Former MSU Bulldog visits Boys and Girls Club in Meridian

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Former Mississippi State Bulldog, Tolu Smith, visited the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, as he gears up for the NBA Draft.

The 2023 SEC First Team member, out of Bay Saint Louis, took the time to talk with the kids about his journey in life and what the Boys and Girls Club meant to him.

“Man, it means everything man. The Boys and Girls Club holds a special place in my heart. It built the foundation of who I am today. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the Boys and Girls club” Smith said.

Smith added that it was an honor and a priveledge to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a native of the Magnolia State.

Today was doubly special for the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, as they recognized some high school graduates from the area, who were involved with the Club.

They took pictures with Smith, and they talked about what the club meant to them as well.

“We had some of our kids, that grew up in the Boys and Girls Club, that are graduating, and they just wanted to come through in their cap and gown to let the kids know, ‘we were here at one time,’ and look at us now. We’re graduating from high school and moving on to college. That was extremely important for me because our kids need examples in front of them. All of them can’t be Tolu Smith, but all of them can be high school graduates,” Ricky Hood, CEO of Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, said.

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