by By Dan Ninham
This past season the Page HS Sand Devils boys and girls basketball teams became Arizona 3A state champions … on the same day.
Jonah Holiday, 18, is a graduating senior at Page HS in AZ. “I am Navajo,” said Jonah. “I’m from the Bitterwater clan and born for the Reed People clan. My maternal grandparents are part of the Manygoats clan and paternal grandparents are part of the Salt clan.”
“I practically grew up in the gym and with the sound of the basketball bouncing on the gym floor,” said Jonah.
“It all began when I was seven years old when the local health program set up the local youth basketball league. I played in the youth league until I was in eighth grade. By nine years-old, we were playing in the local rez tournaments. A year later, we started an AAU club to travel and play bigger and better teams,” added Jonah.
“We traveled to Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Seattle, Utah and Florida to play basketball,” said Jonah. “We didn’t win many games in the beginning and struggled accepting those losses. But, it wasn’t the wins we were looking for at first, but the experience and learning how to earn the win.”
Winning and being an exemplary student-athlete happened in high school.
Jonah earned the 2017 and 2018 Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Scholar-Athlete Award in cross country, the AIA Scholar-Athlete Award in basketball in 2018 and 2019, and played on the varsity basketball team all four years.
During basketball, Jonah was named to the 2018-19 and 2019-20 3A North Region-2nd All Region Teams, a 2018-19 and 2019-20 Navajo Times All Star, and a 2021 3A North Central Region-1st Team All Region and 2021 3A Conference Honorable Mention.
Tribal core values define student-athletes in different ways. Jonah’s core values start early in the day: “Getting up before the sunrise and running toward the sun. Prayers for good health, strength, and balance and not to be lazy. These values helped to instill leadership and good health. It helped me to understand why it was important to participate in extracurricular activities and seek leadership learning opportunities.”
Jonah has been active in academic and athletic leadership including Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Student Athlete Leadership Representative, National Honor Society Member – Secretary, and Boys Basketball Club – President and Valedictorian – Class of 2021.
“Jonah had a great work ethic and is a very coaches and teachable player and student,” said Justin Smith, head boys’ basketball coach at Page HS. “He knows what he wants and works very hard to achieve his goals.”
“Jonah is one of the most coaching athletes I have ever had in my 22-year coaching career. He is a great teammate and leader. I know without a shadow of a doubt Jonah will reach whatever goals he sets for himself. He’s very intelligent but more than that his hard work will get him to wherever he wants to go.”
Jonah’s Uncle Brian Holiday played collegiate basketball at Northland Pioneer College and Northern Arizona University. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Northern Arizona and Master’s Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University.
“Jonah’s drive as a student athlete derives from his upbringing,” said Uncle Brian Holiday. “Jonah’s parents, grandparents, and his family always instill in him the importance of education. His parents are both graduates of Arizona State University as has many family members received undergraduate and graduate degrees from various educational institutions.”
“He has seen through his paternal and maternal grandparents the work ethic needed to attain and reach a certain goal. With having such a strong foundation, he has been able to pave his own path and attain his own academic success such as being one of the valedictorian’s of his class. His characteristics of self-discipline, hard work, sacrifice, will, preparation, teamwork, consistency and having a positive mind-set has allowed him to excel in athletics as well,” added Brian.
“Jonah has been a varsity athlete since his freshmen year in high school,” said Brian. “Each year he has progressed and improved in all facets of the game. His versatility was integral in his team’s success this year, whether it was scoring, rebounding, or making a defensive play.”
“One of the things we talked about a lot this year was doing the little things as it will lead to greater things,” said Brian. “I think it really encapsulates Jonah. In junior high, one of his goals was to never miss a day of school, he wanted his attendance to be perfect because he thought it would greatly affect his grades. So each school day he went without missing a day which led him to finish at the top of his class. He continued that mindset into high school then he applied the concepts to basketball.”
“It was exciting to see him and his team win the state championship this year,” said Brian. “His state championship was the fifth state championship within our family. When you take all of his success in the classroom and on the court, he not only set a high standard for the younger generation in his family but also for his community.”
Aunt Allison Holiday was a state basketball champion and NCAA Division I basketball athlete. “Jonah had no problem learning the saying ‘hard work pays off!’ He understood at a young age that in order to be successful on the court, he had to be successful in the classroom. Jonah’s grandparents have been an asset to this mindset. T’ááhó’ájít’éego t’éiyá means ‘Make a conscious effort to give your absolute best to every task at hand.’ This saying is what they taught and displayed on a daily basis. Jonah being the valedictorian for his senior class and becoming a state champion is a prime example of that. He believes in being his best, rather than being the best. I admire his work ethic, because he understands there is always room for improvement and his grit for growth is immeasurable.”
“It’s very simple to see why Jonah succeeds in school so well when you watch him practice,” said Joe Wright, Assistant Coach and CEO Encompass Healthcare. “He studies the game. There really isn’t one weakness to his game. His footwork is impeccable. His drop-step is one of the best I have seen and his shooting touch and form is flawless. All that being said though, it’s his work ethic and everything that he does that makes him stand out from the others.”
“He was our leader! He never took a minute off during practice just like it’s evident that he never took a minute off as a student as evidenced by his 4.0 GPA. I would say by meeting his parents that he just has the DNA and drive to be the best at everything that he does,” added Joe.
“I’ve coached many kids at the middle school and high school level and can truly say that Jonah is one of my favorites,” said Joe. “Jonah‘s not done though. I’m confident that I will be alive someday when Jonah becomes a doctor and the next thing you know the shoes will be on the other feet and he will be ‘coaching’ me to better health. Jonah made a lot of players that played with him better people. He also made me a better coach!”
Tayler Riese, Jonah’s junior high basketball coach, reflected on his star basketball player: “Jonah Holiday, a truly great young man. When we talk about labeling a student-athlete ‘a coach’s dream,’ that is the perfect description of Jonah Holiday. Any team or school organization that Jonah is a part of, instantly becomes better from his involvement. He exemplifies great leadership traits with a maturity beyond his years and tremendous poise in any situation, while constantly striving to make those around him better. He is selfless, confident, hard-working, and goal-oriented. He’s always been a dedicated individual, and in this very unique off season last summer that we all endured, he worked hard to develop his fundamental skills.”
“The hard work and dedication to honing his talents as a player paid off in a very successful senior season. These traits and skills don’t only apply to the court. He is an outstanding student-athlete and class leader. Moving forward, I know that Jonah will be successful in anything that he chooses to do,” added Taylor.
The COVID-19 stopped the world in its tracks a year ago at this time. Student-athletes made adjustments to improve their performance in other ways. The holistic areas of performance during the pandemic: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needed to be addressed in other ways.
“The pandemic closed many of the facilities I went to,” said Jonah. “To maintain my fitness levels I had to go back to the basics of running in the early mornings. The runs helped to keep my mind and spirit strong with the morning prayers. I had to be creative and seek innovative ways to complete my workouts with tractor tires, sledge hammers, and homemade fitness equipment. My workouts helped to provide balance for my mental health, as well as my emotional and spiritual health.”
“Basketball was my outlet but my overall goal was my education,” said Jonah. “It provided me ways to release stress and balance my time outside of school. Getting a college education has always been the end goal, and playing sport has taught me valuable lessons to keep me on track.”
