LETHBRIDGE – The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and the Southern Alberta basketball community are banding together to support a seriously injured teammate.
Brent Watkins, a fifth-year post entering his third season as a Pronghorn, was involved in a single-vehicle roll-over near Butte, Montana on Sunday.
Watkins had spent some time in his hometown of Temple City, California for the 4th of July weekend before making the trip back to Lethbridge.
He was transported to a hospital in Butte, sustaining two broken legs, a bruised heart and lungs and broken ribs. He has since been put in a medical-induced coma to ease the pain on his body.
When news of the accident reached the Pronghorns team, captain Jared Baker sprung into action.
“When I was in Butte we were texting back and forth and he said, ‘I feel frustrated. I want to be able to so something. I want to be able to help.’ and then about an hour later he texted me and said, ‘I didn’t ask his parents, but I just felt like this is something we needed to do,’ and he started the fund,” said Head Coach, Mike Hansen.
Baker kickstarted a Go Fund Me page in hopes of raising donations to help cover some of the costs associated with the accident.
Within the first day the page had raised over $10,000, and has now surpassed the $20,000 goal while continuing to grow.
Hansen said this is a devastating hit to the family and the community as Watkins helped at summer camps and coached Junior Pronghorns.
He also said that he is continually surprised by the team’s kindness and especially Baker’s empathy for his teammates.
“It’s the kind of kid he is, so selfless. It makes my job awesome to be able to coach kids like that,” said Hansen.
Hansen says that Watkins is expected to remain in a medically-induced coma until at least Sunday, and that his family is at his side.
As the recovery process commences, Hansen knows that the team will help Watkins every step of the way.
Go Fund Me page: http://www.gofundme.com/Brent_Watkins
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