by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
The Mescalero Apache School (MAS) girls’ basketball team won their first-ever state championship in the 2020 NMAA Class 2A title game on Friday, March 13th.
Although no one was in the bleachers to cheer, the teammates carried each other onward. The #2 seeded MAS Lady Chiefs beat the #1 seeded Peñasco Panthers 69-54.
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived quickly and it appeared to occur nationally between high school section and state championship games. A few states allowed the state final to happen with limited to no fans watching. Most state interscholastic associations may have nixed this strategy when a few players on opposing NBA teams had positive cases of the coronavirus disease.
The state championship game was a ‘see saw’ battle for two and a half quarters. Oftentimes games break open with one team making a scoring run. The Lady Chiefs went on a 13-0 run, hitting three consecutive three-pointers, and led 48-35 at the end of the third quarter. A 13-point lead in a low scoring game was a factor in being in control during the last quarter.
Tunte Baca is a state champion basketball player for the Mescalero Apache School (MAS) Lady Chiefs, New Mexico. Tunte means “good heart “ in the Lakota language. Her grandfather is from South Dakota, and is Yankton Sioux.
Mom and Dad Mirror Leadership Practice
Parents have an empowering effect on their children in how to lead others. Mom Robyn Simmons is the MAS School Board President. Dad Gabe Aguilar is the Mescalero Apache Tribe President. Gabe is a five-consecutive term tribal leader moving up from council member and vice president. He is also a Marine Corps and Army Reserves veteran serving two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both of the parent’s positions are elected and have the support of the people in their leadership roles. Both positions also have high expectations to be able to efficiently function as a school district and as a tribal nation. These responsibilities also reflect on being parents of a star athlete and now a state champion.
“My parents are Robyn Simmons and Gabe Aguilar,” said Tunte. “We reside on the Mescalero Apache reservation.”
Mom Robyn Simmons talked about her daughter: “Last semester Tunte took Art as an elective and always said she couldn’t draw. She drew a picture of her and I while dancing to a traditional song at a blessing for the tribe. Her piece of art was submitted and she received second place. The last two years she had essays entered into a Writing Fair for Otero County schools. The first essay she wrote about her dad as a Medicine Man, and won first place. The last article she wrote about what it meant to her to be an American Indian and it won second place. I am so honored to be her mother for so many reasons. I have always instilled in her as a young child to be respectful, courteous and always kind.”
“Tunte and I both volunteer at our church and we teach a Sunday school class every Sunday,” said Robyn. “She is always so willing to teach younger children in any way she can. She is a wonderful role model and is always encouraging the younger children to do their very best and never give up. Tunte knows the importance of hard work that she learned from me. When I finished high school I went straight to college, I received my BSW and MSW from NMSU. I attended college full time and held a full time job. I attended college in Las Cruces at NMSU. I commuted back and forth for school while working my full time job. I recently received my second Master’s degree from OU, in Indigenous People’s Law MLS. I taught her that life is difficult but never give up on your dreams and always remember who you are and where you come from.”
Dad Gabe Aguilar said: “My daughter Tunte has worked very hard to help her team win a State Championship. Since getting a taste of state a year ago she dedicated her time trying to build her role as a leader on the team and keep her starting spot as it’s never guaranteed. She would always stay late to shoot after practice and show up to shoot around at 7 am before school. I admire Tunte as she endured hard times five years ago when her biological father passed away at a young age. He was a spiritual leader and a medicine man on our reservation. She believes in her tradition and cultural beliefs as a Native American woman and she has to work twice as hard in life. My wife and I have been together for eight years and I played basketball in high school and used my experience to teach Tunte to work hard and nothing is given. My background is military and I teach her respect for our people and especially our elders. I served on the tribal council, and as Vice President and now President of our tribe. I always tell Tunte she has to work harder so no one can say you got your position because of your parents. She has overcome much diversity.”
“I’ve played varsity basketball since eighth grade and was Honorable Mention All District this season,” said Tunte. “I have been All District freshman year to now, in 2018-2019 we were state runner-up, and 2019-2020 we are state champions!”
“My eighth grade year I got moved up to junior varsity and varsity,” said Tunte. “I was only supposed to play a few quarters on varsity but during our first game our starting varsity point guard tore her ACL and after that I started and played most of the game. So I had to mature quickly and I struggled with giving up and not being able to get over the frustration. My parents and grandparents, especially my grandma and mom, made me get tough and helped me get over giving up.”
Grandparents As Positive Influences
“Tunte is my granddaughter and has been a role model for kids in this community since she has been a child growing up,” said grandma Dorlynn Simmons. “She helps with community organizations such as ‘Toys for Tots’ and teaches Sunday school at her church. She has strong leadership values and promotes drug free education activities to the younger kids by actively coaching the young kids team.”
“On the court, as a point guard her role is to set direction of the game. It is her responsibility to recognize when the play is not going well and when her teammates are struggling. Her role is to enforce the play, know when to pull back out and start over while encouraging and providing confidence to her teammates to complete the play. Her role is not about selfishness but teamwork. She has compassion for the game and her teammates are able to look to her for guidance and support. Lastly, this young lady leads through strong faith and spirituality that comes from her strong traditional values,” added grandma Dorlynn.
