Kots continue to make big impact with LeBoldus Golden Suns

A trio of Kots are looking to lead the LeBoldus Golden Suns to success on the court.

Garrett Kot is the long-time coach for the girls’ basketball team at the Regina high school. His daughter Hayden Kot is a Grade 12 leader on that team this year, while his son Anderson is playing on the senior boys’ team as a Grade 10 student.

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“I know firsthand how much time they have put into it, going to the gym on the weekends to shoot, to work out,” Garrett said. “It’s gratifying to see it pay off for them.”

Hayden is considered one of the best high school athletes in the province, excelling in both basketball and volleyball. She competed in both sports at the 2025 Canadian Summer Games, where she served as Saskatchewan’s flag-bearer.

“It was the experience of a lifetime. You go and you represent your whole province. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Hayden said.

Hayden got a chance to play basketball with her older sister, Mackenzie, last season as a member of the Golden Suns. They are also related to Charlotte Kot, who won three city championships with LeBoldus before becoming a Canada West all-star with the University of Regina Cougars.

Anderson explained what it was like to grow up in a basketball family.

“Me and my sister will always go to the backyard and play one-on-one, or we go the gym and we are competing,” Anderson said. “Never really a break from basketball.”

Despite their competitiveness, Anderson said Hayden is a great person to look up to.

“She’s got a bunch of impressive accolades that me and my basketball career, I’m trying to get to. A provincial champion and a city champion, truly impressive,” Anderson said.

The two Kots are looking to help LeBoldus win another Luther Invitational Tournament title. The annual event is put on at Luther College High School and features schools from Regina, Saskatoon and other provinces.

“It’s the biggest tournament in Regina, and you get to come showcase what you can do against the best teams in Manitoba and Alberta and across the province,” Hayden said. “It’s a way to show off our skills here.”

While Garrett never played in the Luther Invitational Tournament himself, he has coached LeBoldus at the tournament a number of times in the past. He believes the tournament is a unique experience for the student athletes.

“You can go all over western Canada and there’s nothing quite like this. There’s nothing quite as storied, and you see everyone in the school behind it. It’s a very special thing Luther puts on here,” Garrett said.

This is Hayden’s last year as a member of the Golden Suns, as she is set to graduate this spring. She has committed to play basketball with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, who are currently in the midst of a 48-game winning streak.

The tournament is also a great way to start to ramp up towards HOOPLA, the Saskatchewan basketball provincial tournament, which runs from March 26-28 in Moose Jaw.

“It’s huge. We get to see competition we haven’t seen yet before, and it shows us what we need to work on as a team, which we haven’t seen lots yet,” Hayden said.

“Going into HOOPLA, we know what we need to work on, and we can do it and be prepared. Just playing these high-level teams, you don’t get to do that all the time in the province, so it’s a way to challenge ourselves.”