NAU basketball impressed by turnout, passion on reservation

FORT DEFIANCE

Since it opened, the Window Rock High School Events Center in Fort Defiance has housed only high school athletic games.

During its unveiling early last year, the school administrators envisioned hosting other events in the new arena. That vision came to life when the Northern Arizona University men’s basketball team hosted Embry-Riddle on Nov. 20.

“To take a home game out of the NAU Skydome into another gym is a risk, but it looks like we are doing OK,” NAU President Dr. Rita Cheng said. “I have met many people who graduated from NAU in the 40s and 50s tonight. I have met a former basketball player who played in 1975. These are people who have gone on to be teachers and engineers and leaders of the Navajo Nation like Vice President Jonathan Nez.”

“We appreciate the longstanding relationship we have with the Navajo Nation,” she added. “And with it being November, it’s also a great time to be celebrating Native American Heritage Month.”

Cheng wanted to thank the Window Rock school district for taking part in this partnership.

“This is a big effort on everybody’s part,” she said. “I also want to thank the fans. Some of them drove a significant distance to get here.”

To help commemorate the historic event, the NAU men’s basketball team wore a special jersey that had the words “Tsin Yitseelí” printed on them.

“It was special symbolic gesture they did for tonight’s game,” NAU men’s basketball coach Jack Murphy, who asked if that was the exact translation of the teams’ mascot after their 90-57 win.

Murphy said they are going to retire the jerseys, and he wasn’t sure what they were going to do with them. There were talks of either donating or auctioning them off.

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