OU's Tiny Gallon shrinking away
Sooner freshman has lost 70 pounds

BY DAVID UBBEN Comments 10
Published: October 30, 2009

NORMAN — Tiny Gallon didn’t attend Oak Hill Academy so he could play Division II basketball.

Tiny Gallon speaks with reporters during media day on Thursday. Gallon, a McDonald’s All-American, has lost around 70 pounds.Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman

Multimedia

NewsOK Related Articles

College basketball polls
10/30/2009 The Top 25 RecordPtsFin1. Kansas (55)27-81,612142. Michigan St. (5)31-71,51583. Texas (1)23-121,397—4. Kentucky (3)22-141,372—5....
OU basketball notebook: Willie Warren, Tony Crocker...
10/30/2009 Warren, Crocker earn starting spots Through almost two weeks of practice, Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel isn’t ready to name his...

Neither did Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. Same with North Carolina alums Ty Lawson and Jerry Stackhouse.

So when Oak Hill coach Steve Smith told Gallon before his senior year that Division I basketball wasn’t in his future if he didn’t trim his 6-foot-9, 359-pound frame, Gallon knew he had to make a change.

A McDonald’s All-American who was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 9 player in the country, Gallon signed with Oklahoma and arrived on campus at 317 pounds.

With the Sooners’ season just weeks away, Gallon can’t stop smiling when he steps on a scale that now reads 290 pounds.

“I’ve never seen myself in the 2s,” Gallon said. “I was surprised. I thought it must be wrong. So I got off, got back on, and it said 298. And that was in the summer time.”

And as his new coach, Jeff Capel, likes to say, he did it the right way. Gallon traded in sodas and sweets for salads. Gallon cut the traditional college late-night meal and committed to running more than ever.

“His game is expanding,” Capel said. “It helped him to where he can play for extended periods of time, and he can move a little bit better and be a little more explosive.”

The challenge is keeping the weight off. With his new schedule, that hasn’t been difficult.

“When we were having two-a-days, I’d be losing like seven pounds in like three days. I’d be like, ‘Gol-ly!’” Gallon said. “But I love being on the court, so I can’t complain about it.”

Gallon gained more than a scholarship that he likely would have earned without the massive weight loss. He has an opportunity to contribute as a freshman for a top-20 team. Blake and Taylor Griffin are in the NBA. Juan Pattillo was removed from the team in the offseason.

They took with them nearly 40 points and 25 rebounds, a hole Gallon hopes to help fill in his first season.

“We need him to fill whatever role we need him to fill,” Capel said. “Guys have a perception of who they think they are, and maybe that’s who they’ve been at a certain level. But when you move up to a different level, you have to understand how you have to work. And he understands that, and he can do a lot for us this year.”