Basketball teams fundraise for Haiti
On March 29, Montpetit Hall was filled with basketball fans yet again. This time, for a charity event put on by both the University of Ottawa’s varsity basketball teams.
The event raised money through ticket sales that went for $5 for a student and $10 for non-students, on top of and food and beverage sales. They also accepted donations of athletic shoes, uniforms, or basketballs and volleyballs.
According to the event’s Facebook page, all donations will be used for the women’s team’s humanitarian project. The shoes, clothing, and balls will be given to children in Haiti. The monetary proceeds will be put towards building a new sports complex in L’Anse-à-Veau, Haiti.
This is the second time this event took place. It consisted of a skills competition, three-point contest, and dunk competition. Rounding off the night, the players came together for a fun game of basketball.
The skills competition was first. Three Gee-Gees from each team hit the court to showcase their dribbling, passing, and shooting skills in a course set up across the entire court. Brooklynn McAlear-Fanus, Alana Renon ,Natalie Ligouri, Calvin Epistola, Kevin Civil, and Luka Lizdek took on the challenge. The men would take the win with Lizdek having the quickest time.
Fan participation was not lacking, as the final round of the skills challenge would welcome a participant from the stands.
The three-point competition was taken on by Sarah Besselink, Maia Timmons, Amélie Hachey, Gage Sabean, Camille Musuakala, and Guillaume Pépin.
This contest was close, with Besselink, Hachey, and Pépin all scoring 17 on their first attempt.
Pépin would hit 19 on his next attempt, but it was Besselink who scored 21, claiming the three-point title for a second year.
The final pre-game event was a dunk contest. After gathering judges from the crowd, it was up to Borys Minger, Quinton Hamilton, and Mackenzie Morrison to impress them.
Hamilton earned the highest score with a slick 360-degree dunk.
To end the evening, a whole basketball game was played with all the members of both teams.
The night was not only an entertaining one, but looked to be a success with a great turnout and such a loud crowd.
The official count of the amount of donations given has yet to be calculated. Check out the link to the project online here.
