by By Dan Ninham
Jacob White Horse is Rosebud Lakota and Northern Chumash. His father is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Lakota and lived a majority of his life on the reservation in South Dakota. His mother is from a small coastal band called the Northern Chumash. Jacob grew up in the Bay Area for 17 years. He is now 21 years old and enrolled in North West Indian College.
“I am a junior at NWIC,” said Jacob. “I play basketball for the college as well. Playing for a tribal college means a lot to me. I know what I am representing and that carries on to the court. My tribal values mean a lot to me. I have always been culturally involved in my tribe’s ceremonies and practices since I was young. Being a head dancer for my tribe at a young age helped me develop the skills to be a captain and leader here at NWIC.”
“My teammate Samuel Marqueda has influenced me as a competitive athlete,” said Jacob. “He’s one of the better offensive guys I have played with and getting to match up with him for the last two years in practice and workouts really brought the best in both of us. Pushing each other everyday at 6 a.m, going at each other just in practice really helped me as a player. Another heavy influence was my teacher Gabe Minthorn. From the day I met him he believed in me more than myself at times. He gave me the confidence to go out and play everyday. And he developed my work ethic in the classroom as well.”
“When it comes to training a lot of work comes into it,” said Jacob. “The physical skill training I do is to try to put in as many hours as I can to develop me as a better player. Everybody gets the same 24 hours and just how we use the hours is important. Staying consistent is the most important part.”
“Taking your mind away from the game and just putting your attention into something else gives you that balance in your life you need as a student athlete,” said Jacob. “Being spiritually attuned helps with the development of my craft. Believing the work you put in has you prepared for these situations.”
“The way I am staying well in this pandemic is putting in the work that I can,” said Jacob. “Finding a way to get through adversity and staying sharp in the classroom and on the court.”
“During my first three years of high school I was never able to complete a full season of basketball,” said Jacob. “I was getting in trouble and kicked out of school for grades I really was not going in the right direction. Wasn’t on track to graduate high school. A principal even told me I was going to end up in jail like my brother.”
“It was my senior year of high school when I transferred to a small tribal school called Walatowa Chater HS in New Mexico,” said Jacob. “It was a culture shock for me because I grew up in a city with a school of 3,000 to a tribal school with 52 people. So when I got on the court I noticed every one was running and gunning. I never played this style. I asked a player at practice why don’t we set something up. They looked at me confused and said this is ‘rez ball, we run’. This was my first taste of ‘rez’ ball. I picked up quick and next thing you know I am starting our first game.”
“I learned the playing style of run and gun and took off with it. We turned around the program after a losing season the year before and made it into the state tournament for the first time in five years. This tribal school gave me a second chance. Allowing me to catch up in credits and graduate, play a full season of high school basketball, and got me noticed by the coach at North West Indian College. Transferring to that small tribal school made a big turn around in my life,” added Jacob.
“I worked with Jake White Horse at Walatowa High Charter School in Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico,” said Gabe Minthorns. “He was a transfer to our school at the beginning of his senior year and we had already started our school year. We started our school year in July and he arrived around the end of August from the Bay Area.”
“Jake came into my class during my prep and introduced himself,” said Gabe. “I asked him to tell me his story so I could get to know him better and determine how I could best support his future journey. He talked about his previous high school in California, and what he needed to graduate from our school in New Mexico. I was able to talk to him about what our school is about and the emphasis we put on academics and preparing for life after high school. He talked about playing basketball and lacrosse. I talked about my time playing football at Haskell and coaching there as well, this is when I really got his attention. He said he has dreams of playing basketball at the next level.”
“I ran our school’s literacy program and taught history,” said Gabe. “To graduate from Walatowa, students need a comprehension level of 12th grade or higher, this level of expectation leads to so many more opportunities after graduation. Jake bought into our academic philosophy understanding this would lead to opportunities after graduation. We talked about his desire to major in Environmental Science and play basketball in college.”
“Jake had some extra academics to catch up after he transferred, he wasn’t lacking any credit but our uniqueness just added more to his list of requirements. Since he was a senior transfer he had to work harder than most seniors to get caught up. He completed my study guides and passed the end of course exams, and he also was reading above a 12th grade level when he graduated. Jake understood that being academically prepared would open so many doors for him to pursue his desired major and give him the opportunity to play basketball in college,” added Gabe.
“I did not get to coach Jake but I did get to watch him practice and in competition,” said Gabe. “Seeing Jake in class and on the court, I recognized he was going to be successful once he found the right school that offered his major and the chance to play basketball.”
“In the short time I knew Jake, we developed a working relationship that allowed me to support him,” said Gabe. “His ability to be teachable/coachable gave him some really cool opportunities to live out his dreams and better his future.”
“Jake will take his degree(s) and his experiences he learned from playing college basketball and help so many people,” said Gabe. “This includes people he hasn’t even met that will benefit from his responding to a plan we created and put into action his senior year. I will always send the email, write the letter of recommendation or make the phone call to support Jake because I know he will take his experience and will be beneficial to him and all those he will work with in the future.”
Northwest Indian College is a two-year tribal college located in Bellingham, WA. Adam Lane is the men’s basketball coach. He said: “I had the opportunity to coach Jacob White Horse this past season at Northwest Indian College. Jake is a great example of what commitment, persistence, and hard work can do for you, not just in our sport of basketball, but in life as well.”
“Jacob has developed his game over his time at NWIC and transformed into a college-level basketball player and elite defender. He was a team captain, and the vocal leader of our team who never backed down from any challenge. His leadership and work ethic set the tone for our team and had a positive influence on everyone around him this season,” added Adam.
“Jake encompasses everything it takes to be a successful student-athlete. He is a hard-working student in the classroom, pushes himself at practice each and every day, and puts in the extra work at the weight room. This prepares our athletes both for the grueling schedule that we play and helps them make the leap to the next level when they graduate from NWIC. Playing a schedule with around 20 to 25 games each year against NAIA colleges and universities has given him the experience to play at that level.”
“We’re excited for Jake in the next stop on his journey and I know he has the work ethic and leadership skills necessary to be successful at Bacone College,” added Adam.
Jake White Horse’s testimony of his former teacher Gabe Minthorn, is right to the point. Gabe
Minthorn was my colleague @ Walatowa High Charter High School, and Jake White Horse was a smart & conscientious student who was very focused in making up credits needed in order to graduate. I know this about Jake, for one of my duties at Walatowa High Charter School is to maintain student records. Jake is just one of several students who was mentored by Mr. Minthorn.