Annual gathering helps youth learn and grow

For eight years, players have come and gone at the Native American Basketball Invitational, taking a piece of the experience with them no matter how their team did.

Lestin Case, from Oregon, played in NABI for the last four years and said he's seen a positive impact on his playing ability.

"Height, speed, lots of guys down here are short guys," he said. "They're fast. Everybody's always scared to play against tall guys but it's the short guys that will get you. They're really fast guys.

"There's also a lot of coaches everywhere that come and talk to me, ask me where I'm going to school," he said. "This is really good. I love coming out here."

The team fell short to Cheyenne-Arapaho, 67-62, but made it to the semifinals.

Case will attend Shasta Community College in California.

Over 60 teams entered the tournament, split between girls' and boys' teams. About 15 boys' teams and 14 girls' teams entered from the Navajo Nation area.

Kirtland, coached by Kirtland Central assistant coach Jacque Begay, has been to the tournament for the last two years. The team is made up of girls from Kirtland Central.

Kirtland player Olivia Harris said she is going to miss the push the tournament gives players.

"It's made me a better player," she said. 'It's so different from high school ball. Usually you see, like, set offenses, set plays. This one you just get to play and show what you got. It's pretty fun.

"The college fairs and having Native people come back who have accomplished so much, it's like a motivation, it's, like, oh, we can do that too," she added.

Harris helped lead the Lady Broncos to a New Mexico Class 4A state championship. But she is going to hang up her basketball jersey when she attends Northern Arizona University this fall.

In only her second appearance at NABI, Darla Woody, who will be a junior at Kirtland Central, said playing with older girls has taught her a thing or two.

"It showed us how other girls play and you learn from just watching the game," she said. "They have more experience than me. In different situations they help me out, show me what to do. They're just kind of teaching me."

From the Seminole Tribe of Florida, DeForest Carter, who will be a senior this fall, has played in the tournament for three years.

Carter said putting aside the competition, just being around other Native Americans has always been a highlight for him.

"It showed me that there's all types of Native American players everywhere that are good," he said, "and it brings together a whole community of different Natives coming together, having a good time and playing basketball with each other."

The 17-year-old said he's also learned a lot of other things.

"They're helpful in the sessions," he said. "It gives you an idea of what to expect from college so you start thinking about your future after high school and after basketball is done. They make sure you have something to fall back on."

It's the fallback advice that Robbie Loretto has taken to heart.

The graduated senior from Gallup Catholic will attend the University of Arizona after turning down basketball scholarship offers from other schools.

"Basketball is something I enjoy but I want a good education," she said.

Her team, the Blackhawks, finished fourth at NABI.

For the last two years Loretto has played in NABI and has learned who she is and where she comes from.

"I think just seeing all the Native American community come together and be able to have that competitiveness among each other," she said, "because basketball is a big thing in Native American lives.

"It also makes me more proud of my background and my heritage," she said. "Everyone who goes to NABI represents where they come from. You have a thinking that you need to do more and be more proud of where you come from."

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