by By Dan Ninham
To be the best you need to compete against the best. To compete against the best you need to travel and travel long distances. To travel long distances you may need to be called the air warrior as well as the road warrior.
This is a story not unlike any other story of an aspiring young basketball player that embarks on the AAU basketball circuit. Pursuing opportunities to play at the college level includes an expectation to be seen on the AAU circuit.
Zalissa Finley, 15, and her family live in Inchelium, WA on the Colville Indian Reservation. The Colville Confederated Tribes is made up of 12 bands and she’s a member of the Lakes Band aka Arrow Lakes or Sinixt.
She is a sophomore basketball player for the Inchelium HS Hornets. She also plays AAU ball for Lady UNITY and the Spokane Stars. Zalissa is also known by the nickname “Z.”
“When I was in kindergarten or first grade, my mom signed me up for city league,” said Zalissa. “This is where I was placed on a team for t-ball and basketball. Due to my dad having me on weekends, I was only able to play a couple games of each though, but I was able to practice a couple times a week for about a month. It was just for fun though. I didn’t start actually getting into basketball until eighth grade. I was doing AAU and high school basketball that year too along with junior high basketball.”
“As a freshman, I started varsity for my high school team and we became the state champions in our division,” said Zalissa. “This was the first state trophy our school has ever won in basketball. There wasn’t even a team that had made it to the championship game before us.”
“This past fall, I played in the Tournament of Champions in Arizona and got First Team All Defense,” said Zalissa. “This was a league that was played over about five or six weekends. I got the All-opponent Award in my high school basketball league as a freshman and we haven’t started basketball yet for this year. I got an all-star award at my first native tournament called the Alvina Dillon Memorial Tournament. I got Ms. Hustle in a co-ed tournament called the Co-Ed Blow-Out Basketball tournament.”
“As native people, especially Lakes people, we have been pushed around in the past but yet we still fight back,” said Zalissa. “I have many obstacles trying to get to practice and games but I still find a way to try and make it to them. My mom works out of town and over an hour away so I have to figure it out sometimes. I think I get that from my people and my community. They’re always there to help me or help my mom figure things out. My community always supports me through fundraising, rides, donations, and places to stay.”
“When my mom was growing up, they didn’t have a lot of money,” said Zalissa. “She still played sports and was good at them. Now she’s working hard every day so my brothers and I have a good life. She is helping me with my goal of playing college basketball, every day. I wouldn’t be where I am without her endless support. She is the person who inspires me the most.”
“My uncle JD is important to me too. When I was younger, he lived with us in Tacoma. He was my father figure growing up. He has always told me that if I need anything to ask him. He is always there for me whenever and wherever I need him. For example, my basketball shoes were a little too small for me but he came to the rescue and got me some new ones and those have been my favorite basketball shoes ever since. He is one person I want to make proud!”
“My uncle Mike has also always been there for me and always donates to my fundraisers,” said Zalissa. “He is also another one of my father figures. He treats me as his own kid. I used to stay with him and his family for weeks at a time. My mom always asks him for advice when it comes to the big situations of my brothers and I. He is another person I want to make proud.”
“My community and supporters are important too,” said Zalissa. “They provide me with so much support. I couldn’t have done many of the things I’ve done in basketball if it wasn’t for them. Our town is small but they sure help each other a lot. They buy shirts we have designed to sell, buy squares on raffle boards, sponsor me in free throw fundraisers, donate prizes, and volunteer to help. Not very many people make it to college on a sports scholarship from my hometown. I want to be one of those people who make it so they can be proud.”
A year ago the world stopped quickly when COVID-19 arrived.
“Our reservation shut down and that meant our one gym shut down due to COVID,” said Zalissa. “We live in a very rural area. My house is about five miles out of town. We don’t even have cell service at our house.”
Athletes prepared differently due to COVID-19. The holistic dimensions of being balanced physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually were achieved to be able to be at peak performance.
Zalissa talked about this balance: “Physically, I shot around on a beat up basketball hoop in our dirt driveway, went to Spokane Stars camps, jogged near our home, and took every chance I could to play or practice – even out of state. I didn’t do very well emotionally. It was hard because the chance to play wasn’t very frequent and mom was really scared of COVID-19 most of the time. Mentally, I’d watch videos when I had cell service or Wi-Fi and try to copy them.”
According to Veronica Allen in her article, The surprising role of childhood trauma in athletic success, in The Conversation (2018, December 9), adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are unfortunately relatively common. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 60 per cent of the population reports at least one ACE.
Veronica Allen stated in her article: “I was surprised to learn that traumatic experiences may have a so-called silver lining in sport. In fact, these findings ran counter to everything I knew about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Abuse, neglect and household dysfunction before the age of 18 increase the risk of several negative health outcomes, including substance abuse, depression and obesity — not ideal ingredients for athletic success, it would seem.”
“Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) and violence against women is real,” said Zalissa. “I’m enrolled Native American and part black. I’ve had a few bad things that happened to me in the past. The most traumatic one is also the reason I push myself to be a better player. It happened a few years ago when my mom and I were victims of domestic violence by my brother’s dad. I had to watch a lot it happen and part of that was seeing my mom’s leg get broken. I had to watch my brothers get taken away from my mom and me by their dad right after he hurt us. My mom got taken out to the hospital and I had to go with my auntie Jackie. My brothers were with the police by this time, because their dad had gotten pulled over and arrested.”
“I had to go to the hospital to get checked out too. Once I got to see my mom, she was sleeping because they put her under to try to place her leg. The nurse had to wake her so I could ask her if I could still play in the basketball tournament the next day on the other side of the state. She said I could go even though I had a big knot on my head from my brothers’ dad,” added Zalissa.
“I had my first game the next day and after that I just cried and cried because I wanted to see my mom and brothers,” said Zalissa. “By the end of the tournament, I had gotten an all-star award. That day made me stronger and helped push me to be the person I am today. It also helped me realize that I could rely on basketball when I am feeling down and could use it as a way to cope with things.”
Uncle Mike talked about his niece: “Zalissa has overcome many hardships in life for someone so young. Basketball became her positive outlet. The game became her sanctuary, the court, her world. Through grit and determination, she continues to push her talents to greater heights. She strives for excellence and pushes those around her to do the same. Because of the lessons learned on and off the court, she will realize great things in life. Her strength is as inspiring as much as it courageous.”
“After everything that happened with my boys’ dad, she was kind of lost,” said mom Kara Finley. “We both were lost, to be honest. We were just going through the motions of life. He had raised her since she was four years old and when he snapped, he hurt us both and we didn’t expect it. She had to go into caregiver mode because I was wheelchair bound for months due to all of the surgeries I had in a short amount of time and being a nursing mom. She became the mom of all of us.”
“I was still wheelchair-bound when she announced, on our way home from her junior high games, that she thinks she wants to play college ball. I was elated but masked my excitement. She hasn’t declared anything remotely close to that before. I asked her why, and she responded that she just wants to do it,” said Kara.
“I told her it’s a lot of work and we talked about the dedication,” said Kara. “She was okay with it. I told her that she’s better than me at her age at that time, but I knew she had a lot to work on. I told her if she’s serious, then we need to get her into AAU. The problem though was that the closest AAU teams were based out of Spokane which is almost two hours from our home which includes a ferry ride. Plus, many have already picked their teams.”
“I had no idea, at that time, how we would swing it. No clue. I was worried about finances and time it would take. Not trying to be selfish, but I have two other kids too and in a wheelchair and not back to work yet. I told her I’d find a way,” added Kara.
“I reached out to Jacolby Simpson,” said Kara. “I knew he coached AAU for a deep rooted AAU team called the Spokane Stars. Our families knew each other so I figured it would be okay to ask. They had already picked their teams, but within days he texted me saying another team was interested. We went into Spokane for a try-out. Within the first quarter of practice, they offered her a spot. She built her story from there.”
“She quickly realized that the girls on her team were wealthy and we weren’t,” said Kara. “She went into fundraising mode. She started babysitting, figuring out fundraisers, and finding ways to earn money. We got thru her first season of AAU and she loved it.”
Zalissa started practicing harder, watching more basketball, training and playing on her own to improve her skills.
“One day a friend of mine messaged me about a post she saw on UNITY’s social media page so I reached out,” said Kara. “We started talking to DeShawn Joseph. Our first attempt at playing with them didn’t pan out but we eventually got on the same page. Lady UNITY has opened so many exposure opportunities for ‘Z’ and she recognized it.”
“One would need to understand the geographic area and the obstacles in our way to understand how bad she wants it,” said Kara. “We live in Inchelium, WA, actually out of town even. I work away from home and long hours. Her basketball is everywhere but where I work. When playing high school ball, she travels to Curlew, Republic, Northport, Spokane, and Wellpinit. All of these places are the opposite directions from Inchelium and where I work.”
“It took commitment by our whole family to make it work. On Friday’s, I’d get off work, drive to her high school games, pick her up and drive her to Spokane for AAU games Saturday morning, then to her high school game on Saturday afternoon in another town hours away, then back to Spokane for practice on Sunday’s. Sometimes, if we could swing it, she would play AAU games in Spokane in morning, go play high school in the afternoon, then back to Spokane for AAU game if it was a tournament,” added Kara.
“Zalissa did and still does everything she can to lessen the burden,” said Kara. “She’d stay awake to try to keep me awake when I was diving, help pack her brothers bags, load the car, arrange for rides, do extra chores, babysit when she’s not in school so it was less money I spent and I could use that money getting her to basketball.”
“She would often apologize because I’d get stressed and upset sometimes because it would get overwhelming. I wasn’t about to give up though because who else is going to help her chase her dream? Not her dad. It was me,” added Kara.
“I love the grit she has,” said Kara. “She’s not your average 15 year old. She’s very mature in her thoughts because I talk to her like an adult and she pulls good grades.”
