by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
The main influences of star athletes are usually under the same roof. This is the case with Taryn Frazer of Cass Lake, Minnesota. Her dad is her coach, her mother is her cheerleader at home, and her older brother is her guide.
Taryn Marie Frazer is a 5-4, sophomore, point guard for the Cass Lake-Bena HS Panthers girls’ basketball team. The team has a 11-5 record and Taryn averages 19.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, 5.4 rpg and 4.9 spg.
Taryn is a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Cass Lake MN. Dad Tate Frazer is also a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and mom is Mindy Utley, member of the White Earth Nation. The family lives in Cass Lake, MN.
“When I think about my core values, it always brings me back to my family, friends and teammates, and the seven sacred teachings,” said Tayrn. Taryn said her value system includes:
“Love: Love to me is all the seven sacred teachings combined into one feeling all together. The feeling you have towards family, friends, teammates, and the game of basketball.
Courage: Courage to me is taking a leap of faith, or bravery for yourself and others. Sometimes in the game you can have a lot resting on your shoulders, you have to have the courage to go out there and make things happen no matter the outcome.
Honesty: Honesty to me means to tell the truth no matter what, even if it hurts someone. It puts your dignity to the test, showing how true you are to yourself. I’m honest to my coaches, teammates and myself about the things we all need to work on to become a better team.
Respect: Respect to me means to treat people the way you want to be treated, no matter what their beliefs or thoughts. I respect my coaches and teammates both on and off the court.
Wisdom: Wisdom to me is what the elderly can teach me so I can be wise one day as well. I listen to my coaches and mentors that inform me of things I need to do to become a better player.
Truth: Truth to me is stating the facts of something, and telling what really happened. The truth in basketball is that you’re always going to have you’re ups and downs. I always try to be truthful to myself, and my teammates on how things went and what we need to do to improve.
Humility: Humility to me means to keep a low view on one’s own importance, and to be humble. I always try to remain humble, I know in the game of basketball every player serves a role and no one teammate is more important than the other. You have to work as a team in order to win games and be successful.”
“My dad Tate Frazer, and my brother Terick Frazer introduced me to basketball when I was very young,” said Taryn. “They both played basketball, and passed a lot of their knowledge and love of the game down to me. I grew up watching my brother play, and we spent countless hours outside always shooting around and playing 1 on 1, and he never took it easy on me. My dad taught me his killer instinct, to work hard, and to never give up. He is always watching and lets me know where I’m lacking and things I need to work on.”
Dad and CLB assistant girls varsity basketball coach Tate talked about his daughter Taryn: “Taryn is a gym rat since the first day she was told the gym is open in the morning, she would go in and work on her craft before school. She leads by example by being the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. She has always loved to practice the game of basketball, and she went from not being able to dribble very well to one of the best ball handlers in the state due to the countless hours of practicing in her room. The grass around my house probably will never grow back due to her and her brother running around the yard.”
“Speaking of her brother, I would have to tell him to take it easy on her because she would get so mad at a young age, but that didn’t take to long, before he knew it he was playing her straight up struggling to guard her. Was pretty fun watching them two in the driveway. She is the toughest girl I know, she keeps her body in shape and there is just something about her, she has a mind for this game we call basketball. All the great ones have that mindset and skill. She knows it’s not given to you, you have to work for it,” added Tate.
“Ever since we were young Taryn has been working out and learning the game from me from what our dad taught me,” said older brother Terick. “From going to gyms and running drills to just playing one-on-one outside. I never let Taryn beat me because she had to learn to get better and get to the point where she can win on her own. Now she took the tools she was given and she is mastering the craft she does everything she can to be the best.”
“My mom, Mindy Utley always supports me through all my ups, downs, wins, losses and everything in between,” said Tayrn. “She’s the realist on my team, and she doesn’t see me as just a ball player. She’s always there through everything, and always helps me to stay grounded and focused as an athlete, student, and overall person.”
Mom Mindy talked about her daughter Taryn: “When Taryn was young she was sick a lot, and was in and out of the hospital frequently. So when she was home and was in good health she spent a lot of time with her brother, and he played basketball, so that is where he desire to play came from. We always brought her along to all his games and she spent a lot of time watching him. When we were home and they were together, that’s what they did for hours upon hours in the driveway shooting around playing one on one. That’s all she wanted to do was play herself. I was always hesitant and worried about it because of her health, but seeing her desire to play and how much she loved it, I didn’t have a choice but to let her. Leroy Fairbanks had started a youth third grade team and it was all boys, and he had Taryn and her friend Amira LaDuke play as well. That’s where her first team experience came from, and from that point on she never stopped playing. Anytime Taryn has an opportunity to play, she is playing. I have honestly never seen someone so determined and work so hard, even when she is not playing, she’s practicing. In the summer outside by herself, anytime she has an opportunity to get in a gym she is there. She’s always watching film, constantly critiquing herself, and she’s never satisfied.”
