The sounds of dribbling basketballs and squeaking sneakers on a gym floor is music to Ricky Gallon’s ears. 

It’s a sound he has missed.

“I grew up listening to this and the sound of scuffling sounds of sneakers, so to have this again for the kids, this is amazing,” Gallon said.

For over two years, the Boys and Girls Club were filled with silence. COVID forced the shutdown of the sports programs.

Now it’s back and Gallon says that’s just in time.

“To be able to come back now and be face to face, just seeing you like this, I think it’s long overdue,” Gallon said.

Gallon’s a former Jefferson High School star who went to play at the University of Louisville and then professionally overseas. He knows the value of hoops. And it’s not just the physical benefits of playing a sport. It’s the life lessons learned along the way.

“Basketball taught me that it’s not only about me,” he said. “It’s about everybody else. We all win or we all lose and we all do it together. You learn to lose some humility. And you learn to win and celebrate, but not too much.”

There was a lot of celebrating as the kids ran through drills lead by the USF women’s basketball team. Players like Patience Williams can appreciate the access to hoops that these kids might not get otherwise. She grew up playing at a YMCA and knows what basketball can do for young minds.

“This is a spark,” Williams said. “This is a spark in all of them. We’re here, everybody’s here. We’re all connecting with them and inspiring them to be something, to be whatever they want. Telling them that they be whatever they want and whoever they want to be.”

To mark the return of basketball, the Boy and Girls Club of Tampa Bay were gifted brand new uniforms by the TUFF organization. It tested the theory if you look good, you’ll play good. Club officials, like Gallon, are just happy basketball is being played again in their gyms.

“They’re going to make friends that are probably going to be lifelong,” Gallon said. “They’re going to make relationships with their coaches, and the staff and with each other. And then you’re getting exercise. You’re all learning a common skill or some different things.

“Everybody learns to have a certain role and all for one. And it’s like a little family.”

If you'd like to learn more about supporting sports programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay, click here.