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Ramon Galloway credits Rumph with helping him on college path

08/08/2015, 1:30pm EDT

By Varun Kumar

Former La Salle guard Ramon Galloway (above) credits Danny Rumph with helping him get recruited to play college basketball. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Varun Kumar (@vrkumar8)
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Although Danny Rumph’s young life was tragically cut short when he was only 21, there is no denying the impact his memory continues to have to this day.

Every August, the Rumph Classic is held in his memory, while also serving to raise awareness for the heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and to place Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in public spaces throughout the city.

Just like many others who participate in the eight-team tournament, which is full of former college stars and current NBA/overseas professionals, La Salle alum Ramon Galloway has a personal connection with the former Parkway star.

“Danny means everything to me,” Galloway said on Thursday night, the opening round of the event’s 10th season. “If it wasn’t for Danny, I wouldn’t have had a scholarship to go to South Carolina.”

HCM can often go unnoticed without proper screening, and is the same condition another former Philadelphia great, Hank Gathers, passed away from in 1990.

Galloway was just starting to get acquainted with Rumph prior to his death in the spring of 2005.

Then an incoming freshman at Freire Charter School, he had been working out with Rumph at the PAL in Germantown on a regular basis. The two planned to play together at the Mallery Recreation Center (now known as the Daniel E. Rumph II Recreation Center) the evening Rumph, a then-junior guard at Western Kentucky, suddenly collapsed and died on the court.

Rumph was coached at WKU by Darrin Horn, who ended up recruiting Galloway while he was coaching the Hilltoppers to a Cinderella Sweet 16 berth in 2008. Horn then took the South Carolina job after the retirement of Dave Odom and got Galloway to commit to his new school.

“Coach Horn knew I was a Philly guard, and he knew what Danny was,” Galloway said. “This is what he said when he recruited me: ‘I coached Dan Rumph, and I need another tough Philly guard.’

“It was a blessing for me.”

Galloway played two solid seasons for the Gamecocks, averaging 9.3 points per game, but decided to transfer back home to his native Philadelphia, where he would make an even bigger impact on and off the court.

La Salle, of course, made it to the Sweet 16 in 2013, with Galloway as the key cog in a guard-heavy attack designed by Explorers head coach John Giannini.

“The whole La Salle experience helped me a lot,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to showcase my talent. I was at South Carolina and things weren’t working out so much. I came back home and made the best of the situation.”

His collegiate experience on 20th & Olney has propelled him to NBA Summer League success and a burgeoning career in Europe, as he is preparing to play his second year of professional basketball in Italy. The former La Salle guard played in both Bosnia and Germany during the 2013-14 season, and then signed with Tortona of Italy’s A2 Silver league in September of 2014.

Galloway noted he loved many aspects of his experience in Italy last year, ranging from traditional Italian hallmarks like great food and hospitality, to the big crowds and passionate fanbases.

Still, Galloway knows there is nothing like playing in the best league in the world, the NBA, and he refuses to give up on the dream of someday playing in “the Association.” He has played each of the last three years in the NBA Summer League, but he would love to, at some point, suit up in a regular-season game.

“Now that I’m healthy, it comes down to timing,” he said. “It’s a lot of politics, timing and being in the right place at the right time. I’m just trying to stay in shape, trying to keep my game sharp, working out.

“Playing in the Rumph, it keeps your game up, playing against great players.”

Despite his turbulent lifestyle, Galloway still pauses to remember his friend who lost his life while playing the game they both love.

“I’ve played with a Danny Rumph wristband every year in the Summer League,” he said. “This tournament means everything to me. It’s great to play in it to represent Danny Rumph.”