Let me throw some names out there: Trey Galloway, A.J. Moye and Will Sheehey.
All three became fan favorites during their time with Indiana men's basketball. While some eventually joined the starting five, what made these players memorable to fans was how they performed before entering the starting lineup.
Take power forward Will Sheehey, who didn’t always fill the box score. He brought energy every time he stepped on the court, diving for loose balls, hitting timely shots and locking down opposing offenses. During his time on the team from 2010-14, Sheehey's hustle and versatility often swung momentum like during the 2012-13 season when he scored 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Galloway's impact as a guard from 2020-25 was as much about consistency and readiness as it was about raw stats. Over five seasons, Galloway etched his name into the Hoosiers’ record books, including ranking seventh on the Indiana assists leaderboard and logging 1,000 total points in his career, all while often coming off the bench for the first two seasons of his tenure. His journey shows how staying prepared, even without immediate glory, can lead to results.
Then there’s Moye, a guard whose relentless energy from 2000–04 helped produce one of the most memorable plays in Indiana history. Against top-seeded Duke University in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Moye rejected Carlos Boozer’s game‑winning layup, sealing the Hoosiers’ victory. It only shows up as a block on the stat sheet, but to this day, long-time Hoosier basketball fans still talk about that moment.
What do these players have in common? They all embraced a unique role in basketball: the sixth man.
Being the sixth man takes an extreme amount of willpower and confidence. These players rarely hear their name during the starting lineup announcements. Instead, they wait for their moment, ready to bring intensity, defense and a spark when their team needs it most. It is a role that does not always receive the most recognition, but time and time again, it proves essential to winning.
With March Madness approaching and excitement for the tournament building, college basketball fans know tournament runs aren’t just because of the five players in the starting lineup. Just look at the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball, who finished the regular season 26-5 and finished second in Big Ten standings. It ended the regular season with strong contributions from Braden Frager, who won Sixth Man of the Year and made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Frager scored 11 points and had four rebounds against IU in January. When the games matter most, the sixth man often becomes the difference between a season ending and a run continuing.
The term “sixth man” can apply off the court, too. Fans are often called the sixth man because of the energy they bring to a game. A loud crowd can shift momentum, lift players when they’re tired, and make life difficult for the opposing team.
Of course, that influence can go both ways. When frustration from fans turns into boos or groans, the same crowd that can energize a team can also hurt the team. They aren’t on the court, but any basketball player will tell you their presence still matters.
This mentality goes beyond basketball. It’s rare to be the star: you may be the team member who isn’t leading, the student who isn’t at the top of the class or the employee who hasn’t yet moved into management. But like the sixth man in basketball, those who stay prepared, stay engaged, and step up when the moment arrives often turn ordinary results into something extraordinary.
Like coming off the bench to spark a team’s energy, it’s often those in supporting roles who make a big impact in our daily lives. A teacher who stays a few minutes after class to help a struggling student understand the assignment, a coworker who steps in to help finish a project before a deadline or a friend who shows up with encouragement when things aren’t going well all play that role. I remember struggling on exams in one of my classes and spending extra time in my professor’s office hours trying to figure things out. Instead of rushing through the material, he took the time to walk through the concepts step by step until they finally started to make sense. It was a small moment, but that extra effort from my professor made a real difference, and I ended up finishing that class strong.
They may not always get recognition, but their support can change the outcome. That’s what the sixth man represents: not avoiding the spotlight but being ready to step up when the moment calls.
Whether it’s a sixth man on the court, a teammate in the classroom, a coworker at work or the fans in the stands, the lesson is the same: impact isn’t always about being the star. It’s about showing up, putting in the work and being ready when the moment arrives. From Sheehey’s energy, Galloway’s consistency and Moye’s unforgettable block to the quiet moments where preparation meets opportunity, the sixth man mentality reminds us that every role matters, and sometimes the people who change the game the most are the ones who started on the bench.
Jack Davis (he/him) is a junior majoring in media with a sports concentration and pursuing a minor in folklore and ethnomusicology and a certificate in journalism.
