by By Dan Ninham
Caden Pawpa, 19, played basketball at Wagoner HS in OK. He is from Broken Arrow, OK and is a senior about to graduate.
Caden is Potawatomi and plans to play basketball at Bacone College next season.
“I began as an athlete by being around sports all the time,” said Caden. “My mom is a high school coach and my dad used to coach so I was always around all the games and made me want play sports too. I played football, basketball and ran track. Basketball is my favorite and I’m a two-time first team all-conference, one-time all-area team, two-time leading scorer for Wagoner HS and defensive MVP.”
“The values I use I apply to myself and not only in athletics,” said Caden. “I use them in my everyday life and that’s to always stay humble, be true to myself, have a high work ethic, and lastly be passionate about whatever it is I am doing.”
“My dad is the reason I play the game of basketball,” said Caden. “Ever since I was little I always watched him play and he was really good. He played at Northeastern State University and Saint Gregory’s College. He’s also a high school legend and everywhere we go people always tell me how good he was. That inspired me to be like him and he helped me become the player I am today.”
“Caden broke his foot in the eighth grade and missed the whole season,” recalled dad Rich Pawpa. “I watched him grow up not just as a player but a person. He doesn’t get caught up in what people are saying or not saying about him. He is coachable. He is competitive. He does what is asked of him. He supports his teammates whether on or off the court. What I am trying to say is that injury taught him humility. How to win and lose.”
“Caden can affect the game on both ends on any given night. People are going to be asking themselves why they never heard about this kid. He is a late bloomer. He is getting better each time he steps on the floor. I can’t wait to see the finished product,” added Rich.
“When the pandemic hit and shut down everything it was hard to get into gyms,” said Caden. “We bought weights and a goal and made our own homemade gym right out of our garage. I was able to lift and then get shots up right after in the driveway. A little later we got permission to start going to an actual gym and my dad and I would go every day at 6 a.m. and get shots up and work out to keep me ready and prepared to play again.”
“My dream was always to play basketball at the next level,” said Caden. “My mother and father played college basketball and it inspired me to follow in their footsteps. During the summer right before my senior year I was in AAU and Coach Huffman’s son came back from college and I started working out with him.”
“Coach Jodie Huffman would make us do a full court 1-on-1 drill to two points and would pair each of us up. I had beaten everybody else in the drill on the first time through it, and he called me over and paired me up with his son Caleb who plays for Central Michigan University,” added Caden.
“All of my teammates were joking around saying ‘he’s gonna kill you’ and ‘don’t get dunked on’ stuff like that,” said Caden. “I took the challenge and didn’t back down from him. I was trying to prove a point to everybody and show that ‘ya he’s good but I’m good too’ and I’m going to go at him and hold my own. I did just that and everybody was in shock the way I was able to stay in front of him on defense going full court and making great contests on him and forcing him to take or make tough shots.”
“Caleb’s pride kicked in and he started going at me to making me shoot and make tough shots as well,” said Caden. “We were going at each other and Coach Huffman loved it because Caleb and I were very competitive trying to beat each other trading buckets back and forth. That’s when in that moment I realized that I can play at the college level, I still get praise from my coach about how I’m the only dude he’s seen stay in front of his son like the way I did and him playing at the D1 level made me know in that moment that I belong at the next level too.”
“Caden is a special kid to coach,” said Jodie Huffman, Ball4Life AAU Summer Basketball director and coach. “He is hungry and humble at the same time. Caden was always the hardest working kid who took criticism as a chance to get better and compliments as a marker to where he wants to go. He is a gifted athlete but even more, he is a great kid. He has not even tapped into his potential yet and the next few years will prove that. His best basketball is ahead of him.”
“On the court he has the ability to take over games that we have witnessed on the AAU circuit with his pull jump shots and explosive dunks. He leads by example and is a natural leader. If hard work pays off, look out for this guy! He will be a name to be known,” added Jodie.
“From the first time I seen Cayden on the court I knew he was special!” said Ruben Little Head Sr., Men’s Basketball, Bacone College. “This kid is ridiculous fast!”
“I went to an unsigned senior showcase called RUN by 94 ft. exposure in Oklahoma City back in March 21, 2021 of this year, and I went to scout and watch another recruit I have my eyes on, Jayden Parker from Elgin, OK,” said Ruben. “When I checked in and introduced myself to the director and producer Chris Myers, he said “hey if you’re-looking for native kids, you gotta watch Cayden Pawpa from Wagoner High School, the kid can play!”
“After watching Jayden play his first game, I shifted my seat toward the court Cayden was playing on,” said Ruben. “As I sat there in the designated seating area for visiting coaches, there must have been about 20 coaches from all over representing D 1 to 3 in NAIA and Juco divisions. I kept my eye on this point guard who was blowing past defenders and getting steals from the passing lanes, and three dribbles later was finishing layups on the other end!”
“These showcases usually tend to make players want to try and ‘show out’ and ball hog it to try and impress coaches,” said Ruben. “That was not the case with Cayden, he moved the ball well and completed passes dropping dimes to the big men and slashers cutting the lanes. When it was time to score, he would do so with ease with layups, and a short jumper and long three.”
“After his second game, I went over to introduce myself, and let him know I liked his game and would like to invite him and his family for a visit to Bacone College,” said Ruben.
“Cayden arrived on campus with his parents,” said Ruben. “I gave a short tour and we ate some lunch at the cafeteria. Afterward, we went back to my office and discussed options. After a good visitation with parents, I asked them to step out and if I could have a few minutes with Cayden and that’s when I discovered that Cayden liked the fact that I was a native coach.”
“I’m looking to bring my personal experiences and traditional teachings to my coaching style,” said Ruben. “I believe that Cayden wants to learn more about native ways, maybe some of his own which is Citizen Band Potawatomi, and also some from other teammates I am recruiting, including my son, Ruben Jr.”
“I am very excited to get together, along with another quick guard from Winnebago, Nebraska D’Von Lapointe,” said Ruben. “I feel extremely blessed and grateful to have signed these three talented, explosive and high IQ point guards.”
“With that being said, be on the lookout for some high pace and intense defense from Bacone Warrior basketball this fall,” said Ruben.
Photo Credit: Jaci Bowman
