As a kid, Flint’s Kyndall Dotson had a lot of interests and things she was just naturally good at. But basketball was the thing she stuck with for an opposite reason: it didn’t come easy to her at first.
“When I was a younger kid, I was a super busybody,” Dotson said. “I did ballet and a lot of other activities, everything under the sun. When I joined basketball, I wasn’t good at it. It was a hard reality check, doing something that I just wasn’t good at automatically. I think that’s really what piqued my interest, I had to learn how to adapt and get better. So I think the process is what kind of drove my love of it, the patience that you have to have and the sheer confidence that you have to build once you join something that takes such skill.”
Now, Dotson is wrapping up a standout two-year career at Mott Community College that included her leading the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons (15.5 points per game as a freshman and 11.1 per game as a sophomore). Next season, she’ll take on a new challenge in her basketball career when she plays for NCAA Division II Saginaw Valley State University.
“I’m a big energy person and a big feeling person,” said Dotson, who had other opportunities to continue playing that didn’t feel like the right fit the way SVSU did. “When I got to Saginaw Valley State, as soon as I stepped on the campus, it was a level of comfort that I knew was right. It’s only like a 45-minute drive from home. I’ve been to Saginaw many times, and it was always a big thing for me to stay close to home. Obviously I want to branch out too and get that chance to spread my wings a little bit, but staying close to home was always a big thing, so that was really a big reason (for choosing SVSU).”
Dotson’s path to get to SVSU highlights her commitment to pushing herself to get better and patiently following a process. She began playing organized basketball in fourth grade and played in some recreational leagues. Eventually, that led her to start playing at some area basketball camps, which then led to connections with travel teams.
“My first-ever basketball camp that I joined, and it introduced me to a local AAU team where I built up more and that got me to another AAU team and another AAU team, and then it eventually got me to come into high school to play high school basketball,” said Dotson, who played at Carman-Ainsworth High School. “Every year I moved up, and the city really helped. It really helps to have that family-like structure like Flint has where it’s so small that when you join one thing, you automatically can get connected to something else. Those camps, those little leagues, those local AAU teams, that all really introduced me to how deep basketball runs in the city of Flint.”
Dotson said that early in her high school career, she didn’t envision herself playing college basketball at all, let alone as a primary scorer on her hometown college team. She credits both coaching staffs she played for at Mott for helping her grow her confidence. As a freshman, she played for Letitia Hughley, one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players and coaches in Flint history. Hughley was a star on powerhouse Flint Northern teams (including an undefeated 74-0 run during her career), then coached Northern to multiple state titles after she played collegiately at the University of Washington and professionally. She coached Mott’s women’s team for two decades.
Ryan Trevithick took over the program and coached Dotson her sophomore season. In any two-year program, it can be difficult to adjust from one coaching staff and system to another over the course of short JUCO careers, but Dotson was able to make an impact under both staffs.
“When I got the opportunity to go to Mott, I didn’t know what my role was gonna be,” Dotson said. “They had a role for me my freshman year that I didn’t believe in myself that I could do at first. And they had a different belief in me and just kinda gave me the keys to the ship and let me find myself. The confidence that the first-year coaching staff and the second-year coaching staff had in me, it helped me so much. From my freshman year to my sophomore year, I appreciated how much people poured into me during that process. I never did expect to do what I did at Mott. But a couple games in, I started to see that this is what I could do, and I wanted to keep going and do it even more.”
Trevithick said in conversations he had with SVSU’s coaching staff about things they wanted in their upcoming class, Dotson seemed like a perfect fit.
“She (SVSU coach Jenny Pruett) was sharing some of the things she was looking for in their class, and Kyndall checked all of those boxes,” Trevithick said. “She needed a dynamic scorer, someone who is experienced and not green behind the ears, someone who understands what it is like to be in a college program. Kyndall fits all of that. She has a knack for playing the game at a high level, and the GLIAC demands that, but she’s up to it and I think she’s gonna have a ton of success up there.”
Dotson is also excited to pursue studies at SVSU that allow her to help others.
“I really want to help kids and other people who deal with mental health issues,” Dotson said. “Whether they’re an athlete or just a kid who feels down and out, or somebody who feels different, being able to help people is the biggest thing for me.”
Ultimately, she’s just looking forward to the chance to take the next step in her basketball journey.
“From fourth grade to my sophomore year in college, everything that has happened has built me to where I am,” Dotson said. “Going from JUCO to a Division II level is a big jump. I’m just excited to see what I can do and if I can keep my momentum going and keep just growing day by day.”
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