If all goes according to plan, the term “Rez Ball” may soon become part of the mainstream lexicon. The Native American Basketball Invitational, founded in 2003, is helping to bring Indian Country’s unique variation of basketball to the outside world. NABI recently convinced the NCAA to waive its same state requirement for extending certification. Late last month, the NCAA officially notified NABI that the tournament was certified as an official event, making it the first Native American basketball competition to receive such status.
According to NABI co-founder GinaMarie Mabry, previous NCAA rules that required athletes within a team to reside in the same state as a given tournament effectively excluded American Indian high school athletes from NCAA consideration.
“It was a matter of education for the NCAA,” she says.
The NCAA issues certification for some high school tournaments to ensure that players who may be considered for NCAA play meet the organization’s requirements, which includes the condition that they are amateurs. Typically, Native American students may attend out-of-state boarding schools or schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Earlier this year, NABI received notice that the NCAA would make an exception for tribal citizens in their rules for the same-state issue. By withholding the certification, the NCAA was effectively in violation of federal tribal sovereignty that views tribes as having separate nation status, according to Mabry.
The new ruling will allow Division I and II college coaches and scouts to attend the tournament at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix in July. NABI’s main goal is to gain national attention from colleges that can provide scholarships for students. Tournament organizers predict that the recent NBAA decision will permanently alter the face of future collegiate basketball by permitting more Native American students to access basketball scholarships at elite colleges.
Mabry expects about 1,200 players at this year’s competition representing 80 teams, she says. Support has come from tribes, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, Nike and other sponsors. In 2005 NABI donated $25,000 to their partner foundation that supports athletes once they get into college.
Nationally, American Indians represent less than 1 percent of students attending four-year colleges. And despite the overwhelming popularity of basketball in Indian country, only 51 American Indians — 28 men and 23 women — played on Division I teams, according to the NCAA’s race and ethnicity report for the 2004-2005 season. Kelvin Sampson of Indiana University is currently the only American Indian head basketball coach in Div. 1.
