people transferring to a smaller level and never being heard from again. I committed to Nebraska, and at the end of the day I didn't want to quit on them. People said I wasn't skilled enough to play at that level. And when I was at Nebraska, I concentrated. I wondered whether that would be the case if I came home."

He and Sadler sat down and mapped out a plan. In two years, the biggest weakness for Gallegos was his shooting and confidence. He put up enough bricks to build a house, and that affected the rest of his game. Plus, his strength wasn't where it should've been. He was taking a pounding in one of the best conferences in the country.

With two senior guards ahead of him,a redshirt became the most viable option.

"I knew I needed to get stronger," Gallegos said.

So he lived in the weight room. And he lived in the gym, shooting 1,000 jumpers a day, working on his body and his endurance. In many ways, he was still a boy when he entered his redshirt season. He emerged a man, mentally as well as physically.

Few things can rattle a college athlete more than a coaching change. To put it kindly, the uncertainty can get the best of many guys. Coaches come in with their own agenda. Many of them yank the scholarships of unwanted players left behind by the previous regime. Almost all have a completely different system than their predecessor.

Gallegos was fortunate. He and Miles knew each other, as Miles