TO EVER LACE
THEM UP AT SIOUX
CITY NORTH...
BRITTNI
DONALDSON... WAS
NAMED AS THE 10TH
FEMALE ASSISTANT
COACH IN THE NBA
... JOINING THE
STAFF OF ANOTHER
IOWA PRODUCT
NICK NURSE... FOR
THE REIGNING NBA
CHAMPS... THE
TORONTO RAPTORS
...
FOR A GIRL WITH A
TON OF TALENT... IT
APPEARS
DONALDSON'S BEST
SKILL... WAS
PERSERVERANCE...
AS SHE WORKED
HER WAY FROM
STATE CHAMP... TO
THE YOUNGEST
COACH IN THE NBA,
KCAU9'S JAKE
JONES HAS THE
STORY...
"BASKETBALL IS
MORE THAN A GAME
TO BRITTNI
DONALDSON, IT'S
HER LIFE.
"YOU'VE GOT TO
MAKE THE FIRST
BUCKET IN THE NEW
HOOP. HERE YOU
GO. YOU'VE GOT TO
MAKE THE FIRST
BUCKET."
"YAY DADDY!
"YEAH BRITTNI!"
FROM THE TIME SHE
COULD WALK, AND
EVEN A LITTLE
BEFORE, BRITTNI
HAS HAD A
BASKETBALL IN HER
HANDS. HER
FATHER, JEFF
DONALDSON, WAS
ALL-STATE AT SIOUX
CITY NORTH IN THE
80'S, AND PLAYED
HIS COLLEGE BALL
AT BRIAR CLIFF,
WHERE IN 2014, THE
SCHOOL RETIRED
HIS JERSEY.
"MY DAD OBVIOUSLY
WAS HUGE INTO
BASKETBALL, AND
THAT WAS A HUGE
INSPIRATION FOR
ME."
BRITTNI FOLLOWED
IN HIS FOOTSTEPS,
WINNING A STATE
CHAMPIONSHIP
WITH NORTH IN
2009, BEFORE
PLAYING
COLLEGIATELY AT
NORTHERN IOWA,
WHERE SHE IS STILL
THE RECORD
HOLDER FOR MOST
THREE POINTERS IN
A GAME, WITH
EIGHT. AFTER
GRADUATION,
BRITTNI TOOK A JOB
WITH STATS, A
CHICAGO BASED
COMPANY THAT
ANALYSES
BASKETBALL, AND
BREAKS IT DOWN
ANALYTICALLY INTO
NUMBERS FOR
TEAMS TO USE.
"SHE TOOK A LEAP
OF FAITH, MOVED
TO CHICAGO,
WORKING
OVERNIGHTS, AND
MAKING ABOUT $12
AN HOUR, JUST TO
GET HER FOOT IN
THE DOOR."
AND AFTER TWO
YEARS, AND PLENTY
OF CONNECTIONS
GAINED IN THE NBA,
BRITTNI HAD HER
SHOT, HIRED IN THE
TORONTO RAPTORS'
FRONT OFFICE TO
WORK IN
ANALYTICS. BUT
THIS OFF-SEASON,
AFTER THE
RAPTORS WON
THEIR FIRST
CHAMPIONSHIP IN
FRANCHISE
HISTORY, A SPOT
OPENED UP FOR AN
ASSISTANT COACH,
AND AFTER
IMPRESSING THE
RAPTORS WITH HER
WORK ETHIC,
BRITTNI WAS
NAMED THE TENTH
EVER FEMALE
ASSISTANT COACH
IN NBA HISTORY,
AND FIFTH JUST
THIS SUMMER.
"YOU SAY THAT,
AND IT'S KIND OF
LIKE SHOCKING TO
ME, BECAUSE I'M
AROUND WOMEN
EVERYDAY IN MY
DAY-TO-DAY. THE
NBA IS DEFINITELY
TRENDING IN A
DIRECTION THAT IS
REALLY EXCITING
FOR WOMEN, AND
FOR EVERYBODY."
BRITTNI JOINS A
PAIR OF IOWANS ON
THE RAPTORS
BENCH, HEAD
COACH NICK NURSE
IS A NATIVE OF
CARROLL, IOWA,
AND STORM LAKE
NATIVE, AND
FELLOW ASSISTANT
COACH, NATE
BJORKGREN.
"YEAH, IT WAS A BIT
OF A COINCIDENCE.
