the college level.

But Nichols would have played more, Ryan said, had he not suffered a concussion.

The day before Thanksgiving, Nichols took an elbow in the jaw during practice, leaving him dizzy and vomiting. He spent a few days at home recovering, then returned to Eckerd where he was released a week later.

Nichols got first his chance to play Saturday during the Tritons' 101-59 thumping of Florida Christian at the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando.

With 13 minutes to go, he entered the game and played until the end.

"My adrenaline was pumping," Nichols said. "It was my first time up and down the court, and I was really tired because it was the first time I played in a real game in a while."

Though Nichols missed his first shot, his teammates implored him to shoot and he pushed the ball up the court to go two on three.

"I spotted up behind the NBA line, I got a good pass and knocked it down," Nichols said. "Swish.

"I finally made a shot in the college game," he recalls thinking. He scored another three points, by driving to the basket on a lay-up and drawing the foul.

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 19:57:53]