GREAT FALLS — The 6th Annual Hoops for a Cause fundraiser is happening in Havre on Aug. 6 and will be hosted by the MSU-Northern women’s basketball program.
This year’s fundraiser will be a 3-on-3 tournament that will raise money for the University of Providence’s Jaynah Gopher of the women’s basketball team and MSU-Northern’s Jett Jones of the men’s wrestling team to help with the cost of their thyroid cancer treatments.
Rocky Boy native Gopher and along with Sidney native Jones were both diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past year with Gopher currently undergoing radiation therapy while Jones is healing from his second surgery awaiting to see if low-dose radiation is necessary.
“I just want to thank everyone for their support from the bottom of my heart,” Gopher said in an update video on the Hoops for Cause Facebook page. “I definitely feel everything; I feel the love.”
“I would like to thank everyone for their support,” Jones added in his own update video. “I would like to give a special thanks to the Frontier Conference, Hoops for a Cause and the community.”
With silent auction items donated across the board in various sports from various programs throughout the conference, the support from all the Frontier Conference schools and outpouring of generosity is what keeps the event special each and every year.
“I think it's a pride thing for our whole league that we can do something in one day for these two kids who are going through major medical stuff right now,” MSU-Northern women’s basketball head coach Chris Mouat said. “Even if it helps them just a little bit through basketball, that's pretty cool.”
Sponsored through multiple community and corporate sponsors in addition to the financial and in-person support, the money raised will go not only to the Jones and Gopher but help with the financial costs of future Hoops for a Cause recipients from within the Frontier Conference.
If you'd like to register a team in the upcoming 3-on-3 tournament or donate directly to Jaynah or Jett, you can email Chris Mouat at cmouat@msun.edu.
