Shoni and Jude Schimmel, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, became the first Native Americans from a reservation to play in the NCAA women’s basketball championship last year, for Louisville (Photo by Rhonda Levaldo/courtesy ndnsports.com).
At the start of this college basketball season, Brent Cahwee wrote about 10 Native American players – well, 11, actually – for fans to keep their eyes on at ndnsports.com.
Now that March Madness is upon the nation, it’s time to remind folks that some of them are still playing. Two of the most notable are sisters Shoni and Jude Schimmel from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who play for Louisville – a No. 3 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
What hasn’t been said or written about the dynamic duo of sisters that have taken women’s college basketball and Indian country by storm. Shoni, described as a more flashy and “rez” ball style player and Jude, described as a more steady and blue collar player, helped lead the Louisville Cardinals to an appearance in the 2013 women’s national championship game.
(They made) an improbable run through the tournament by beating then-No. 1-ranked Baylor in what was has been called the women’s game of the century. The Lady Cardinals also beat Tennessee and California to reach the championship game, making the sisters the first Native Americans from a reservation to play in the NCAA championship game.
Louisville opens this year’s NCAA tourney against Idaho.
There are others on Cahwee’s list still playing, most notably Bronson Koenig of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a 6-3 freshman point guard at the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA men’s tournament.
One Native star missing out on the rest of March is Marshall Henderson of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, who spent two tumultuous years at the University of Mississippi.
The Running Rebels made waves in last year’s NCAA Tournament, but did not qualify for it, or the NIT, in this, Henderson’s senior season.
Check out all of Cahwee’s Native stars at ndnsports.com.
Genna Martin/The Herald Keanu Hamilton (right) plays defense against teammate Ayrik Miranda during a recent Tulalip Heritage boys basketball practice.
By Aaron Lommers, The Herald
MARYSVILLE — The Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team has won three championships this season — a league championship, a district championship and a tri-district championship.
At the Spokane Arena on Thursday, the Hawks begin their quest for a fourth — and make no mistake, this is the one they really want.
A state championship is just three victories away for the Hawks, who face Neah Bay at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Class 1B state quarterfinals.
A big reason for the success Tulalip Heritage (26-1) has enjoyed this season has been the play of senior Keanu Hamilton, who recently was named the Northwest 1B League’s Most Valuable Player.
Not bad for a kid who hadn’t played organized basketball until his sophomore year of high school.
For a preview of the local schools involved in the 1A/2A and 1B/2B state tournaments, click here.
Hamilton, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, was primarily a baseball player before he turned out for basketball nearly 2½ years ago. A natural athlete, Hamilton was fast and could jump, but the rest of his game needed a lot of work.
Asked if Hamilton came in with basic basketball skills, Tulalip Heritage head coach Marlin Fryberg replied, “Yeah … well … not really.”
Hamilton couldn’t make a layin, couldn’t dribble and couldn’t shoot. It was a rough start to his basketball career.
“Every time they threw the ball to me, I wouldn’t catch it,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know what (the problem) was, I just couldn’t catch the ball. I couldn’t even like walk and chew gum on the court. It was bad.”
Skills Hamilton’s teammates learned as children he was now trying to master as a teen-ager.
“People would stay stuff like, ‘You need to pivot. You learn that in kindergarten,'” Hamilton said. “I didn’t learn that in kindergarten. I learned that in my 10th-grade year.”
Hamilton was a project, but one Fryberg saw potential in from the beginning. Hamilton played on the junior varsity as a sophomore and began putting in the work that would land him on the varsity as a junior. Fryberg even started Hamilton a few times last season.
“That was the best feeling in the world, getting to start, because usually I just get cut from teams because I was really bad,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton doesn’t have to worry about getting cut anymore. His hard work has turned him into one of the most multi-dimensional 1B players in the state.
“Some kids don’t put in that work,” Fryberg said. “He’s definitely a different kid. To watch him over the past three years and see his progress is just phenomenal.”
