by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Eric Morin is the head varsity boys’ basketball coach at his alma mater Dunseith High School, ND. He was a 1994 North Dakota All State Second Team player.
Ethan Morin is the son of the head coach. He was a 6-0, sophomore guard on the Dunseith HS boys’ basketball team this past season. He is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. His stepmom is Aleta Peltier, both mom and dad are Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa members, and their family lives in Dunseith, ND.
The Dunseith Dragons finished the 2020 season with a 12-14 record. They won their first game and lost their next two at the NDHSAA Class B Region 4 Tournament at Devils Lake, ND. The state tournament was cancelled like most other national high school and college games due to the pandemic. Ethan averaged 17.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 5.6 rpg and made All District this past season.
“I am proud of being a Native American athlete,” said Ethan. “I work hard to make my family proud, I work hard to make my Turtle Mountain family proud because I know they all support me.”
“I had love for the game since I was a child and I love working to get better at it,” said Ethan. “Basketball is one of the most important things in my life and is one of my favorite things to do.”
”Respect is very important in the game,” said Ethan. “I’ve grown up watching older players and watching the way they respect the people around them which has helped me adapt to being respectful as an athlete.”
“Truth has taught me to be true to person and player I am,” said Ethan. “It has helped me understand who I am and to do what’s right.”
“My father played a big role in helping me become the athlete I am today, pushing me to become the best player I could be,” added Ethan.
Eric Morin is also the athletic director at Dunseith HS. He said: “Ethan’s leadership on the court is more by example than vocal. His basketball game translates great from the shooting guard position to the point guard position. Ethan sees the court very well and trusts his teammates. He has the ability to create shots for his teammates which creates a great trust between himself and his teammates.”
“His off the court leadership is his constant dedication to get himself and his teammates in the gym every chance he gets. If there is open gym he takes time to message his teammates and let them know there is an opportunity to get in the gym. As he gets older his leadership qualities will get better however as a sophomore he is off to a great start,” added dad and Coach Eric.
“My mother passed away when I was at a very young age and me and my dad kept living life to now,” said Ethan. “My stepmom Aleta Peltier is a big influence in my life.”
Aleta Peltier said: “Ethan is an awesome kid who puts tons of time into his sports and academics. He is the type of kid who gets his homework done without us having to ask, asks to go to the gym nightly or stay there after practice to put extra time in. He never has to be told that he should be putting in more effort. I work in an ER at IHS and see so many kids going down the wrong path. I believe that being so actively involved in sports helps keep our kids on a good road and having parents actively involved is also a strong positive. Ethan is a great example to his younger brother’s and sister and we love watching him play and are excited for the years to come. His baby sister, who just turned 1, comes to most games and starts screaming and clapping as soon as she sees him on the court. He makes us proud.”
Ethan follows his own words of wisdom that he gives to others. “I give advice for others to work hard and stay focused at everything you do,” said Ethan.
Photo Credit: Turtle Mountain Star
