National champion returns home to inspire next generation
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
A young group of athletes conduct dribbling drills during the Camp with the Champ on Tuesday afternoon that was hosted by Pima Community College and former Window Rock standout Melicia Nelson at the Bee Hółdzil Events Center in Fort Defiance.
By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times
WINDOW ROCK
Fresh off a national championship season and a tournament MVP performance on the biggest stage in junior college basketball, Melicia Nelson returned home Tuesday afternoon.
The Window Rock High School graduate returned to the Bee Hółdzil Events Center alongside fellow basketball standouts Devae Willie, Kassidy Jones and Kourtney Bitselley, using the summer camp as an opportunity to give back to the community that helped shape their athletic journeys. Nelson recently completed an MVP season that culminated in an NJCAA Division II national championship at Pima Community College.
“It’s a great feeling,” Nelson said. “It’s always good to come back and give back to your community and being able to do that here where I’m from, it’s a very good feeling.”
Nelson recently completed a remarkable season at Pima Community College, helping the Lady Aztecs to the 2025-26 NJCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship with a 64-58 victory over Kirkwood Community College on March 21.
To read the full article, please see the June 18, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow