BUTTE, Mont. — Learning how to hoop is an important part of any childhood–that’s what they believe in the Mining City. And thanks to a generous donation from a name that you may have heard of, Butte’s next generation of basketball superstars is ready to hit the hardwood.

Most Montanans know the name Colt Anderson: a Griz legend and one of the most successful athletes ever to come from the Mining City.

He’s turned his storied career into help for his hometown via the Dream Big Foundation and its yearly youth football camp.

But Dream Big is now making an impact on other sports.

In collaboration with Anderson’s Uptop clothing brand, a donation will be heading toward scholarships for Butte’s youth Team Uptop Basketball Club, assuring that every kid with an interest will be able to play, travel, and look good doing it, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

“I think you go to a lot of different towns and they’re charging a lot more to play youth basketball,” said Matt Luedtke. “Getting our uniforms made by Uptop, which I think are high school-level uniforms… for us to get as many kids involved with the donation is just huge.”

For someone like Luedtke, who coaches both the Uptop youth teams and the Butte High varsity squad on which his son Hudson plays, the opportunity to keep building passion, character, and long-lasting relationships through the love of hoops cannot be overstated.

“You love it when you have kids that have a good enough experience that they want to come back and be around,” Luedtke said. “There’s a lot of really good things that are rewarding that come form that… building strong relationships and life-long friendships is one of the most special things.”

Butte’s youth basketball movement gets it next big kickstart when a series of youth tournaments, now named in the Dream Big Foundation’s honor come to the Mining City on the weekends of Feb. 3 and Feb. 17.