Basketball Community Rallies Around Donta Scott

On Wednesday, September 1st, the entire city of Philadelphia braced for the remnants of Hurricane Ida as it moved its way from Louisiana up the eastern seaboard.

The storm brought heavy rains, flooding, and destruction across the area with many people losing their homes and being displaced. One of those families was that of Maryland men's basketball's Donta Scott.

"It's tough," Scott said. "It's tough not being with them right now. My family is strong though and we'll be okay."

Scott's childhood home was devastated by flooding, rendering it inhabitable for his mother, stepfather, grandmother, and two cousins. Looking for any way possible to help, head coach Mark Turgeon gave a call to action to anyone and everyone.

Please consider donating to help Donta Scott and his family recover from Hurricane Ida.

Two weeks ago they were displaced from their home and lost almost all of their possessions due to the terrible flooding.

Thank you for your incredible support. https://t.co/t1OOAULqMp
— Mark Turgeon (@CoachTurgeon) September 14, 2021

The GoFundMe page that the team set up for Scott quickly started gaining traction with notable sports personalities like Maryland's own Scott Van Pelt amplifying the page, in addition to some of college basketball's most notable media members including Jeff Goodman, Jon Rothstein, Andy Katz, Seth Davis, and Matt Norlander.

I think most 🐢 fans are aware, but if not, one of the many families impacted by Ida was Donta's. If you are able to help, here's how you can. https://t.co/unoNm5UbIY
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) September 15, 2021

Maryland Athletic Director Damon Evans also issued a statement showing his support for Donta and the entire Scott family.

We are a family. And, what does a family do when family members need help? They help.

Please consider assisting Donta Scott of @TerrapinHoops after his family's home was severely damaged in Hurricane Ida. #OneMaryland #TerpFam https://t.co/JZ8WJK0Scy
— Damon Evans (@Evans_TerpsAD) September 14, 2021

Scott's teammates rallied around the 6'7 forward as not only did they also share his GoFundMe page, but they also were there to show their support in person.

Having his teammates with him every day and lifting him when his spirits are down has meant the world to Scott as he deals with this immeasurable loss.

"They've been a real help," Scott said. "Guys have just been asking what they could do to help. They're always there to pick me up and they're always there to have my back."

Coach Turgeon's initial tweet asking for help has garnered over 200 retweets and 578,095 impressions on Twitter.

While Donta and his family are down, it's clear that Terp nation wants to pick him back up. The GoFundMe page surpassed the $50,000 mark Thursday morning with donations still pouring in and no sign of slowing down. More than 700 people have made a donation.

Being from the city of brotherly love, Donta has certainly felt the love and wants everyone to know that their generosity is not going unnoticed.

"The love you've shown is not to be forgotten," Scott said. "If another person was in my situation I would be trying to figure if there was something I could do. So thank you, thank you."

"People had my back."

Donta Scott's family lost everything. In hardship, they found they had more family than they ever imagined.

This is a story about the goodness in people. pic.twitter.com/YAKW0U7Ohg
— Maryland Men's Basketball 🐢 (@TerrapinHoops) October 4, 2021

Players Mentioned

Donta Scott

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