The Hawks got off to a good start this season, but the first of their three victories over Lummi kicked the season into high gear. A double-digit win evened the regular-season series between the two teams and gave Tulalip Heritage a chance to capture the league title with a win over the Blackhawks in the third and final regular-season meeting — which they did.
In the district-title game, the Hawks defeated Lummi for a third consecutive time.
Riding high, Hamilton and the Hawks didn’t stop there.
In the tri-district championship game, Hamilton scored the game-winner in the final 10 seconds and the Hawks knocked off No. 1-ranked Neah Bay.
Tulalip Heritage senior point guard Bradley Fryberg, a senior transfer from O’Dea, beat his defender off the dribble and found Hamilton underneath the basket. With two defenders closing in, Hamilton put up the shot that gave his team a 68-66 win.
Fryberg-to-Hamilton is a one-two combination that has been working for much of the season.
“It’s gotten to that point to where it’s just instinct now,” Fryberg said of his connection with Hamilton. “You just know where he’s at.”
In just two years, Hamilton has gone from a player who could barely dribble to one of the most difficult players to defend at the 1B level, averaging about 18 points per game.
“He’s a coach’s nightmare,” Fryberg said. “If you try to guard this guy, you’ve got to put at least two guys on him because he just doesn’t quit.”
But for all Hamilton has accomplished, there is still one goal left on his list.
“I just want to win state,” he said.
After an 81-64 victory over Wilbur-Creston in Friday’s regional game, the Hawks are just three wins away.
It won’t be easy — three of the top five 1B teams in the state are in the top half of the bracket (No. 1 Neah Bay, No. 3 Tulalip Heritage and No. 4 Pomeroy).
“I told my boys, ‘What is a better way than to win it than by playing all the best teams in the state?'” Marlin Fryberg said.
While Neah Bay might have revenge on its mind stemming from the loss to Tulalip Heritage in the tri-district championship, the main focus for the Hawks is doing whatever it takes to get to the semifinals.
“It’s just a basketball game to us,” Marlin Fryberg said. “We’re going to go and put our work in and the best team is going to win — and I’m pretty confident it’s going to be us.”
Brandon Jones swats a shot from Wilbur-Creston. Shawn Sanchey with the rebound. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
By Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News
The WIAA Regional Championship game held at Everett Community College February 28th was the final qualifying game for the State Championships in Spokane. The Tulalip Heritage Hawks took the Regional Championship Title over the Wilbur-Creston Wildcats, with a final score of 81-64 Tulalip. This loser-out game advances the Hawks to State, where they will play the Neah Bay Red Devils.
The Tulalip Heritage Hawks have said all year that this was their year to return to state, and bring home the championship title from Spokane. In recent years, they have come close, losing to their rivals, the Lummi Blackhawks, stopping their dreams of taking state just short of the championships. The Hawks have had an incredible season, currently ranked second in the state class, with an overall 26 wins and one loss to rival Lummi Blackhawks earlier in the season. Heritage defeated Lummi three more times since, including one game for the District Championship.
Ayrik Miranda with his signature three pointer. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
On Thursday, March 6th, Tulalip Heritage Hawks will face the Neah Bay Red Devils for the first game of the State Championships in Spokane. Tulalip defeated Neah Bay at the Tri-District Championship game 68-66, so this first game will be an intense rematch.
Keanu Hamilton fouled on the lay up. He made the basket, and both his foul shots. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department. Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov Phone: (360) 716.4188
Dontae Jones with the rebound for Tulalip. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
By Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News
The Tulalip Heritage Hawks crushed the Mt. Rainier Lutheran Hawks at tonight’s game at Heritage High School in the first tri-district championship game. Both teams opened strong, keeping up with one another. Then in the last minutes of the first quarter, Tulalip pulled away, building on a 7 point lead that ended in a win by nearly 20 points, 76-48 Tulalip.
