by By Dan Ninham, contributing writer
Amya Gourneau is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She will be a college freshman next year at Minot State University, and will be on the women’s basketball team.
“I was a two time North Dakota All State team selection as well as a three year All Conference selection,” said Amya Gourneau. “I was a Senior Athlete of the Year nominee for the state of North Dakota and exceeded 1,000 high school career points, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.”
“I was also selected to be a part of the Lions All Star Classic that is composed of the best men’s and women’s basketball players throughout the state and traveled to Australia as part of America’s Basketball Team,” said Amya.
An athletes indigenous core values defined how they practiced and competed. Amya shared: “The seven teachings of the Ojibwe including Love, Respect, Bravery, Truth, Honesty, Humility and Wisdom shape my character, the way I live, and inevitably the kind of athlete I am.”
To compete at the NCAA DII level one needs to be striving to perform at a high level in the classroom and on the court.
“I am preparing to compete at an NCAA Division II basketball program,” said Amya. “My injury set me back slightly but I am making great progress with the support of my family and coaches. I have workouts from our team trainer but once I am physically on campus, I will be putting in extra time with their physical therapist and be back on the court faster and stronger than before.”
“Roger Ross is my mentor because he has helped guide me into the athlete and person I am today,” said Amya. “He has given me feedback that I sometimes don’t want to hear but is needed and always pushes me to be my best.”
“I am honored that Amya has named me as an important mentor in her life,” said Roger Ross. “I am a coach, trainer, teacher, and in my past life I was a highly recruited Division I athlete. The lessons, skills, and experience that I have acquired in my life have led the way I invested in and mentored Amya as she developed her own athletic journey. I have known Amya for many years in various capacities. I started training Amya at a very young age in both basketball and softball. I also had the privilege of coaching Amya’s AAU team for multiple years.”
“Amya has so many positive attributes but there are a few that come to mind when I think specifically about her athletics. She is and has always been very disciplined, dedicated, and determined to be the best for herself and most importantly for her teammates. I am constantly reminding her that the best teams are player lead teams. If she wanted her game to get better then she had to bring others alongside her in her journey to be the best,” added Roger.
Roger continued talking about his mentee. He said, “An example of this was when she moved for high school with a new school, new team, and new town. We had a basketball training session and instead of doing the training session by herself, she invited her teammates to the training and most of her teammates showed up. I believed that they showed up because she exhibited skills they wanted to acquire and attitude that they respected.”
“From that moment I knew that Amya was going to be a good leader and that she would never forget that she can’t be her best self by herself. She knows that true success is not measured by her own success but the team’s success and her servant leadership not only makes her a great teammate but also a good person,” added Roger.
David Gourneau Jr. is Amya’s father and high school basketball coach. He said, “Amya has a lot of attributes that she contributes to any team she plays with….but her most important attribute would be her great leadership skills; she plays the point guard, so that leadership mentality comes with the position.”
“She led our team and the state of North Dakota this season with 120 assists in 20 games. Amya has been around basketball her whole life. She was born in Lawrence, Kansas while I was playing for the men’s basketball team at Haskell. She would watch dad play basketball and when she got older watch me coach. She started training with me at a young age,” added David.
“She fell in love with the game by watching her older brother and dad play,” said David. “She’s played all over the country in AAU tournaments, and NDN tournaments. Recently, she just traveled to Australia to play basketball. She will be taking her leadership skills next season to the NCAA division II, Minot State University in Minot, ND.”
Currently, Dr. Eugene Monette is a Physical Therapist and owner of Turtle Mountain Elite Physical Therapy in Belcourt, ND. In 2019 he was Amya’s high school basketball coach.
“I first met Amya when she was a very young lady,” said Dr. Eugene Monette. “I am acquainted with her mom Anna Ross and her dad David Gourneau Jr.. Later, I also became an acquaintance with her stepfather Roger Ross.”
“In the summer months, when Amya was in grade school, she would travel home to Belcourt to visit family and friends. When she was home, she would play on my daughter Sadie’s and her cousin Kadence’s traveling basketball team The Mighty Angels. It consisted of all Native girls from Belcourt. From here, I would get the pleasure of knowing and watching Amya grow as a basketball player and as an individual,” added Dr. Eugene.
Amya moved home from MN when she was a freshman in high school. At the time, Dr. Eugene was named the Girls Basketball Head Coach for Turtle Mountain Community High School.
“As a freshman, Amya made the Junior Varsity/Varsity cut,” said Dr. Eugene. “From the first day of practice, Amya’ skills stood out. For the first three games, to get her acclimated to high school basketball, Amya played mostly Junior Varsity. However, by the fourth game, she was our starting point guard. From that point on, as a freshman, Amya became one of the top point guards in North Dakota State Class A Basketball.”
Dr. Eugene shared a story when he experienced firsthand the leadership skills that Amaya brought to the program and community. He said, “Amya always came to practice ready to work. Even on days we knew she was hurting. On the court, Amya was always able to make quick decisions. Often, those decisions came in the heat of competition. She always took the initiative to put herself on the line for her teammates. Whether it ended in success or failure, Amya was never scared to lead and be that person. Her leadership skills did not stop on the basketball court. She also excelled in academics. Amya’s family always stressed the importance of an education above basketball.”
“Amya was a joy to coach,” said Dr. Eugene. “I could tell you many stories about Amya displaying her many attributes, but I will let her show you herself.”
Amya Gourneau will soon be a Minot State University Beaver and her and the team’s fan base will be increasing.
