Post by Moon Seeker on Jul 12, 2009 13:51:50 GMT -5
by Richard Obert - Jul. 10, 2009 04:45 PM
The Arizona Republic
Since last leaving the Valley in March with a state runner up basketball finish, Chinle High's core players of Mathias Claw, Denzel Harvey and Koyai Clauschee haven't stopped playing.
There have been so many stops on Arizona's Indian reservations that they've lost track of the number of tournaments in which they've played.
Claw figured, "over 20."
The Navajo Nation all-star team, called the Native Boyz, have won all but two.
There is one really big one that they would like to win. The Native American Basketball Invitational concludes Saturday at US Airways Center with the boys championship game scheduled for 6:30 p.m., following the girls final at 5.
"This is like the biggest tournament of the year for us," said Clauschee, who will be Chinle's only returning starter next season. "(High school) state is bigger. But I'd say this is the next biggest thing. This would top it off."
It involves some of the best reservation teams in the country.
There are 38 boys teams and 28 girls teams with players who graduated from high school in 2009 or still have high school eligibility remaining.
The Native Boyz, coached by Benson Roan, reached the semifinals last year. The team played double-headers Thursday and Friday, hoping to get into Saturday's early afternoon semifinals.
It scored 105 points in the second game of a 32-minute double-header on Thursday.
The tournament is NCAA certified, giving reservation players lacking exposure a chance to be seen by colleges.
Forward Alfonzo Hubbard, who graduated this spring from Gallup (N.M.) High, benefitted from being named Most Valuable Player of last year's NABI by signing with Western Wyoming Community College. Because he has signed with a college, Hubbard wasn't allowed to play in the tournament this week.
Claw, a 5-foot-10 point guard who made The Republic's first team All-Class 1A-3A team last season, hopes to play next season at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Wash.
"We just play hard," Claw said about playing game after game after game. "We don't care about the score."
www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/articles/2009/07/10/20090710spt-nabi.html
The Arizona Republic
Since last leaving the Valley in March with a state runner up basketball finish, Chinle High's core players of Mathias Claw, Denzel Harvey and Koyai Clauschee haven't stopped playing.
There have been so many stops on Arizona's Indian reservations that they've lost track of the number of tournaments in which they've played.
Claw figured, "over 20."
The Navajo Nation all-star team, called the Native Boyz, have won all but two.
There is one really big one that they would like to win. The Native American Basketball Invitational concludes Saturday at US Airways Center with the boys championship game scheduled for 6:30 p.m., following the girls final at 5.
"This is like the biggest tournament of the year for us," said Clauschee, who will be Chinle's only returning starter next season. "(High school) state is bigger. But I'd say this is the next biggest thing. This would top it off."
It involves some of the best reservation teams in the country.
There are 38 boys teams and 28 girls teams with players who graduated from high school in 2009 or still have high school eligibility remaining.
The Native Boyz, coached by Benson Roan, reached the semifinals last year. The team played double-headers Thursday and Friday, hoping to get into Saturday's early afternoon semifinals.
It scored 105 points in the second game of a 32-minute double-header on Thursday.
The tournament is NCAA certified, giving reservation players lacking exposure a chance to be seen by colleges.
Forward Alfonzo Hubbard, who graduated this spring from Gallup (N.M.) High, benefitted from being named Most Valuable Player of last year's NABI by signing with Western Wyoming Community College. Because he has signed with a college, Hubbard wasn't allowed to play in the tournament this week.
Claw, a 5-foot-10 point guard who made The Republic's first team All-Class 1A-3A team last season, hopes to play next season at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Wash.
"We just play hard," Claw said about playing game after game after game. "We don't care about the score."
www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/articles/2009/07/10/20090710spt-nabi.html