La Salle's Galloway keeps family by his side, on and off the court

RAMON Galloway's father sits behind the La Salle bench for every home game, surrounded by Ramon's mother and her father. The father's eyes are hidden by sunglasses, the grandfather's yellowed by disease, the mother the eyes for the father, the family the reason why Ramon returned home from South Carolina to play at 20th and Olney.

"He is an inspiration for me," Gerald Galloway Jr. says of Ramon.

That goes both ways. Ramon's father was blinded when he was shot after "a dispute with an older gentleman." Ramon was 2 years old. Gerald was 25.

"He took his frustration out on me by shooting me," Gerald says.

That the shooting took place not far from Temple Hospital likely saved Gerald's life.

Ramon's mom, Karen Davis, is Gerald's eyes at the games.

"She illustrates the game for me," Gerald says.

Her father, Carlos Moore, 60, has liver cancer. He is on a transplant list.

"We are hoping he is getting closer to the top every day," Davis says.

Ramon is a junior transfer who played 2 years at Friere Charter, went to William T. Dwyer (Florida) High where he was all-state and played against some of the best players down there, including Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight. He lived in Palm Beach and stayed with Karen's aunt.

He was the point guard on the Florida Rams AAU team, where his teammates included Fab Melo (Syracuse) and Rakeem Buckles (Louisville). He played the last two seasons at South Carolina.

"I just love being around people," Ramon says. "Being back with my family, having them smile, having them be able to come watch me. I've been gone for 5 years. My mom and dad only came to watch one game and that was in college."

His mom's house is around the corner, his dad's a mile away.

Last summer, Galloway used to jog from La Salle to his mother's Germantown house "just to stay in shape."

Galloway got an NCAA hardship waiver. Normally, transfers have to sit out a season. He did not. Moore wrote a letter that La Salle included in its package seeking immediate eligibility for Galloway.

"I asked them to allow him to play this season because I might not be here," Moore says.

"I kind of credit my grandpop for everything," Ramon says. "He taught me basketball, how to box. Everything I learned, I learned from him."

When Ramon was little, he used to ride shotgun in the 18-wheeler Moore drove to "St. Louis, Chicago, Florida."

"Ever since he was a little boy, he would go with me everywhere I went," Moore says. "That's how he learned how to travel the highway . . .

"I had him in the truck where he could see, but his feet couldn't touch. I was waiting on him to get a little bit bigger and stronger so he could learn how to drive, back 'em up and stuff."

Ramon credits all that travel with his grandfather "for not being scared to move away from my family" to finish high school.

His year-older brother, also Gerald, has been in prison for nearly 4 years. According to Ramon, he has a few years yet to serve.

"He was like my twin," Ramon says. "We did everything together. It really hurt me when he got locked up because we were so close. Same schools, wear the same stuff."

His brother has passed the GED while in prison.

"He's smart, but I try to tell him our friends that we used to hang with weren't doing the right thing," Ramon says. "I was smart enough to leave. He just didn't want to get out of the Philadelphia lifestyle. When he gets out, he'll be everywhere I am."

Ramon got out. Now, he's back.

"He made the decision to go to Florida," Davis says. "I wanted to get Ramon out of Philadelphia. There was so much violence. I wanted to get my son away from that."

But his family needed him again. And he needed his family.

"We're so grateful to have him back in Philadelphia," Davis says.

Ramon's father played a little high school ball in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., before moving back to Philadelphia. He used to take Ramon and his brother everywhere before he couldn't.

"[Ramon] was very traumatized about that," Davis says. "He gets very emotional about his dad. He thinks he can remember when he was that little."

He can't, of course. His father can. Now, he is with his son again.

"I'm used to it," Gerald says. "I've been visually impaired for 18 years so I am kind of accustomed to visualizing."

Now, he gets to visualize his son on the court from a few feet away. He can hear the whistle, the squeak of the sneakers, the public address announcer, the cheering. He is close enough to the bench to hear La Salle coach John Giannini shout instructions to his team. He can feel his son.

"He's amazing," Ramon says. "I take him to high school games. I don't even have to tell him who has the ball. He knows it."

Ramon felt like he had to make a decision after last season at South Carolina. He could go back to Florida to be with his son, also Ramon, who will turn 2 on Jan. 31. Or he could come home.

"I knew my son would be OK because his mother's side of the family lives down there," Ramon says. "I was just worried about my side of the family and what was going on up here."

According to Ramon, his grandfather was not following all his medical orders. Now, he is.

"He's been fighting hard since I've been home," Ramon says. "He loves me so much that he listens to me. Ever since I've been home, he's taking his medicine. He's been in and out of the hospital. I haven't gone down there to see him in the hospital because he never wants me to see him weak."

Moore sometimes needs to pause for breaths when he talks, but he says: "I'm high on the list. Hopefully, I'll get the transplant and everything will go good. By that time, he might hit the NBA. Maybe my little man could be taking care of me, hopefully. I love the ground he walks on."

The little man is now 6-3. He wears gold shoes, dunks with flair, shoots from long range with touch and defends like it matters. He averages 15.5 points while shooting 47.7 percent overall and 46.8 percent from the arc. He suffered a concussion in the first game against Lafayette. With Galloway, La Salle is 11-2. Without him, they are 1-2. His grandfather was a boxer and a football player. He was tough, just like his grandson. He spent some time in Joe Frazier's gym.

"Joe offered you $50 a round, if you could stay in there for 3 minutes with him," Moore says. "I was as tall as him, but he had that juice."

Now, it is his grandson with the juice. Every once in a while during the games, Ramon sneaks a peek over to the stands.

"It puts a smile on my face on the inside," Ramon says. "I try not to show it too much while I'm on the court. It makes me want to work harder and do it for them.''

La Salle would be on any short list of major surprises locally and nationally. After a dysfunctional 2010-11 season, a few players left, some stayed. And one new player, Ramon Galloway, came home.

"When I came to La Salle, all I saw was opportunity," Ramon says.

On the court. In his life. With his family again.