by Greg LIncoln
The Scammon Bay boys and two Bethel girls will be playing in the Native American Basketball Invitational tournament in Phoenix, Arizona July 17-23, 2023. The Scammon Bay Snowbirds boys team and the AK Storm girls team are two of the teams from Alaska participating this year.
The AK Storm team roster includes Briella Herron and Carliese O’Brien of Bethel, representing the Orutsararmiut Native Council. Other members are: Kayleigh Sagoonick – Native Village of Shaktoolik, Jadyn Lane – Native Village of Pt. Hope, Mia Pitka-Semaken – Louden Tribal Council, Navaeh Moreland – Gwich’yaa Zhee Tribal Government, Naomi Savetilik – Native Village of Shaktoolik, Brooke Schaeffer – Native Village of Noatak, Zamara Ticket – Native Village of Selawik, and Ashlyn Nelson – Native Village of Kotzebue.
The championship games will be played at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, AZ.
NABI helps to unite thousands of Native/Indigenous youth and inspire them to continue to develop and play the sport of basketball. NABI encourages the youth to use their talents and skills to pursue higher education while striving to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Participants in the week-long program are exposed to many educational opportunities include the NABI College & Career Fair, NABI Educational Youth Summit, and the NABI College Scholarship Fund.
“We are proud that our mission has truly come full circle and our NABI Alumni continue to be an instrumental important aspect of our Educational Youth Summit by sharing their love of the game, the importance of participating in sports, their higher education journeys, and stories of their struggles and successes to inspire our young athletes,” states NABI. “Some NABI Alumni have gone on to college basketball, WNBA, and professional careers in the fields of law, medicine, community services and sports marketing to name a few.”