“Taryn is a real positive leader when she is on the court, she’s always supportive of everyone around her, and she wants to see them succeed just as much as she wants to succeed herself. She always keeps a good attitude, and tries to keep everyone uplifted and energetic, even when the game isn’t going her way. Off the court she’s a real good student, she puts just as much effort into her schoolwork as she does for basketball. That’s something that is very important to her as well. She tries to get involved in many different school activities as well, not just basketball. Even with everything she has been through and still goes through she’s one of the happiest, most positive people I have ever met. Nothing really keeps her down, and she brings that energy to everyone she is around,” added Mindy.
“I have chronic kidney disease,” said Tayrn. “I have struggled with this all my life, since the day I was born. I was born with only one working kidney, and my remaining kidney works at around 30 percent. When I was younger I spent a lot of time in the hospital, was sick a lot, and have had numerous surgeries. Through the years my health has drastically improved, I’ve learned how to take care of myself correctly, and keep myself in the best health possible. I still have my ups and downs, but I’ve never let that stop me, and never will.”
“Leroy Fairbanks III, and Brady Fairbanks were my first coaches in third grade,” said Tayrn. “My ‘splash sister’ Amira LaDuke and I were the only girls playing on a boys team. They always believed in us, and never treated us any different than the boys. They pushed us and made us work hard, even at a young age. They still attend a lot of my games, and both still give me a lot of advice to this day.”
“Kristin Brown was my coach when I started playing on a girls spring/summer team,” said Tayrn. “She is my mom’s lifelong friend, and she still coaches us in a lot of summer tournaments. Kristin, as a past player knows a lot about the game and is always teaching me things when she can. Kristin’s daughter Krisalyn has been my teammate most of my life. As a coach to us Kristin provides a lot of love and support, in a different way than most other coaches do. She still always pushes us to work hard, and to do our best.”
“Michael Reyes was my first high school basketball coach,” said Taryn. “He went against the norm and took the risk of not only bringing me up, but starting me on varsity as a seventh grader. He always believed that I could make things happen on the court. He trusted me, and knew I had the leadership skills before I ever did. He taught me to be a leader on and off the court.”
“When I started my first year coaching the varsity girls program Taryn was in seventh grade,” said Coach Michael Reyes. “As I wanted to change a program around I needed a leader. Taryn started every game and averaged 14 points as a seventh grader and handled the offense 90% (point guard) of the time. If Taryn didn’t miss any games in her seventh and eighth grade year she would have scored her 1000 points as an eighth grader. As a coach a player like Taryn comes along once in a coaching career. She is a true student of the game.”
“Martin Wind is my varsity coach this year,” said Taryn. “Before he was the girls varsity coach, he was the assistant boys coach. Even before he was the girls’ coach, he always encouraged me to put in the extra work. He would invite me to come in early and practice with the boys, and always work on drills to build my skills. He brought that same drive to the girls program, now all the girls are driven to work hard and get better.”
Martin Wind, CLB head girls basketball head coach talked about one of his star athletes: “Taryn is a special player and one of them players that you can watch all the time and still amazes you. She is a true leader on and off the court. She puts the work in the weight room and on the court. She shoots every morning and is still getting better every single day. She has a pure shot, court vision and plays both ends of the court. She doesn’t care about scoring and she only wants to win. She can score no points or 30 as long as we win that’s all she cares about.”
“I remember watching Tayrn in 4th grade with the Leech Lake Lynx and she had basketball sense like a older girl at that age. She takes good care of her health and after a lot of games she is in the ice bath and the next day in the ice bath,” added Coach Martin.
“I’ve had a few other youth coaches, and AAU coaches who have all contributed to who am I as an athlete, I’ve learned a lot from everyone that has taken their time to teach me,” added Taryn.
“I’m in the student council, and I’m currently the secretary,” said Taryn. “I have a 4.0 GPA, and on the A honor roll. My school has chosen me to attend leadership conferences.”
“My accomplishments include being a varsity basketball player and captain since seventh grade,” said Tayrn. “I’ve also been a varsity volleyball player since seventh grade and have played on the varsity golf team. Our basketball team won the Great 5 State Championship at the Target Center in 2019. I scored 1,000 points last year as a freshman and I was First Team All Conference last season.”
Taryn gives advice to other student athletes to be successful on and off the court: “Never give up, and work hard, and it’s not just going to be given to you. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. Be a leader on the court, in the classroom, and the community. Give back when you can. Surround yourself with good people, who believe in you and want to see you succeed.”
Photo Credit: Mindy Utley
