by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Trinity Bird Horse is a member of the Ihanktowan Nation, known as the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Her Indian name is Kamimína Wašté Wíyan, and it means Good Butterfly Woman. Her parents are Tara Lake and Phillip Bird Horse Jr. and the family lives in Sioux Falls, SD.
Trinity played basketball for Roosevelt High School, Sioux Falls, SD, for three years and Flandreau Indian School her senior year this past season. She played AAU for Omaha Sports Academy for her first two years of off-season basketball and Sacred Hoops 17U for the last two years.
She is a 5’6” guard and considered a versatile and hustle player. She is known to have a high IQ and being a vocal leader on the court. Other characteristics of Trinity include being coachable, having court awareness, passion for the game, being mentally tough, having a strong work ethic, and the constant desire to improve.
Trinity earned the honor of being ‘Miss Defense’ at the Dakota Oyate Challenge Basketball Tournament this year. She also made the ‘All-Tournament Team’ at the Sacred Hoops Classic this year.
“The values of the Oceti Sakowin or Seven Council Fires as my people are a part of, help me always play with heart and keep me disciplined as an athlete,” said Trinity. “I am also being responsible with my decisions off the court like school. Our values remind me that I’m a role model for younger kids as well as an inspiration to them and my community.”
“My dad Phil Bird Horse is a huge reason I am the player I am because he always pushes me to be a better player,” said Trinity. “He seen potential in my game from the beginning because he knows how much I love playing basketball. He always said I’ve had the intangible things like hustle, heart and mental toughness; things that make players standout.”
“My mom is always supportive of basketball and always made sacrifices to make sure I had everything I needed,” said Trinity. “She was at my games on time. She’s always pushing me to be a better student and stay on top of my schoolwork. My mom is always encouraging me to be the best person I can be on and off the court and has always made sure I know my culture by dancing fancy shawl in pow-wows and by making regalia as well as going to ceremony. From a young age she made sure I understood how important it was that I stay on track in life so I can uplift my people and represent my people in all aspects of life.”
Mom Tara Lake talked about her daughter’s leadership: “Trinity is the oldest of now four of our children. Her 13-year old sister Aaliyah passed away on October 21, 2019. It’s been a hard year for our family. Trinity is a light for all of us. She is rooted in culture that keeps her focused and grounded. She has always been an esteemed student making honor rolls and exceeding expectations in all areas. She attributes these gifts to god and being able to practice our culture. She is an amazing role model in the state of South Dakota not just one community.”
“Life for Trinity was not always easy and I think her ability to overcome adversity is reflected in her basketball career. Two years ago she broke her wrist, taped it and kept going. She’s one strong child to say the least. She has been coached in some form since she was three years old. She was a Junior Olympic gymnast until she was 11. Then her focus became basketball taking after her dad. Her dad put the ball in her hand and she fell in love,” added Tara.
“Basketball gave her an outlet for everything,” said Tara. “Bad day basketball, good day basketball, disagreements with a friend basketball, and grief basketball she turns to it and it’s healing for her. I am her mother so I can go all day about what amazing spirit she has. She has a full of heart motivation and drive. She wants to be a leader for our people and the youth and she’s off to an exceptional start.”
“When I started playing, my first coaches who really helped me build the foundations of my game were Dan Walls, who coached my team from Omaha Sports Academy, and Benson Elmore and it made me really fall in love with the game,” said Trinity.
“My coaches Alex Robey and David Maxwell, who is the current men’s basketball coach at the University of South Dakota, helped me become a better player in the beginning of my high school career by helping me improve on my fundamentals and how to be a player my team needed,” said Trinity.
Coach Alex Robey talked about his star athlete: “I had the pleasure of coaching Trinity ‘Trin’ for two years when she played at Roosevelt HS in Sioux Falls. I was both her sophomore and JV coach.”
“Trinity was one of the players I loved seeing everyday. On the floor, I always knew Trin would give me 100%, and do anything I asked of her. This has become a cliché in the world we live in, but with Trinity it’s very true. I do not remember a single practice that she had an ‘off day.’ Even if she wasn’t playing her best, she was always the most vocal and energetic player we had. She was the vocal leader as a sophomore, and set the tone for the entire gym. The varsity group fed off her energy. Her positivity would radiate from player to player. It was not uncommon to come into the locker room at half time or before the game hearing her get her teammates fired up and ready to play,” added Coach Alex.
“Trin was also super dedicated and passionate about our program as a whole,” said Coach Alex. “Nothing shows this more than the fact Trinity played almost half her JV season with a broken wrist. Early in the season Trinity fell at practice, landing awkwardly on one hand. We later found out that she suffered a broken wrist in the fall. She literally taped it up the next practice, and the next games, and you would never even known. Nothing was going to stop her from stepping on the floor and competing her heart out! Her teammates, and even me as a coach fed off her toughness and fiery personality.”
“Off the floor, Trinity was also a leader in the classroom and with her friends. I was a teacher at Roosevelt too and heard many wonderful things from other teachers. She always got her schoolwork done and was able to keep great grades through the years I knew her. She would even make special trips to my classroom just to say ‘Hi’ and hopefully brighten my day. Trinity was never an athlete I would worry about off the floor,” added Coach Alex.
