Ramon Galloway eager to carry Explorers on his shoulders
DAYTON, Ohio - On Monday, the TV cameras stopped by La Salle's gym a day after the Explorers barely were selected to the NCAA Tournament. Ramon Galloway playfully responded by leading a few of his teammates into a dance, which included some deft moonwalking.
DAYTON, Ohio - On Monday, the TV cameras stopped by La Salle's gym a day after the Explorers barely were selected to the NCAA Tournament. Ramon Galloway playfully responded by leading a few of his teammates into a dance, which included some deft moonwalking.
On Tuesday, as the players anxiously milled around, waiting to hit the Dayton Arena floor for practice, Galloway this time grabbed a video camera and asked Tyreek Duren to prance as if he were on a catwalk.
For a guy who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat the last two games, he sure is keeping his team loose.
"This is a chance to go out and redeem the two games that I played most recently," said Galloway, the only senior in La Salle's rotation. "I just have to go and play team ball and let coach [John Giannini] coach me. He told me that [in losing to] teams like Saint Louis and Butler, you can learn a lot."
Instead of looking back at missing all 11 three-pointers in those two losses, Galloway is looking ahead to his first NCAA Tournament game. And he's doing so with a smile on his face and a bounce in his walk.
It should be no surprise that some of Galloway's roughest shooting games have been during La Salle losses. He was 6-for-17 against Central Connecticut, 7-for-29 against Charlotte, 4-for-15 against Temple and a combined 4-for-22 in the most recent two games.
"That wasn't who I was," Galloway said. "The last two games wasn't who I was. I could have helped in so many ways, but I didn't. I take the blame for that. If I would have played halfway good, we probably would have won."
Shouldering the burden is nothing new for Galloway. He grew up in Philadelphia, spent his last two high school years in Florida and began his college career at South Carolina. After 2 years there, he transferred to La Salle and was allowed to play immediately when the NCAA granted him a hardship waiver.
"I came back for my family," explained Galloway, who grew up at 16th & Tioga, but has lived in South Philly and in Germantown. "My grandfather had cancer. My dad was blind and couldn't travel. My cousin and brother had legal troubles. I just wanted to be the positive light of my family. They're all I have."
Galloway was first-team all-Atlantic 10, and is one of four Explorers who average in double figures. He can be lethal, such as when he dropped 29 in a win over George Washington, but he doesn't have to be for La Salle to win. All he has to do is be himself.
"I told him that, 'You don't have to carry us. You don't have to win the game. We have to win the game,' " Giannini said. "He's gotten us this far, and it's a natural thing to want to do more. But I don't think he has to put that much pressure on himself. If he relaxes and does the things he normally does, I think good things can happen."
In a way, good things already have happened for Galloway. The Explorers are in the tournament for the first time in 2 decades, and his success in basketball has helped bring together those who mean the most to him.
"I got people in my family that never talked to each other, and now they're talking," he said. "It's just a blessing that I have been able to be that person to be able to bring back my family. It motivates me to get in the gym and work even harder."
Watch it, pal
A number of places around the city are hosting informal gatherings for Wednesday night's games. Tavern on Broad at the Bellevue (200 S. Broad) is the Center City spot. In the Northeast, it's Chickie's & Pete's (11000 Roosevelt Blvd.); in Manayunk, J.D. McGillicuddy's (111 Cotton St.).
If they win
If La Salle wins on Wednesday, the Explorers will hustle to Kansas City, Mo., to play Kansas State at 3:10 p.m. on Friday. The La Salle ticket office would be open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday, and tickets would be $80. Call 215-951-1999 for details.
