by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Lance Eaglestaff is an enrolled Lakota of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He is from Eagle Butte, SD.
He is in his third season as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School in Eagle Butte, SD.
“I started playing basketball outside my Grandma’s house when I was five years old,” said Lance. “In the third grade, I joined the YMCA Basketball League in Bismarck, ND and have been playing organized basketball since. I started my high school career at Standing Rock High School and transferred to Cheyenne-Eagle Butte my sophomore year. In my three seasons as a Brave, we were a highly competitive team with solid records including winning the Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) in 1996 and making two State Class A Tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999. I was named to the LNI All-Tournament Team in 1998 and also had my career high scoring performance during that tournament with 43 points.”
Lance attended college at the University of Minnesota-Morris and Waldorf University, but transferred to United Tribes Technical College where he played two seasons and earned All-Conference and All -Region.
“I was recruited by Coach Juno Pintar to attend the University of Mary to use the remainder of my eligibility but I declined so I could begin to focus on our family,” said Lance. “I want current high school and college players to know that of all of these accomplishments, I am most proud that I earned a degree from United Tribes which has allowed me to have a career to provide for my family.”
Lance began coaching in 2008 in C-EB’s boys program at the Junior High level. When the opportunity to apply for the head coaching position opened three years ago, he was excited to be selected for the job. In two seasons, the team moved from a losing record (5-16) to a winning season (16-5) that ended in the school’s first appearance in SD’s Round of 16.
“My Uncle Bob Eaglestaff passed away the summer before I entered high school,” said Lance. “At that time, I decided I was going to dance for a full year in the category of men’s’ traditional in his honor, but I also knew it meant I could no longer live a life that included alcohol and drugs. I have been alcohol and drug free since then. I have always believed in our Lakota way of life, but I began to actively learn and practice our teachings when I turned 20.”
“The biggest influence in my life is my Grandma Mugs (Marguerite Eaglestaff), especially what she has taught me in regards to work ethic,” said Lance. “Grandma Mugs is 94 years old and still holds a part-time job. She is up every day at 5 am to work on her daily tasks and on workdays she arrives early and stays late. For years, I have watched my Grandma and it has made me realize that hard work is success in itself.”
“My biggest mentor has been Terry DuPris and his title is C-EB Legend,” said Lance. Terry DuPris was a point guard who scored 2,323 points at C-EBHS and 2,084 at Huron College. He was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.
“When you coach at the high school level, it’s complicated because we want parent and community involvement, but we also do not want that involvement to hinder or negatively impact our team,” said Lance. “This has taught me that I have to believe and execute within my coaching and life skills philosophies, because everyone is going to have opinion and they will share it with you. I know that I have to continuously learn with the game, kids, life skills, etc. but I’ve also learned about who and where to seek out knowledge and advice from.”
Allen Benoist, C-EB Athletic Director, said: “Lance is a past graduate of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School. This is his second year as head boy’s varsity coach. He has plenty of talent to work with. His 2018-19 team finished with a loss in the SoDak 16 playoff game to qualify for the State A tournament. This year’s team under Lances leadership should compete for Region championships. Lance gained valuable coaching experience last season that will help develop his team this year. He is an outstanding role model as a coach and believes in and lives his Lakota culture.”
“Coach Lance is very straightforward,” said former player Cecelio Montgomery, current player on United Tribes basketball team. “He was and still is a good player and I think this helps his coaching performance by being able to lead by example in practice. I like how competitive he is, and I think his competitive energy stemmed out to me and all the other players every practice and game. I look forward to catching a few of their games this season, and he has a few returners from last year that have a lot of heart, effort, and hustle.”
Ray Taken Alive, head boy’s basketball coach at McLaughlin HS, SD, talked about Lance: “He has always been one of those guys that helps anyone in need. Anytime I’ve asked for help he’s always been there for me as a friend and colleague. I remember watching him play when he was younger, and they were really good in high school. He went on to play college ball and got his education. He spent many years as an assistant coach for a very storied and strong program in CEB. As a coach he’s very strong in trusting his players and has strong relationships with them. He also knows how to press the right buttons. I think as a former player, it helps him in being able to understand his guys because he can put himself in their shoes. They really play hard for him.”
“All of that is good stuff but the things I admire most is that his family comes first and he’s really strong in his community,” added Ray.
Photo Credit: Dennis J. Neumann/UNITED TRIBES NEWS and Lance Eaglestaff
