As Head Girls Basketball Coach Kelly Dansby chants “Seth” into the microphone while the students try to get a couple more shots in during warmups, senior point guard Lucas Sutherland felt happy to see the school come together to support his teammate.

“It feels like he’s here with us,” Sutherland said.

The girls basketball coaches held a student vs. staff basketball game in the gym yesterday and raised $4,535 for senior basketball player Seth Jackson after he was paralyzed in a shooting.

The event featured a three-point contest, a free throw contest, and a game where the staff won 47-45. The girls and boys basketball players played for the students side and wore “Seth Strong” t-shirts, while the coaches played for the staff and wore “Eagle Strong” t-shirts.

The Communications Magnet students filmed the game live, so Jackson was able to watch from his hospital room.

Dansby said the girls team always does community service and outreach, so when she heard what happened to Jackson, she wanted to help out a fellow teammate.

“It’s just a way to support our fellow teammates and do whatever we can for him and his family,” Dansby said. “We know this is a hard time for them and [he’s] a fellow teammate, so we’re going to make sure we help no matter what.”

The girls basketball coaches came up with a student v.s. staff game and to donate all the proceeds to Jackson’s family. They approached Head Boys Basketball Coach Kevin Lawson about the game and he said he felt super-excited to bring the whole school out to support Jackson.

Lawson told Jackson’s family about the game, the “Seth Strong” saying, and the money they’ll raise for them.

“They were so excited, so happy, very humbled by how much we were loving on them and taking care of them,” Lawson said.

Tickets to watch the game were sold for $5, while tickets to play costed $25. They also sold “Seth Strong” and “Eagle Strong” t-shirts for $20. Girls Basketball Coach Azia Lacy said they weren’t aiming to raise a specific amount and wanted to count every dollar towards Jackson’s recovery.

“There was a GoFundMe that was already created, so we weren’t trying to exceed that or limit that,” Lacy said. “We were just trying to offer community support.”

Lawson said the community has been really awesome and generous to Jackson’s family, so every dollar they’ve raised helps.

Sutherland said he decided to play in the game because Jackson has played a huge role in his life, and he wants to do whatever he can to help him the most.

“He was my teammate for two years, and I knew him for three before that, and we had a close bond,” Sutherland said. “We had class together, so seeing where he’s at now and seeing how I can help him, I’m going to help wherever I can.”

Senior Point Guard Jayden Blair said he decided to play in the game because he’s been friends with Jackson since third grade and wanted to support him. He said they’ve had a very strong friendship while playing basketball together over the years.

Blair visited Jackson at the hospital a couple of times, and he said it’s helped lift Jackson’s spirits.

Sutherland saw him on a FaceTime call and said Jackson’s doing well. He keeps telling him that people back at school are here for him every step of the way.

Sutherland said he believes raising money through this game helps a lot since they don’t know what the future holds for him.

“Being able to fund a lot of stuff that he has set for in the future should be comforting for him,” Sutherland said.

Lacy said she and a lot of teachers have talked about the shooting in their classrooms, either from a mental health or gun violence standpoint, to support students as much as possible.

“I definitely think that it has brought awareness to not only the students and staff, but with the parents in the community as well,” Lacy said.

Sutherland said hopefully, this game brings more awareness to gun violence and more people will realize what can happen and move to change it.

Lawson said he’s excited that they were able to do this and to keep the awareness going. He said Jackson’s family has felt loved by the community throughout it all.

“Obviously, it’s been sad,” Lawson said. “It’s been hard. There’s been grief, but there’s also a feeling, I think from them, a feeling of love that everybody has been there for them the whole way.”

Dansby said the goal was to support Jackson in his recovery and future in college. They’ve seen him play at games and know he’s a part of the community and basketball team.

“This will be another way to kind of help support in the future of whatever he decides to do,” Dansby said. “And to be there to help the family and know that they have the girls’ support, they have the Richardson High School support, they have the administration support and we’re one Richardson.”