Shawn Sanchey drives to the hoop for a lay up, passing Rainier defense. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
The win was hard earned. Tempers flared in the first quarter, leading to taunting fouls on both teams. The second quarter they tightened up, playing a clean game with minimal fouls. It seemed like the tables might have turned with Rainier sinking nothing but three pointers, but the hawks pushed on, relentlessly driving the ball to the hoop. The third quarter was all about the fouls with both teams showing signs of fatigue, lacking precision in the execution of plays, scored 71-47 Tulalip.
Rainier fouled Brandon Jones causing him to hit the court hard in the 3rd quarter. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
Both teams played hard, showing their fatigue in the fourth quarter. The starters, who had played the entire game, were pulled on both teams, as the fresh players took the court. Alan Enick scored an amazing three pointer in the final minutes of the game, further sealing the win for Tulalip.
Tulalip: 22, 17, 32, 5 Total 76
Rainier: 15, 9, 23, 1 Total 48
Dontae Jones 5, Brandon Jones 8, Bradley Fryberg 19, Robert Miles Jr. 12, Shawn Sanchey 9, Keanu Hamilton 20, Alan Enick 3.
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department. Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov Phone: (360) 716.4188
Tulalip Heritage Hawks win District One 1B Championship. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
Article and photos by Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News
After a great season the Tulalip Heritage Hawks dominate the District One 1B Championships, taking home the second trophy for Tulalip. Facing rival Blackhawks from Lummi in the final game, Tulalip played an intense game. The Hawks only lost one game this season, their first game this season against the Lummi Blackhawks.
The first game of the championship series was to be played against Providence Classical Christian February 8th, but was forfeit by Providence Classical advancing Heritage to the winner’s bracket. Game two pitted the Hawks against Grace Academy on February 11th, with the Hawks leading the game by 10 points, winning 61-48.
February 13th was game three, the final game for the championship title, was by far the most intense. The Hawks held a narrow lead throughout the game, and at times there was a fear of losing that lead. Driven by last year’s upset at this very game, the Hawks were not about to let their lead go without a fight.
Brandon Jones with a rebound for Tulalip. This led to a 3 point shot, maintaining their lead. Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News
Lummi won the tip off, then ten seconds into the game Bradley Fryberg with an amazing steal from the top of the key, ran the ball down the court for a lay up. Two points and Tulalip was in the lead. You can catch the replay on the Tulalip News Facebook page. The teams met as equals on the court, returning shot for shot keeping them neck and neck. It was a game decided by fouls, as are every rivalry game between the Hawks and the Blackhawks. The last three games of last year, including the championship upset, were lost within 2 points. This year, the Hawks prevailed, winning the title of District One 1B champions, advancing them on to Tri-Districts and hopefully the State Championships.
Senior Shawn Sachey said, “This is a great feeling. We worked hard as a team, Lummi was a hard team to beat, but we won. We have a good chance of going to state, but we’ll see. We haven’t played anyone from over the mountains yet.”
Brandon Jones, also a senior, said, “The game went excellent. Scoring first gave us a lot of momentum. I just want to thank God for the win.”
New addition to the team, sophomore Ayrik Miranda, said, “We came out with intensity, andwe kept that through the game.”
Head Coach Marlin Fryberg Jr. was very pleased with the way the team played, attributing the success of the game to crucial time outs he used to refocus his players.
“Anytime we lost momentum, I called a time out and regrouped the boys. We really played the way we wanted to, the way we practiced. The last four minutes of the game, three of their starters were on the bench. But it was really the foul shots, especially those last foul shots, that sealed the win.”
This is the second time the Tulalip Heritage Hawks have won the district championships, advancing to tri-districts starting February 18th.
For game times, stats, photos, and updates, checkout Tulalip News on Facebook or tulalipnews.com. Watch the games live on tulaliptv.com.
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department. Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov Phone: (360) 716.4188
Off the Rez, a 2011 documentary about Umatilla basketball star Shoni Schimmel, is putting up respectable download numbers at Apple’s iTunes store. As of this writing, the film is at no. 99 on the overall iTunes Top 100 list, and is the seventh-highest ranked documentary.
Schimmel is now a force on the court for the University of Louisville (where her sister Jude is also on the team), and was recently spotlighted by ESPNW as the college player of the week. Off the Rez premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011, and aired on cable TV as Shoni’s Louisville Cardinals were making their run to the NCAA tournament finals in 2013.
