Showdown on the Rez
By: Taylor Notah
Tribal Affiliation: Diné
B.A. Journalism
On a cold, windy Saturday evening in Fort Defiance, Arizona, about 60 Native youth were doing basketball drills and warm ups inside the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center. The sounds of dribbling Spalding basketballs and squeaks from stampeding sneakers echoed throughout the nearly empty 6,500-seated arena.
“I love basketball! I love basketball!” the youth yelled as the facilitators Ryneldi Becenti and Dr. Michelle Tom stood smiling at the center of the court.
Held one day before the ASU-Baylor women’s basketball match (dubbed the “Showdown on the Rez”) was a youth basketball clinic where these former Sun Devil legends imparted basketball wisdom — and jokes — to campers.
“Remember: when you’re doing any sport, your heels should not touch the floor,” four-time Hall of Famer Becenti said. “Always on your tippy toes! Don’t stomp like you’re running to the carnival.”
“Say mutton! Say ach’íí!” Dr. Tom said as the group gathered for a photo at the end of the camp.
Invited as guest coaches to the Showdown game were Diné former Sun Devil players Becenti (‘93-’94), Dr. Tom (‘98-’99), Rainy Crisp (‘00-’03) and Kalene Carl (‘97), each leaving remarkable imprints in ASU sports history.
Hailed as the first NCAA women’s basketball game to be held on a reservation and nationally televised on ESPN2 on Veterans Day November 11, the Showdown is a swish in recognizing Native communities and veterans.
“For them to bring the game that we love so much to the rez (and) to a national limelight is recognition, being proud that we’re still here,” Dr. Tom said. “We deal with genocide and literally, a lot of people think we don’t exist. Being on ESPN just lets people know that we are still here, we are still surviving and we’re strong.”
Per capita, Native Americans make up the largest ethnic representation in the military, said ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne.
“There was over 40,000 Native American Vietnam soldiers, so we (put) a huge emphasis on celebrating and honoring the troops, past and present,” she said.
Turnout on game day was huge. Spectators nationwide tuned in to watch as the fourth-ranked Baylor Bears narrowly defeated №23 Arizona State with a 65–59 win. Despite the loss for ASU, the event (brought in partnership with the Office of American Indian Initiatives) was an overall win.
An estimated 5,609 spectators filled the arena that evening, making it “the largest crowd in the history of the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center,” according to ASU Women’s Basketball Director of Operations Ryan Cohen.
For the Diné alumni, the event was also a win for passing on their love for rez ball to the youth, exemplifying one of the many ways they serve their communities.
A “gym rat” who first started shooting hoops at age five, Becenti holds many life accomplishments under her belt. Paving the way as the first Native player in the WNBA who played overseas in Sweden and Greece, she was also the first ASU player to have her jersey retired and hung from the rafters in Wells Fargo Arena. Currently residing in Shiprock, New Mexico, she travels to reservations hosting numerous basketball camps and workshops, instilling hope within those she teaches.
“I always tell people basketball was my ticket, basketball took me everywhere,” she said. “In college I was very shy, but basketball was my getaway. My dad always said, ‘Don’t be afraid to take steps further.’ Now I conduct basketball camps and I see the youth and their talent here. I keep telling them, ‘Practice hard and you can be out there, you can play at that level.’”
Dr. Tom is a first-generation college student who went on to achieve her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at ASU and then a medical degree at Florida’s NOVA Southeastern University, knowing she wanted to serve her community.
“Basketball was my first love, but (my lifelong dream) was coming back and working for Winslow Indian Health Care Center,” Dr. Tom said. “I just wanted to come home, help the community. (Medical school) took eight, nine years of my life… but basketball paid for my schooling. Now I’m a medical doctor in Winslow.”
Playing basketball since six or seven years old, Rainy Crisp comes from an educated family. Her mother was executive director at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico, where Crisp now serves as Athletic Director for the girl’s basketball and volleyball teams.
“I always knew that I wanted to come back to the reservation and coach,” Crisp said. “(As a student), that homesick was always there. I missed home, I missed the atmosphere, I missed going to the flea market on Saturdays, and the food. At the same time, I wanted to do this for myself and make my family proud. When I graduated from ASU, I came back as a teacher at Navajo Prep for 12 years, then I went up to be an athletic director (which I’ve been) for two and a half years.”
Playing for the Lady Sun Devils in 1997, Kalene Carl, of Sawmill, Arizona, is a former civilian police officer and has currently served in the U.S. Air Force for a total of 14 years. Due to her military schedule, Turning Points was unable to get further insights from Carl.
Reflecting on these former players she once coached, Coach Charli sees the incredible imprints they leave behind not only at ASU, but the paths paved for all of Indian Country.
“They’ve utilized their education of basketball to become incredible leaders for their communities,” Coach Turner said. “Basketball is a vehicle for you to grow into a strong caring leader. It teaches you how to be tough, how to communicate authentically, have positive, healthy relationships, and dig deep and get things done no matter what.”
