Deanna Dotts instructs the Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s basketball team before tipping off practice on Tuesday night. Dotts will be donating $5 for every three-point shot the Kodiaks basketball teams make in the month of February.
A Lethbridge College Kodiaks coach is using her players to help her in the fight against cancer.
Deanna Dotts has pledged to donate $5 for every three-pointer made by her women’s basketball team, as well as their male counterparts, in the month of February.
For Dotts, the fundraiser is something close to her heart.
“Three years ago, my mom passed away from pancreatic cancer. She was diagnosed in the end of October and passed away by the end of January.”
Dotts added many family members including aunts and grandparents had their lives affected by cancer as well.
Now in her second year of coaching the Kodiaks, Dotts has put into action a plan she had from the very beginning of her time at Lethbridge College.
“(Last year) there were a lot of other things going on, but this is something I marked in my calendar to be a part of,” Dotts says.
The 28-year old got the idea from her counterparts at the American Cancer Society’s Coaches Versus Cancer campaign.
“They’ve been doing it for 25 or 30 years. It is just for American schools right now, but to give us something from our program is why we started.”
Dotts says her players still play hard in the paint, but they also know that everyone has the opportunity to take their shot from deep.
“The girls said on the first day they’re only taking threes from now on,” Dotts laughed. “I told them we still have to win games and take some good shots.”
The fundraiser comes at a great time for the women’s squad, as they currently are riding a six-game win streak, the longest active streak in the entire Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.
In their first weekend of the month, the teams combined for 25 threes – nine by the women and 16 by the men’s team.
“I don’t know if we took more shots intentionally, but we ended up around our average,” says third-year forward Brooke Heggie. “We might be practicing more on our own time now to help bring up the average.”
Kodiaks’ three-pointers aren’t the only way to make a difference, however. Dotts has set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $1,000 between her own donations and community pledges.
“Our goal is to reach $1000 and see how well we can do this year,” Dotts explains. “A lot of the girls have been sharing it on Facebook. I’m hoping to do more, even though it might break the bank a little bit.”
For Dotts and the Kodiaks, this fundraiser is an opportunity to do something bigger than basketball.
“We represent the school the best we can as athletes, so it’s nice to do something for the community and organizations that don’t have to do with ourselves or the Kodiaks program,” says Heggie.
The Kodiaks will be accepting cash donations at their final evening home game of the regular season on Feb. 15 against Briercrest College.
If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe page, click here.