MARYSVILLE — Adiya Jones scored a game-high 30 points to lead Tulalip Heritage to the Northwest 1B win. Naomi Tuttle paced Grace Academy with 12 points.
At Grace Academy
Tulalip Heritage 16 9 9 24 — 58
Grace Academy 19 14 9 9 — 51
Tulalip Heritage—Myrna Redleaf 0, Adiya Jones 30, Shania Moses 0, Desirae Williams 5, Kaela Tyler 8, Santana Shopbell 6, Michelle Iukes 9. Grace Academy—Piper Wright 2, Marion Emme 6, Julianna Bethune 11, Hailey Bryson 3, Danica Kline 0, Naomi Tuttle 12, Kayla Lee 0, Emily Van Dam 6, Jasmin Robinson 11. 3-point goals—Iukes 2, Williams 1, Tyler 2, Tuttle 1. Records—Tulalip Heritage 8-0 league, 13-2 overall. Grace Academy 7-4, 7-8.
Genna Martin / The Herald A group of Tulalip Heritage players guard assistant coach Cyrus Fryberg Jr. (center) during a drill at a recent practice. The Hawks are motivated to get to the state tournament in Spokane after falling just one game short last year.
The Hawks expect to get to state after falling short last season
By Aaron Lommers, The Herald
TULALIP — To understand the success the Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team is having this season, one first must understand the heartbreak that came before it.
Facing Taholah, a team Tulalip Heritage had beaten by 20 earlier in the season, the Hawks fell 57-45 in last year’s tri-district tournament. The Chitwhins advanced to state, while the Hawks season came to an abrupt end.
“It crushed them to lose that game, especially to a fellow tribal school,” Tulalip Heritage head coach Marlin Fryberg said.
The loss didn’t sit well with Fryberg either, who was forced to evaluate how it had happened.
“That changed the tone for me as the coach,” Fryberg said. “As head coach, I will take that (loss) as my responsibility. All summer long it weighed on them because they really wanted to go to Spokane and coming one game short I told them, ‘I own that. That’s my fault for not having you ready and I’ll never put you in that same situation ever again.'”
Of course Fryberg’s promise was two-sided. He has demanded more from his players at practice this season and redefined each player’s role on the team to eliminate any misunderstanding of their responsibilities.
Fryberg’s expectations of his players extend further than the basketball court. He expects them to maintain their grades in order to stay eligible and behave in the classroom.
“I think the success we’ve had is attributed to a lot of the dedication they have given to the discipline we’re demanding,” Fryberg said. “It gets down to the point where if they are tardy for school I’ll make them run. They’ll pay for it here because in life you’ve got to be disciplined.”
Grades have been a problem for Tulalip Heritage teams in the past, but not with this group. Fryberg said they’re all performing in the classroom — which has helped the Hawks perform on the court.
Fryberg’s squad has opened the season 12-1 and earned the No. 5 ranking in the state in the season’s first AP poll.
The only team to beat the Hawks this season is the team directly above them in the poll, No. 4 Lummi. The Blackhawks rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to win the matchup of the then-unbeaten teams on Jan. 7. Lummi has since lost to Neah Bay, joining the Hawks, and every other 1B team in the state, with at least one loss.
Dating back to last season, the past three meetings with the Blackhawks have all been decided by three points or less.
“We’re right with them,” Fryberg said. “Mentally, we kind of fell apart a little bit and that’s what cost us the game.
The Hawks missed crucial free throws down the stretch that allowed Lummi to comeback and win a game that sophomore forward Robert Miles said they should have never lost.
“It really motivates us because we knew we should have had that game,” Miles said. “Even their crowd, they told us that they stole one from us and that we deserved to win it. That’s going to be a big motivator for us.”
The two teams renew their rivalry tonight, this time on the Hawks’ turf. With three meetings between the two schools in the regular season, Fryberg said the Hawks have to win to have a chance at a league championship.
