Westchester Knicks: Top 3 Moments Franchise History
1. Westchester’s First Call-Up
The Westchester Knicks didn’t have many positive moments during their first season in the NBA D-League. The Knicks lost 40 games and finished the season by losing their final 10 games.
On the bright side, the New York Knicks gave one of their players joyful news on January 7, 2015.
On that day, the Knicks signed Langston Galloway to a 10-day contract. Galloway accomplished his lifelong goal of making it to the NBA after going though a tough battle to get there.
Galloway spent four years at St. Joseph’s University. During those four years, the team had the most success in his senior season (2013-14).
Galloway, along with Ronald Roberts, DeAndre’ Bembry and Halil Kanacevic, led the Hawks to the Atlantic 10 tournament championship.
By winning the A-10 Tournament, St. Joseph’s received an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. That marked the first time St. Joseph’s made the Tournament since the 2007-08 season.
The Hawks run in the Tournament was short-lived. St. Joseph’s was the No.10 sed in East Region and faced off against No.7 Connecticut. The Hawks lost to the eventual champion Huskies in the second round, 89-81.
In his senior season, Galloway was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team. The 6’2” guard finished the season with averages of 17.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 36.2 minutes per game.
In addition, he finished 12th (44 percent) in 3-point percentage during the 2013-14 season.
After spending four years at St. Joseph’s, Galloway went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft. He played with the New York Knicks in the Summer League, but was released by the team before the start of the 2014-15 season.
Eight days later, Galloway was acquired as an affiliate player by the Westchester Knicks.
With the attention on Thanasis Antetokounmpo during the beginning of the season, Galloway didn’t get much recognition. As the season progressed, his production started to increase.
Most importantly, he showcased his ability to finish around the rim.
That was one area of the game that he excelled in during his 19 games in the D-League. He proved that he was one of the tough players that deserved a call-up.
The St. Joseph’s product was getting it done in all facets of the game. He was scoring baskets (16.5 points per game), picking up rebounds (5.9 per game), and getting steals (2.6 per game).
The New York Knicks were in need of help. The team wasn’t producing and their record clearly showed that; the Knicks were 5-32 when Galloway made his NBA debut.
Since the Knicks had no hope of making the 2015 playoffs, New York gave Langston Galloway the opportunity he’d been dreaming of. He took advantage of that opportunity.
In the final four months of the season, he averaged 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 45 games (41 starts). Over the course of two seasons (127 games), he averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest.
In the 2016 offseason, the Knicks relinquished the qualifying offer to Galloway, which made him a free agent. The Louisiana native signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. The two-year contract will pay him more than $5 million annually with an opt-out, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Even though Galloway isn’t in New York anymore, he will be remembered by the Westchester Knicks.
Next: Could A Rivalry In The NBA D-League Be Formed?
During the 2015-16 season, he made several appearances at the Westchester County Center— opening night and the team’s first-ever playoff game—to support his former team.