Coahoma County High School senior guard Bentavious Galmore has been starting for coach Derrick Moore since he has been in seventh grade.
Galmore played an integral role on the Red Panthers back-to-back state championship teams as a freshman and sophomore. He has a chance to win another title as a senior and averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a senior.
His achievements earned him the opportunity to play college basketball and he officially signed with Delta State University Wednesday, Feb. 19.
“It felt like home,” said Galmore of his decision to play for Delta State. “It’s not too far away. They treated me like family when I was up there. I went down and saw one of the games played. They showed me where I was going to be playing at and who I would be playing with. They showed me the facility and the locker room.”
Galmore said he saw about five games and has been eyeing Delta State for awhile. His success began in fifth grade winning a championship at Lyon Elementary School.
He could have waited until the official signing day after the season, but wanted to get it out of the way.
“Why make people who love you wait?” Galmore said. “Just go ahead and love where you feel loved at and go where you feel loved.”
Galmore said one of his fondest memories came in the district tournament as a sophomore at Leland. He had not played his best in the tournament, but hit the game-winning shot in the championship against South Delta when the game was tied.
“It was like a mid-range float,” Galmore said. “It was like three seconds, maybe four.”
Moore was Galmore’s junior high coach in the seventh grade when he only coached the girls at the high school level.
“Only a handful of seventh graders ever started for me,” Moore said. “He was last junior high basketball team.”
When Moore became the boys and girls coach at the high school level the next year, he stopped coaching the junior high team. He said Galmore started many games as a high school freshman and all games he played as a sophomore.
Galmore was injured and missed the state semifinals game as a sophomore, but came back to help his team win the championship game.
“With that team, we had those kind of injuries all year with somebody out, somebody here, somebody there and guys kept popping up and filling in,” Moore said. “At the very end, it proved to help us because they had been doing it so much that year.”
Moore said Galmore knows he still has unfinished business as a Red Panther trying to win a state championship as a senior.
“He’s been involved in school since he was an elementary kid, so he’s got the love and the compassion for it,” Moore said. “He’s a Red Panther at heart. He knows any game at this point could be his last. He’s taking it serious.”
Galmore has enjoyed every moment of being a Red Panther.
“The last six years have been the best with coach,” he said. “He’s been there the whole way, ever since I was in seventh grade. He coached me in junior high. We won in junior high. I’ve been winning ever since.”
Galmore plans to major in criminal justice to become an FBI agent. Watching movies interested him in becoming an FBI agent. His favorite movie is Bad Boys.