“If we don’t win, they’re going to win the league,” Fryberg said. “It’s very important.”
“The first game is the important game,” Fryberg added. “That’ll tell you mentally as a ballplayer what you have to do. Or, if you’re on the losing side such as us, than we have to work harder. If you win that game, you’re kind of in the driver’s seat because you play three games. If you get one more out of the two, the way we’ve been running, you’re going to be first in the league.”
The game also brings large crowds many of the players aren’t used to playing in front of. Fryberg expects a similar sized crowd tonight.
“This is a rivalry between tribes that goes way back,” Fryberg said. “There are a lot of people. The (game) in Lummi was the biggest crowd ever up there in high school. And it went right down to the wire. It was great.”
The rivalry between the two schools is made stronger by the fact that many of the players play with each other or against each other in different tribal tournaments.
They’re all friends,” Fryberg said. It makes it a bigger rivalry when they come together.”
Senior Keanu Hamilton, one of the Hawks’ leading scorers, said the team will have to work even harder if it expects to avenge the earlier loss to the Blackhawks.
“If we worked that hard (before the first Lummi game), than we’ve got to work harder,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to be a big game. They’re our rivals and they’re coming here. We almost had them there. It’s going to be huge here.”
Tonight’s game is just another step toward the Hawks ultimate goal of competing for the state championship at Spokane Arena in early March. The Hawks’ consistent effort the first 13 games of the season has put them in a position where that goal seems attainable.
Fryberg has been involved with basketball for the better part of his life, but advancing to the state tournament is something that eluded him as a player.
Hamilton doesn’t want to have that same regret.
“Coach is always talking about how he can never raise his hand and say that he’s been there,” he said. “I want to raise my hand and say that I’ve been there.”
LOUISVILLE — The pride of Indian country, Umatilla sisters Shoni and Jude Schimmel, will play on national television Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPNU as their Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball team play SMU at the KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Cardinals have a 12-1 record this season and have a five-game win streak going. SMU has a 9-2 record. The two teams last met on November 29, 1996.
The two Umatilla sisters won the hearts of many in Indian country as the Louisville team advanced to the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball title game in April. The Schimmel sisters are the only American Indians to ever play in a NCAA Division 1 basketball title game. They are tribal citizens of the Confederated Tribe of Umatilla Indians, based in Pendleton, Oregon.
Both sisters are slated to start for the Louisville Cardinals.
Shoni Schimmel, No. 23, is a 5-9 senior. Last Saturday, she led the Cardinals to victory over Colorado with a season high 30 points. She is averaging 16.1 points per game this season and is sharing the team lead in assists with her sister Jude at 4.2 per game.
Jude Schimmel, No. 22, is a 5-6 junior. She is a guard. In addition to her assists, Jude is averaging 7.5 points per game this season with 3.6 rebounds. She gained her first start earlier this year against Austin Peay. Jude dished out a career-high of 9 assists against Wright State.
The Cardinals will play in eight nationally televised games this second half of the season, so check your local listings for exact channel information.
Editor’s Note: NDNSports.com contributed to this article.
DARRINGTON — Keanu Hamilton scored a team-high 14 points and Shawn Sanchey added 12 as Tulalip Heritage defeated Orcas Island in a Darrington Holiday Tournament game. Next up for the Hawks is tournament host Darrington on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
At Darrington H.S.
Orcas Island 7 11 15 15 — 41
Tulalip Heritage 27 14 9 22 — 72
Orcas Island–Dimtri Pence 9, Gage Horlow 13, Aidan Kavnze 15, Bullock 4. Tulalip Heritage–Brandon Jones 2, Dontae Jones 7, Payton Comenote 9, Robert Miles 10, Shawn Sanchey 12, Keanu Hamilton 14, Brad Fryberg 2, Willy Enick 2, Mike Leslie 4, Alan Enick, Ayrik Miranda 10. 3-point goals–Miranda 2, D. Jones, Comenote, Sanchey. Records–Orcas Island not reported. Tulalip Heritage 8-0.
