TC coach starts club team; 3 girls recruited by college

WINDOW ROCK

Much like the rest of the rez, the Tuba City girls’ basketball team didn’t get a chance to suit up in the school’s white and green jerseys.

The school administrators decided to opt out of having a season for all sports due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, longtime coach Kim Williams remained proactive, sending her senior-laden team to a few showcases in the Valley.

“I could have sat back and say we’re not going to play,” she said. “But I couldn’t have lived with myself, so my assistant and I started a club team.”

Admittedly, Williams was skeptical at first on whether she should take her team to play, but after consulting with the tournament directors she was assured that they were taking all the necessary precautions to administer those tournaments.

“I kept calling them, asking if it was safe,” she said. “I approached it like the white glove test and they deemed it safe to play.”

Through those showcases, Williams got three of her players signed. Aliyah Blackhat, Chenille Nodman and Talisha Attakai will play for the Chandler Gilbert Community College women’s basketball team next fall.

“I’m glad that we did this because we helped them secure scholarships,” the Tuba City coach said. “It’s going to help with their education. They’re going to continue to play but at the same time they’re working at standing on their own two feet and providing for themselves.

“We want our kids to be educated and independent, especially our Native female athletes,” she added. “They were able to attain a basketball scholarship with three years of playing high school. I told them that’s beyond great because who does that? It’s a very powerful thing for them to get these scholarships.”

And although there were some risks, Blackhat said she’s very appreciative that her coaches took the initiative to start a club team, which required Williams and her assistant to become USA Gold certified coaches.

“This means a lot to me because of the hard times we had with COVID,” Blackhat said. “We didn’t have a (high school) basketball season so it was emotional. It kind of made me realize how lucky I am to have a coach like Williams, and the people who supported me to get to this next level.”

Williams said the Chandler Gilbert coach recruited Blackhat for her scoring mentality.

“She’s one of my taller players so sometimes I played her at forward,” Williams said of 5-8 Blackhat, who played two seasons at Greyhills Academy before transferring to Tuba City. “She can go to the basket, she can shoot the threes and that ability is really the reason why Chandler Gilbert liked her.”

While at Chandler Gilbert, Blackhat is going to study physical therapy with plans of returning back to the rez when she graduates.

“I chose that field because I want to come back and help my people,” she said. “I know that we don’t have that many people in the health care profession so I want to study it and encourage others.”

Nodman is also going to pursue a physical therapy degree. Growing up, she said she was fascinated with how trainers tended to injured athletes.

“I’ve watched trainers work with kids when they get hurt, and I’ve watched them work with other people to get their mobility back,” she said. “That is what interests me so that’s why I’m going into that field of work.”

Since she was a freshman, Nodman said she had dreams of playing at the college level and she feels that her all-around game will be a huge asset at Chandler Gilbert.

“I normally play guard, but I’ve also played the power forward position,” she said. “I feel like I can play at any position.”

Of all of her guards, Williams said Nodman is the one that she could push the most.

“The more I push the more she gives, and she never complains,” Williams said of her pupil. “Sometimes I had to play her at small forward even though she’s a guard. She’s filled that role so she’s very versatile.”

That aspect of her game, Williams said, is what the Chandler Gilbert coach pointed out.

“There were a couple of games to where it was kind of close but she didn’t hesitate to shoot the ball or go after the ball,” Williams said.

As for Attakai, Williams said her four-year guard is a tenacious defender despite her size.

“I had to throw her in to guard people stronger and bigger than her and she held her own,” Williams said of Attakai. “She wasn’t one to score double digits but what she did was hold people down from their normal scoring average. She’s a great rebounder too.

“She did those little things that go unnoticed,” the Tuba City coach added. “She did not make the newspaper but if you look at her stats over the years they all increased from total points, free throws, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks.”

Attakai, who plans on studying nursing, said her progression over the years was the result of good coaching.

“I think it was the coaching staff that really helped me,” Attakai said. “They helped shaped the student-athlete that I became. My coaches were always there encouraging me and my teammates to do our best. They spent extra hours to help us work on our weaknesses. They made us better.”

As one of seven area prep players to accompany Williams to Spain two years ago, Attakai said playing against international competition made her a better player. Despite winning no games, the team faced some fierce competition that featured a mixture of high school, collegiate and Olympic players.

“It helped with my confidence,” she said. “It made me believe that I’m capable of playing at the next level. Playing against those ladies really motivated me to work harder. I feel like I’m capable of playing at that level.”

Since that trip, Williams said Attakai “has flourished.”

“She’s a type of kid that is going to show up every day,” Williams said. “She has a good demeanor, she’s very respectful and very humble. The coaches were real impressed with that.”

In addition to her character, Williams said the Chandler Gilbert coach was impressed with her footwork and basketball IQ.

“She makes good decisions on the court,” she said of Attakai. “She never fears playing bigger people and even though she may be underrated she’s going to make a big difference for the Chandler Gilbert team.”

And while she’s going to miss them next season, Williams feels that they’re going to do well at the collegiate level.

“They’re reliable kids and you can push all you want and you’re going to get it out of them,” she said. “They’re not afraid of hard work at all. They know what it is and they know what it looks like.”

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