by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“I have been taught to respect and show the utmost sportsmanship throughout the game, to be mindful of referees, coaches and my parents,” said Alexis Parker. “As a Comanche, Kiowa and Wichita woman, I have come to know the strength, beauty and perseverance my people have. One of my core values is to never give up, and our people have always been mistreated and we always came out stronger. I will get stronger and I will not give up, on life or sports.”
Alexis Parker, 15, is a member of the Comanche tribe and Quahda band. She is also Kiowa and Wichita. Her mom is Kim Lewis and dad is Gary Parker, Jr. The family lives in Anadarko, OK.
Alexis is a sophomore at Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK. She competed in basketball, softball and track. She has played in multiple AAU tournaments and is a member of the 2019 Respect Tournament Championship. She was named the MVP.
“I stayed with my maternal grandparents a lot, as a toddler,” said Alexis. “I heard many stories about my grandfather Bobby Joe Lewis, and knew of him being a great athlete, as well as being traditional. I never missed Kiowa Gourd Clan and am a member of the Little Rabbits.”
Alexis’ mother Kim Lewis was an NJCAA Region II Third Team All American in 2002 scoring 1000 points and breaking all individual records for women’s basketball at Carl Albert Junior College in Poteau, OK. She continued on to Southwest Oklahoma State University. Kim was Oklahoma All State and Indian All State at Anadarko HS and was the state tournament MVP leading her team to the runner-up place.
“Alexis has so many positive things about her,” said mom Kim Lewis. “The biggest thing about her is that she loves the game of basketball and is very competitive and hard working also very strong. She loves being on the court with her sister Karliey and is her little sister’s biggest fan. Lex has a heart of gold and she is an amazing young lady. She protects the paint at all cost and that is a must because I was a post player too.”
“My grandparents supported me in everything I did, and now do,” said Alexis. “They came to everyone of my games, cheering for me loud in the stands, and that made me want to work harder for them.”
“Determination is a big part of Alexis’s growth in sports and in life,” said grandma Lois Tsatoke Parker. “I coached her in Little League and her ‘determination’ to want to learn all aspects of the ‘game,’ made my job easy. I played basketball when it was 6 vs. 6, and defense was my game. I showed her how to read an offense and defend against it. She caught on quick. I preached hustle and defense and she has that mentality. I always said, never, ever give up, in life, school, friends or even basketball.”
“Respect is also an important part of her game. She began to grow in fifth grade and now stands over 6 feet tall. She would defend and score but always shook hands or picked up a player who fell or got knocked over. I told her in the game, you have to have that ‘beast’ attitude! She would reply back but sportsmanship is good too, Grandma! So, I’ve learned to let her play and win or lose, I always told her to find a lesson in each game,” said Lois.
“Alexis has always been a caring teammate,” said grandma Kathy Hunter. “She’ll go the extra mile to make sure her teammates are ready to play. She keeps up with their lives even when she’s not playing ball. She meets their families and shares her abilities with them. It’s not enough to have the skills to play basketball, but what kids do off the court is just as important. Alexis was the only great grandchild of my parents to have known them and if they were alive now, they would be so proud as I am. Alexis is my first grandchild and is very special.”
“My coaches are a big part in my success,” said Alexis. “They worked with me everyday to become the player I am today, and they pushed me each day telling me not to give up and keep trying.”
“Alexis is a strong post player who ended up playing junior varsity at Riverside Indian School this past season,” said Stephanie Walker, Riverside Indian School assistant high school basketball coach. “Her role may not have been what she wanted but it’s what her team needed. She would come to practice knowing she wouldn’t be getting any varsity playing time. However, the strong post player came to work to make the team better. She worked with other post players to help them get stronger against the opponents they would be facing.”
“Even though she is a strong forward she has a huge heart which she wears on her sleeve. She would battle for rebounds and at the end of practice still be able to laugh around with teammates on and off the court. She would encourage the other posts to keep working and not get frustrated. At times the competition would get tough but she continued to work hard daily giving encouragement to others. She is definitely an upcoming Lady Braves player to be looking for in the following years to come.”
“Alexis has impacted our program in many ways already,” said James Kelley, Riverside Indian School basketball coach. “She just transferred to us and has already shown her ability to dominate the game even as a freshman. It’s not just her size but her competitiveness and aggressiveness also contributes to the game in many ways. It’s not often you get a kid of her size and athletic ability also combined with a desire to win and succeed. She comes from a long line of successful ball players on both sides.”
“The scary thing is, even as dominant as she is now, she hasn’t even scratched the surface on how good she can be when she leaves here in three years. Her work ethic alone has a leadership quality that you need out of your best players. She has already drawn college attention from a junior college, an NAIA and a D3 school as a freshman in high school. I would wager there’s going to be a lot of college level teams that will vie for her services when she graduates. We are lucky to have her,” added James.
“Alexis is a monster,” said Coach Matthew Komalty, Jr. “She’s going to be a problem in the future. She’s extremely competitive and hands down the strongest girl I’ve ever worked with. I’m excited to see what that future holds for her. She hasn’t even touched the surface of what she can become.”
“We are all Native Basketball AAU team,” said Eric Streater, one of the coaches for the Warcry team. “Alexis Parker has grown into a beast on the low block, she has great footwork on the block, she can see the court very well to find open teammates as she gets double teamed. And don’t bring the ball around rim because she sends them shots to another time zone! Alexis is a true team player, she’s a leader and smiles all the time. Teams don’t like playing against Alexis because she gets to where she wants to go, when she wants and hits the boards very hard. Alexis has it all, teamwork, hard work, great attitude, and very respectful to her teammates, coaches, parents and opponents.”
“I made a huge conscious effort as to what I eat and drink,” said Alexis. “I stay away from soda, as much as possible. I eat a balanced meal, so that my body can heal from any physical harm I may do to my body in a game or at a track meet.”
“I work on having a clear mind and listening to what my coach tells me to do,” said Alexis. “I need to read the defense and assist my teammates into scoring opportunities. I also need to always find something I can take from each game to make my game stronger.”
“I am in a very different setting and have learned so much from all the tribes that come and participate at Riverside,” said Alexis. “I have always had a strong Baptist upbringing but I listen to my teammates talk about their religion and how much I have learned. I play with players from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and other reservations. We are a very spiritually strong group.”
“When the odds are going against you and your friends, step back,” said Alexis. “I will always have my family for support and acceptance and that’s what makes me a student-athlete. God, family and life, and sports in that order.”
“I have a huge Comanche, Kiowa and Wichita family,” said Alexis. “To know this support is always there gives me opportunities to learn and when I fail, my family won’t let me give up on myself.”
Photo Credit: Rhonda Freie
I am James Kelley, I am the Father of Riverside’s head girls basketball coach James Kelley. This is a great article, Alexis is part of my family on the Kiowa tribal side and has one of the best attitudes I’ve witnessed. She is a great talent and I am very convinced that when she graduates from Riverside Indian School she will sign a Division 1 level scholarship will a lucky school. She is one of those players that every coach loves to have in their program. She comes from a great bloodline of basketball talent on both sides. I had the privilege to play with her Grandfather who was very talented, I coached her Dad who was outstanding, her Mom was an All American, her Great Grandfather was a great athlete at Riverside many years ago. I am anxious to see her career develop, she is the type of player that makes everyone around her better and she includes everyone when she plays making sure they get their shots when they are open. She is not selfish, sometimes she goes out of her way to make sure a teammate is included in a play so they will feel part of the play. If I was a college recruiter I would be heavily recruiting Alexis right now because by the time she is a senior the recruiting list will be long. God bless you Alexis and continue to make your tribes, family and friends proud!