Men’s and women’s basketball players and coaches distributed presents and sang “Jingle Bells” as they visited nearly 20 rooms in the pediatric wing.

Players competed with each other to see which gifts they’d give – Playdoh, Legos and Hot Wheels were all first-round draft picks.

“It’s heartwarming to give back to children who can’t be home for the holidays,” said LSUS forward Destanee Roblow, who visited a two-week-old infant among other children. “Giving back in this way makes me feel more connected to my teammates and helps us be more successful.”

Seven-year-old Derriyah smiled and sang along from her bed with the women’s basketball team.

“I’m sure it helps lift her spirits,” Derriyah’s mother chimed in. Derriyah said she was ready to visit the play area after the team’s visit.

Men’s basketball coach Kyle Blankenship relishes the role of Santa, making sure he knew the name and age of each child he visited, found an age-appropriate present in his “sleigh” (a storage cart) and selected which players would conduct the visit.

The sleigh made trips down wings named “Sugar Street,” “Rocky Road” and “Lollipop Lane.”

It’s an event in which he’s participated since his days as an LSUS player back in the mid-2000s.

“This is always something the players and I look forward to,” Blankenship said. “We’ve visited a children’s hospital every year since I’ve been here, even during (the first year of) COVID-19.

“We FaceTimed kids from the lobby that year.”