“I also know that Trinity was amazing with her younger siblings,” said Coach Alex. “I was always so impressed with Trinity that she was able to get schoolwork done, help at her own home, and make it to practice and give her heart to the basketball program. As much as I admired her physical toughness on the floor, her mental toughness is what makes Trinity so special.”
“I had the privilege of coaching some amazing athletes over the years, and Trinity is one I will never forget,” said Coach Alex. “She was a player both on and off the floor that coaches wish the whole team was made up of. I know Trinity is going to do amazing things, wherever life takes her!”
“Trinity has as good a work ethic as any player I have ever coached,” said Coach David Maxwell. “She leads by example with her day in and day out competitive spirit. Her energy and intensity are infectious and she raises the level of play of everyone around her. Off the floor, Trinity has a way of connecting with each of her teammates regardless of their background and forming a relationship with them. Trinity’s positive attitude and commitment to doing the right thing even in times of adversity is impressive. I know she will have success in whatever she chooses to pursue as a career because of these things.”
“My AAU basketball Coach Kirk Beebout is the head boys basketball coach at Hamlin High School in South Dakota,” said Trinity. “He encouraged me to use all my skills on the court continue to be a hard worker.”
“Trinity was an integral part of our Sacred Hoops team that went 20-2 and won an AAU championship in Minneapolis last summer,” said Coach Kirk Beebout. “In the championship game she hit several crucial shots in a row in the second half to secure the win but beyond that she was always the first to encourage and support all those around her whether she was in the game or not. She was our vocal leader and her love for the game is infectious to everyone around her and she is the first in the gym and last to leave. She willingly sacrificed for the betterment of team, she played a ‘4’ for us even if it wasn’t her natural position and did all the little things that allowed our team to experience great success.”
“Trin approaches basketball and life the same way. She understands there will be adversity and uses it to make her a better player and more importantly a better person. As a coach, after a decade in the business I was beginning to feel burnt out and was looking for a spark to remind me what coaching is supposed to be all about. The team, with Trin being our inspirational leader, provided that and I will forever be a huge fan of her,” added Coach Kirk.
“My head coach this year at Flandreau Indian School, Thien Ho, allowed me become a leader on the court on a team of girls I had never played with,” said Trinity. “He helped me learn to focus on the details of my game and how to perfect it.”
“Trinity was a senior transfer this last year, it takes a lot of courage to move schools at the end of your HS career,” said Coach Thien Ho. “We were blessed to have Trinity as a part of our program. Her leadership, work ethic and commitment were second to none. Regardless of ups and downs, makes or misses, she was always the hardest worker on the court. Her attitude and effort never let up. Ever.”
“Everyday I make sure I get a run in as well as some at home work outs,” said Trinity. “I also do ball handling drills outside my house and I watch Kobe Bryant’s Details to study situational aspects of the game.”
“From when I was in kindergarten until I was 11, I did competitive gymnastics and really didn’t have an interest in basketball,” said Trinity. “Over time, I just began watching basketball and was always in open gyms while my dad played pick-up games. I decided to quit gymnastics and play basketball after moving from South Dakota to Omaha, Nebraska. My dad would rent out Fletch’s Gym in North Omaha for hours to coach me and I fell in love with the game. I made my first AAU team after 4 months of playing and have been in the gym ever since.”
“For the first three years of high school, I was more of a role player, but having hustle and heart always allowed me to still play up,” said Trinity. “My coaches began giving me more opportunities to show what I can do on the court. The summer going into my senior year, I began AAU practice with Sacred Hoops. My coach Kirk Beebout and 16U coach Thien Ho said they had heard good things about me from my former head coach.”
“Transferring gave me the chance to become a leader on the team,” said Trinity. “ I also played at the Dakota Oyate Challenge and Sacred Hoops Classic. Playing at my old school, I would never have gotten these opportunities. Before this season, I lost my 13-year old sister. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through but I found peace in playing basketball. Playing at FIS was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as far as my basketball career. I found a family in my team and coaches and was surrounded by the support of all the FIS staff and the community.”
“The best advice I can give to a student-athlete is focus on what’s most important for you,” said Trinity. “It’s easy to be distracted and lose sight of your goals especially in high school. As things change in your life, you could feel tempted to stray away from what you really want and life and who you really want to become. Education and sports lead to great opportunities and the last thing anyone wants to do is risk or lose those opportunities by getting involved in negative things. Life is full of drama and negativity but by staying focused on what’s best and most important to you, you can reach your goals and by taking care of yourself, you can uplift the people around you.”
Photo Credit: Jonathan Kelley/MTK Photography
Great story! Trinity is honestly one of my favorite players that I’ve watched over the last 3 years. Trinity and my niece played on Sacred Hoops AAU team and instantly she set the tone to do whatever was needed to help her team win. I got a chance to see her a few times this season at FIS and she is a natural born leader that I will always root for. Way to go Trinity continue being the tremendous leader you are.