Molly Malone

Molly Malone

Athlete Class of 2000

Molly Malone Chottepanda had purple pride starting from the age of 9 years old when she first played organized basketball on a SWAC (South West Athletic Council) team in 3rd grade. It was a league intended for 4th and 5th grade girls and this began Molly’s career as a dominant basketball star and as the ultimate teammate.

Molly’s competitive spirit began to be honed throughout the following years. Molly played softball at Southwest her freshman year and while she never played organized competitive volleyball before joining the 9th grade team at Southwest, she soon became a breakout star. At 6 feet tall, Molly was a natural striker focusing on her skills at the net with kills and blocking shots. Molly was a starter and lettered in both 11th and 12th grade. During her junior year, she was a part of the Twin Cities team that won the All Twin City Championship. Molly was captain of the varsity team her senior year and also became a member of the All City team that season.

Molly’s deepest competitive passion was always on the basketball court. Wearing #32, Molly was known for her determination, strong work ethic and fierce competitiveness. She was always the player to come up with the loose ball, find the open teammate, or finish strong underneath. Molly started as a forward and lettered for the Varsity Women’s basketball team all 4 years of high school. She was a member of the All City team during 11th and 12th grade and completed her high school career with 988 points. Her senior year she led the team as Captain to a city championship. Even with Molly’s strong play, her ability to build her team up and always striving to improve is one of the greatest legacies Molly left behind on the basketball court.

Molly was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated Southwest in 2000 with a 3.9 GPA. Molly attended Gustavus Adolfus College where she played on the basketball team her freshman year and played internationally with that team.

Molly went on to become a practicing Physicians Assistant at North Memorial Hospital. In 2015, Molly passed away at the age of 32. Her legacy is carried on by family and friends through the Molly Malone Chottepanda Foundation in her memory. The MMCF has awarded over $50,000 in college scholarships over the past five years to Southwest High School senior females who plan on studying STEM in college. The foundation has also given over $6,000 to other community organizations.

Molly always said she was blessed with great coaches throughout her life that had a tremendous affect on her athletic accomplishments. Molly would have been truly humbled to be honored for her athletic achievements at Southwest as she always had a deep passion for competitive sport, her teams and teammates.