by (Note: Story republished with permission from the Yakama Native Review. All Rights Reserved)
By RYAN CRAIG, KYNR News
YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima Valley College Yaks men’s basketball team features four players with tribal ties and affiliations.
Twin brothers and Yakama Nation Tribal School graduates and Quinault tribal members Bryan and Bryce Strom, Yakama tribal member Quentin Raynor and La Jolla Band of Luiseno tribal member Marjon Beauchamp are all making impacts and helping the junior college team achieve success during the shortened season.
“It’s really fun, playing with my brother, and Marjon, my day-one,” said freshman guard Bryan Strom.
The Strom brothers have known and played with Beauchamp since their elementary school days in AAU and Indian tournaments throughout the region.
“It’s been a great learning experience,” said Bryan Strom. “Adjusting to the junior college level of play has been a learning experience.”
It’s just a whole different style of play,”said Bryce Strom when asked about the transition from high school basketball to the college level.
“The schooling is more difficult too,” he said. “Especially online. Staying engaged and keeping up with hard classes.”
For Yakama tribal member Quentin Raynor, his path to be back on the YVC basketball team took a different route than that of the Strom brothers or Beauchamp.
Raynor, who grew up in Vancouver, Wash., returned to the program after a 2-year layoff to improve his strength and conditioning. During this season, Raynor has been a consistent starter on the team and one of the league’s best outside shooters.
He said he stays motivated when family calls and texts him after each game after watching him online.
“They always call me and text me after each game,” said Raynor. “It helps me.”
Marjon Beauchamp is a 6’7” guard from Yakima. He spent 3 of his high school years attending school and playing basketball in Seattle. Beauchamp was ranked #40 in the nation by ESPN for their 2020 class of all high school players. While Beauchamp received interest from colleges throughout the country, he is happy his path brought him to YVC for the time being.
“It’s another route,” said Beauchamp, “different from everyone. I didn’t go straight to D1 but God has a plan for me and I trust it.”
While playing in the shortened season, Beauchamp has at times looked dominant versus other Northwest Athletic Conference defenders. On June 1st, the freshman scored 50 points in an overtime loss for the Yaks. Beauchamp said it took countless hours in the gym working and crafting his game to get to where he is now.
“It didn’t just come,” he said. “I sacrificed a lot. I sacrificed being a kid for basketball,”
photo by Ryan Craig