Grandpa Lee Simmons said: “I was working in Arizona and coming home every weekend because I didn’t want to miss the birth of my first grand child. I had just driven in from Camp Verde at about midnight. My daughter was at the hospital, but not much was happening. My wife said to go home and sleep, and we’ll call when things start. So I get to the house, the phone rings, and she says you better get here quick! I was hauling to the hospital, and of course, was stopped for speeding. I told the officer why, and just like in the movies, he escorted me to the hospital and wished us well. I go into the birthing suite, and it’s filled with people. I was immediately uncomfortable. I whispered in my daughter’s ear asking if she was okay with it, and she replied she was. Well, me being me, I made all the men and boys leave. When Tunte was born she didn’t cry, much less make any noise, and as the nurse was cleaning her under the warming lamp, she stared directly into my eyes never looking away. I was honored when my daughter told the nurse to give her to me first, and our connection has been that way ever since.”
“Being a family of Type A go-getters, we’ve always expected a lot from Tunte, but only because she has always been an exceptional kid,” said grandpa Lee. “She has always been a leader in everything she does. She is opinionated and extremely determined, but has a heart of gold and is compassionate especially for those who can’t always defend or protect themselves.”
“Very few people have that certain knack of doing the right thing at the right time, and Tunte does that,” said grandpa Lee. “She knows when to be firm, understanding, and when to call things like they are. Students and adults alike go to her for advice and suggestions when experiencing difficulties, and she connects with those folks on their level that makes them feel safe and understood.”
Expressing The Geronimo Mentality To Teammates
“On the court, she can sense when something is wrong with her teammates, and she finds the time, away and privately, to assure them in her own way that things are going to be okay. I absolutely love how she can get in front of any sized crowd and speak with enthusiasm, heart, and look anyone in the eye when she does so. That is an internal strength that I admire,” added grandpa Lee.
“Having respect is one of the ways I practice and utilize my cultural core values,” said Tunte. “I have a never quitting attitude like Geronimo and he was one of my tribes warriors who was one of the last to surrender to the U.S. government. My mother instilled this in me at a young age and reminded me to never give up. This year I shared with teammates to have this killer instinct and the ‘Geronimo mentality’.”
“Coach Chavez inspired me to be a competitive athlete because he always told me he believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” said Tunte. “I go outside and shoot and do drills with the neighborhood kids at a goal outside my house. I am a young lady from the reservation who believes in putting all I’ve got on and off the court.”
“Tunte has been team captain for the past three years,” said MAS varsity head girls’ basketball coach Elmer Chavez. “She plays in tournaments every weekend with her AAU team. She has been the starting point guard since eighth grade and our team is 128-23 since that time. She is the heart and soul of our team. Tunte is the tribal president’s daughter and the school board president’s daughter. She’s a very hard worker being the first one to the gym in the morning at 6:40 am and the last one to leave at 6:00 in the evening.”
“As an eighth grader I saw that she was very skilled with dribbling and shooting. The last two years she averaged 11 points a game. She had a 24-point game during the first round of state this season and a 27-point game this year. She rarely cares about points scored but cares more about winning games,” added Coach Elmer.
Being Mentally Tough By Being Emotionally Focused
High-pressure practice and game situations call for being mentally tough by being emotionally focused. Most athletes control their breathing pattern to calm themselves down during stressful situations. Other athletes work on self-talk either verbally or in their mind. The ‘here-and-now’ principle addresses putting the mistake on the back burner and to prepare for what is happening at the moment. Coaches may respond to anxious situations by not allowing their star athlete to come out of the game and to work through it.
“I am hardest on her and more than any player I have ever coached,” said Coach Elmer Chavez. “Her father and mother allow me to push her beyond her means. I love that kid as if she were my own daughter.”
“She had several meltdowns when the pressure of presses gets to her because she handles the ball 90% of the time,” said Coach Elmer. “I just ignore her and leave her in there when she asks for rest.”
“I just have to remember that there always is a next play,” said Tunte. “It’s okay to mess up but don’t get frustrated. Everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes I struggle but I just pray and push through to finish. My mom always tells me to pray when I feel frustrated or uncomfortable and that’s what I always do.”
“My grandpa always tells me to ‘Bagger Vance’ it. It’s a golfing movie and every time he goes to golf he blocks everything out and it’s just him and the golf course,” added Tunte.
“When I get down and I’m not having a good shooting night and get frustrated I talk to myself,” said Tunte. “In my mind I say ‘do my role’. If I can’t shoot then as the point guard I have to make plays and play the hardest defense and hustle.”
Academics Are First
“Academically I strive and participate in academic programs along with basketball,” said Tunte. “In addition to my love for the game I am in the National Honors Society and Science Nationals Honor Society. Also, I am involved in Knowledge Bowl and other traditional community activities and events.”
“Tunte is a junior doing very well in Honors Algebra II,” said Diane Bell, Tunte’s middle school math teacher. “She is an amazing, all around great person. She has a great attitude and always strives to do her best. An extremely admirable quality is the respect she has for her culture and how she respects the cultures and beliefs of others.”
“This is Tunte’s first year as a member of Mescalero Apache School (MAS) National Science Honor Society,” said National Science Honor Society Advisor/Mentor Nate Raynor. “Tunte and her partner Samantha Kazhe are currently working on a Heart Beat Detection and Monitoring System using Arduino that will detect the heart beat using the Pulse Sensor and will show the readings in BPM (Beats Per Minute) project.”
“Tunte and Samantha saw a need for this device for the elderly on the reservation. It’s a lot cheaper than what you can purchase on the local market. They are in the developing stage of this project. Hopefully, once things get back to normal, they can continue to work on it. The project will be enter into next year AISES Science Fair,” added Nate.
As a high achieving student first and athlete second, Tunte has advice for others: “Never give up and to always work hard and to remember that everyday you are competing against yourself not anybody else. Everyday you should strive to be better than you were yesterday,” said Tunte. “You should have a ‘Geronimo mentality’ and that is to be fearless.”
Photo Credit: John Vestal – Sports Fanatic Photography
