by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Ayanna Smith is Menominee and is a 5-4 eighth grade basketball player at Menominee Tribal School in Neopit, WI. She and her family live in Keshena, WI.
“Some of the core values I was taught are trust, respect, and integrity,” said Ayanna. “Using trust in any sport is an important trait to me because I trust my teammates with any decision they make during a game. Respect is also very valuable to me, because respecting teammates, coaches, opponents, refs and fans can go a long way for anything at anytime. Integrity is another important thing to me because it keeps me true to myself.”
“Aaron Waukau is a great mentor to me in my basketball career,” said Ayanna. “He pushed me to work harder past my limits, encouraged me to believe in myself, and was able to recognize potential in me that I failed to realize beforehand. Aside from his personal life he took the time whenever needed to help me accelerate with anything relating to basketball.”
“One of my favorite memories of basketball was when I was training with Aaron Waukau and Norman Kakwitch. I kept messing up on a drill that was meant for hand strength and hand-eye coordination. I would only mess up when Aaron would record me and with several attempts later, I was able to do the drill the correct way on camera.”
“One of my top accomplishments is earning a spot on the Team Wisconsin roster for Native American Indigenous Games (NAIG),” said Ayanna.
“My advice to others is to work your hardest at all times, be confident, and believe in yourself,” said Ayanna.
Photo Credit: Aaron Waukau
