An injury only sharpened Munster senior guard’s Josh Malloy’s focus.

The 6-foot-3 Malloy suffered a broken right foot during an AAU tournament in early July and was sidelined for about two months.

“I did a lot of mental reflecting,” he said. “I was devastated when I broke my foot. But it was just like, ‘Go out there and play every game like it’s your last. Don’t take anything for granted. Just leave everything out there.’”

Malloy has abided by those words. As he approaches 1,000 career points, he was averaging 16.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals before Munster (12-10, 6-0) closed the regular season at Whiting on Friday.

Malloy and the Mustangs had some close calls along the way, but they secured their ninth straight undefeated Northwest Crossroads Conference title and their 17th title overall in the 19 seasons of the league’s existence.

“It wasn’t pretty, but I’m just really proud,” Malloy said. “We have a lot of younger guys and some guys with less experience, so I’m just really proud of how they kept fighting. They didn’t get down.

“We had a lot of deficits. We had to fight and claw our way back into a few games. So I’m just proud of them for not giving up, and it just feels good to win.”

The Mustangs will try to continue their winning ways in a Class 4A Crown Point Sectional semifinal on March 6 as Malloy nears the end of his senior season.

“It’s been filled with ups and downs,” he said. “But the biggest thing that I’ve enjoyed about this group so much is how much closer we became every practice, the friendships, all the hard work for each other. We just became more connected as the season went on.”

Malloy has been a major contributor throughout his career. He entered the starting lineup early in his sophomore season, when he averaged 10.3 points and set the team record for 3-pointers in a game with eight. As a junior, he set the team record for 3-pointers in a season while averaging 16.7 points.

This season, Malloy is a team captain along with senior guard Victor Guaramato and junior forward Troy Jarrett.

“It’s his leadership,” Jarrett said of Malloy. “He’s a great leader for us. He’s been a leader for me since last year. He’s very vocal in practice. He’s really helped us throughout the season, keeping us all together.”

Munster coach Mike Hackett also mentioned Malloy’s role as an experienced player.

“He’s taken a step in leadership,” Hackett said. “This is his first year being a captain. That took a bit of getting used to for him. But as the season progressed, he started doing a better and better job of being a leader.”

Munster’s Josh Malloy (2) tries to get into position to rebound against West Side’s Justin Skinner (21) and Prentiss Gates (23) during a nonconference game in Gary on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Mandy Coppinger / Post-Tribune)

The Mustangs also have progressed after a 2-7 start that included a six-game losing streak. They realize their pursuit of their first sectional title since 2022 will be challenging, with a potential matchup against rival Lake Central in the semifinals and Crown Point looming on the other side of the bracket. But they’re in a better position to compete than they were earlier in the season.

“We just have to focus on us and take it one game at a time, one practice at a time,” Malloy said. “We turned it around, so we just have to use the same formula. We have a good train rolling right now, so we just want to keep doing what we do and keep believing in each other and keep it moving.”

Malloy, who plans to play in college, has more work to do with the Mustangs.

“I want to focus on playing my last few games of my senior year and make a decision after that,” he said. “My teammates have been putting me in good opportunities to score. Whenever my teammates and coaches put me in the opportunity, I feel like it’s my job to execute.

“I’ve been really grateful to have a great group of guys around me for all four of my years. The main thing right now is just being a leader and keeping everybody focused on the main goal.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/27/high-school-basketball-munster-josh-malloy/