IT IS PRETTY NEAT
JUST HAVING A FEW
IOWANS ON STAFF,
ESPECIALLY WAY
UP HERE IN
TORONTO. THAT'S
KIND OF A RARITY."
IT'S BEEN AN
UNCONVENTIONAL
PATH, COMING IN AS
A STATISTICIAN
THROUGH THE SIDE
DOOR, RATHER
THAT USUAL FRONT
DOOR OF BEING A
FORMER PLAYER
OR COACH. BRITTNI
SAYS WOULDN'T
HAVE BEEN
POSSIBLE, WITHOUT
TREMENDOUS
SUPPORT FROM
THE COMMUNITY
SHE CALLS HOME,
SIOUX CITY.
"I'M REALLY PROUD
TO BE FROM IOWA,
AND FROM SIOUX
CITY, ESPECIALLY.
THE COMMUNITY, IN
GENERAL, THAT I
GREW UP IN
REALLY, REALLY
PUSHED ME IN THAT
DIRECTION, AND
HELPED SUPPORT
MY PASSION."
BUT NO ONE IS
MORE PROUD THAN
HER PARENTS, JEFF
AND CARMEN, WHO
ARE REALLY
ENJOYING SEEING
THEIR DAUGHTER'S
HARD WORK PAYING
OFF.
"WE'RE VERY
PROUD OF BRITTNI,
NO MATTER WHAT
SHE ENDED UP
DOING, BUT YOU
KNOW, THE FACT
THAT SHE'S IN
BASKETBALL IS
MUCH TO MY
DELIGHT."
THE TWO ACTUALLY
HAVE A THEORY,
THAT THE RAPTORS
WINNING THEIR
FIRST TITLE IN
FRANCHISE
HISTORY MAY HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO
WITH BRITTNI'S
ARRIVAL UP NORTH.
"WE TOLD HER THAT
WHEN THEY WON
THIS, 'WOW, YOU
MOVE TO CHICAGO
AND THE CUBS WIN
THE WORLD SERIES,
AND NOW YOU'VE
MOVED TO
TORONTO, AND
WITHIN TWO YEARS
YOU WIN THE
CHAMPIONSHIP.' SO
GOOD LUCK IS
FOLLOWING HER."
WHILE JEFF IS
PROUD HIS
DAUGHTER WILL
REPRESENT
TORONTO AS A
COACH, THE FAMILY
HAVE BEEN
LIFELONG BOSTON
CELTICS FANS, WHO
ARE IN THE SAME
DIVISION AS THE
RAPTORS, MEANING
A CHANGE IN
WARDROBE IS
NECESSARY.
"I CAN NOT BE A
CELTICS FAN,
OBVIOUSLY, NO I'M
FULL RAPTORS,
OBVIOUSLY. BUT MY
DAD, I THINK, HE'LL
WEAR RED WHEN
HE'S AROUND ME,
AND HE'LL WEAR
GREEN WHEN HE'S
HOME IN THE LIVING
ROOM. BUT I'M
TRYING TO PUT
MORE RED IN HIS
CLOSET, THAT'S
FOR SURE."
"YOU ROOT FOR A
TEAM YOUR WHOLE
ENTIRE LIFE, AND
IT'S HARD TO ROOT
AGAINST THEM. BUT
BLOOD IS THICKER
THAN WATER, AND
WE WERE VERY
HAPPY THAT THE
RAPTORS WON THE
TITLE LAST YEAR."
WHILE THE FAMILY
MAY BE DIVIDED ON
THEIR
ALLEGIANCES,
THEY'RE UNITED IN
THEIR LOVE OF THE
GAME. BASKETBALL
HAS SPREAD THE
DONALDSON FAMILY
FARTHER, WHILE
MAKING THEM EVEN
STRONGER.
"
THE RAPTORS
OPENING THEIR
SEASON ON
OCTOBER 22ND... 9
DAYS AWAY... WHEN
THEY HOST THE
NEW ORLEANS
PELICANS WITH AN
8:00 TIP... PLAYERS
... COACHES... AND
FRONT OFFICE
MEMBERS...
INCLUDING
DONALDSON... WILL
RECEIVE THEIR
CHAMPIONSHIP
RINGS THAT NIGHT...
THE GAME WILL AIR
ON TNT.
AND NOW FINALLY,
IT'S SUNDAY SO
THAT MEANS IT'S