by By Dan Ninham
At the end of the school year there are several student-athletes determined to find a college to attend next year. They know they are going and looking for a door to open up.
Taurice Grant, 18, is from the Dateno, the Meskwaki tribe, and his Indian name is He’zhi’’zhin’ga “a young buffalo” from the Omaha Tribe.
“I’m from Tama, IA,” said Taurice. “I compete for Meskwaki HS. I am a senior in high school.”
“I am part of the Omaha and Meskwaki tribes,” said Taurice.
“As soon as I could walk, I followed my dad and brothers across the world to watch them play basketball,” said Taurice. “I took part in basketball, football, cross country, and track. I made it to state my freshman year for track, made All State second and third team for basketball, Conference MVP for basketball and football, and All Sub-state team for basketball.”
“Being able to persevere through adversity and being able to bounce back,” said Taurice. “Through the late nights of homework and early morning practices and workouts.”
“Garrett ‘Joe’ Bear has impacted me a lot throughout my whole career,” said Taurice. “He is basically the main contributor to my success/drive. He’s taught me more than sports as well, he’s helping me shape into a young man.”
“It’s not one instance, game or one moment that defines Taurice,” said Garrett Bear. “It’s the consistency in what he does day in-and-day out that makes him special. It’s easy to have motivation and be driven for a given amount of time but with Taurice his actions align with his goals. That’s a very important characteristic to have and he has that. He gives his all and strives to do his best in everything he does. Even more importantly is how he goes about it. He does it the right way.”
“Taurice makes coaching fun and easy. His actions and words are what I use to serve as motivation and an example of what a student athlete should be. On the court, off the court, in the classroom, socially and in the community he serves as a role model for kids. It’s been an honor and pleasure to coach Taurice and even more so to watch him grow into a great young man,” added Garrett.
“Tyus and Terrell Grant are my older brothers,” said Taurice. “They set a high bar for me in high school. Ever since I was a freshman, I told myself that I would break every record they put up. As time passed and their records being replaced by me, I set new goals to do something no one has ever done before.”
“He is turning into a great young man,” said Terrell Grant. “It’s been fun watching him grow and challenging him to be the best he can be. Growing up our older brother and I didn’t cut him any slack while playing sports because we knew it’d help in the long run and sure enough he has exceeded his expectations and set a new bar for kids in the community. It amazes me how big his support group is within the school and his friends. As much as they want him to succeed he wants the people around him to do even better.”
“It is always ‘We’ and never ‘Me’ when it comes to this young man. He’s battled so many injuries and I think it has taught him patience and perseverance to get him through anything that gets in his way. The sky is the limit and he’s definitely on the right track to continue to do great things,” added Terrell.
Desmond Kapayou is Taurice’ and his brother’s cousin. They consider him their brother. At a young age he was in an accident and as a result has a disability.
“My little brother Desmond Kapayou is my source of motivation,” said Taurice. “Everything I do is to make him proud and happy, because I know he’d do anything to be in my shoes. Desmond is a true example of being a warrior. I’ve only ever saw him miss practice a few times throughout our whole career. Even though he can’t do a lot, he still puts in work. That’s my guy.”
“Before the accident, he was way better than me at everything we did, he was a monster,” said Taurice. “Ever since then, he’s been at every football, basketball, and track practice. When he would be gone, you would notice right away. His energy is unmatched and I know he would do anything in the world to change things, but he’s always making the best out of his situation.”
Taurice talked about what he did during the pandemic: “Working out in the morning at 6 am either at the Wellness Center or the YMCA. Going to the field to work on routes, footwork, and my hands. Getting to the gym when I can to play basketball. Focusing on my body a lot during this time with constant stretching, eating right, drinking a lot of water, and staying fit.”
Taurice has goals after high school: “I want to go to college and play basketball somewhere. I’m still figuring out where. I want to become a physical therapist.”Photo Credit: Kiyanna Pushetonequa