“I can’t say that she tries to empower others but she does,” said Kara. “She’s empathetic, especially for people who experience trauma. On the way home from one of her games, she explained to me that she was worried about the home life of a kid on her team. She wanted to invite her up. We talked about ways we can help but not overstep our boundaries. Eventually that young woman started spending weekends with us frequently and traveled where we went. She wanted play basketball, so ‘Z’ was adamant about helping her with shoes and playing.”
“I do know people look up to her and are proud of her for her basketball skills and how hard she tries. They see her jogging down the country road, shooting in our driveway, and traveling to tournaments. Her support group begins with her family and community and expands to other states and reservations. Two of my friends kept tabs on her in different stars when I can’t be there with her. Deshawn always makes sure she is taken care of. Her brothers and I cannot afford to travel with her often and she braves the traveling by herself.”
“She lives where very little people go to college for sports,” said Kara. “She wants to be one of the few that make it and does it, from our hometown. She wants to finish college playing sports that even a smaller percentage of people who do. Many people quit and don’t finish out college. She wants to get her degree while playing college ball. I’ve told her repeatedly, that home will always be here and she can always come back.”
“She needs to finish what she starts and college is something she needs to do,” said Kara. “I plan on moving close to where she goes to college so she has a home to go to. I don’t want her getting home sick and giving up. She has a dream, I’ll follow her to the end of the earth to help her achieve it. I’ll do that for all my kids. Considering she only started playing competitively a few years back, I am very happy with the growth she has had. It’ll be my honor, when I see her on the college basketball court.”
“I believe that when ‘Z’ plays basketball, she is able to release from any childhood stress or trauma,” said Mary Ludwig, teacher, volleyball coach and supporter. “She puts everything behind her and is able to focus only on basketball. It is an escape for her, but one that she truly loves. She puts her whole heart and soul into basketball.”
“She has a community and family members that support her in this journey. Her mom is her number one fan and finds ways to fundraise and work long hours, making sure she can travel and attend all her tournaments across the country. Her uncle Mike has stepped in as a father figure to support her dreams. Her mind is set on being the best basketball player that she can be and I know there will be years and years of basketball in her future. There is no limit to what she is capable of or what she can achieve,” added Mary.
“Zalissa is a three-sport athlete” said Mary. “While we all know basketball is where her heart is, don’t let her fool you. She led the varsity volleyball team in kills and blocks and recently hit a home run in softball.”
“The message ‘Z’ is sending out to future athletes is nothing can get in the way of your dreams, and what it takes is love for the game and determination,” added Mary.
“Zalissa has been playing basketball since she was young,” said Lori Stensgar, local supporter. “She always gave 110% on the court. She’s a team player on and off the court. She wants to play college ball. Her love and drive for the game is amazing. I think she pushes herself every game to do better.”
“As soon as Zalissa decided she wanted to play ball she decided on establishing some big goals,” said Chastity Swan, IRMP Coordinator. “She wanted to play college ball. She has been very determined in her work ethic, spending lots of time in the gym with coaches like Chrystal Pakootas who taught her the fundamentals and how to utilize her height.”
“Living in a small town like Inchelium is amazing for the amount of support you receive. It is hard to get the amount of court time and competition you need to make it to the next level,” added Chastity.
“Zalissa put in all the work to fundraise and create her opportunity to play ball in AAU and the Native Tournaments,” said Chastity. “It is a big expense to travel four hours round trip multiple times a week for practice and games but that is what she did. Her mom, family and the community of Inchelium always supported her to make sure she had what she needed to accomplish her goals.”
“Zalissa works hard to be the best basketball player that she can be,” said Uncle JD Finley. “Not just what she does on the basketball court or extra hours of practice, but what she does off the court. Whether it’s doing fundraising to go to tournaments or offsetting her mom’s babysitting cost by watching her two younger brothers. She works hard in school, so that one day she can hopefully go to college and play for a D1 school. She also uses basketball as an outlet from trauma she has endured growing up. She wants to show that no matter what happens to you in your life, you can still achieve your dreams with hard work. She has had a pretty tough life and I appreciate that you are recognizing her hard works.”
DeShawn Joseph, head coach and director of Unity Basketball, talked about one of his rising stars: “Zalissa Finley, the kid that can do it all from a gravel road! When you say sticks! She is the definition of living in them. She has a 6’1 D1 basketball frame with a 6’6 wingspan. Premier defender and shot blocker. She has a mom with a ‘we don’t trust nobody’ mentality. It’s been a true journey to become a part of their lives as outsiders supporting in the manner we have at Unity.”
“I can go on about this amazing human. But I’ll end it with this. Kara, Zalissa’s mom has gone above and beyond to provide as a single mother of three. ‘Z’ has taken on roles as sibling and parent. She even shovels the snow off the roof in the winter months for her family. Just some of the most embracing things you would want in a person who you truly care about. Zalissa is the definition of ‘It takes a village’ to raise our kids. As a father who had never met my own, I try my hardest to create the relationship that would be embracing as a fathers love.”
“We do this for our people!” said DeShawn. “Representing our nations to our best ability!” Photo Credit: DeShawn Joseph
