by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“Kamber Good Luck is a silent leader and leads by example,” said Cindy Farmer, head varsity girls’ basketball coach at Hardin HS, MT. “Her dedication and discipline are on display on the court and in the classroom. She cuts no corners in her preparation during the off-season.”
Kamber Good Luck, 15, is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation (Crow) and a member of the Sore Lip clan and a child of the Big Lodge clan.
“My Indian name is ‘Akbalaxbiaitche’ (Pretty Woman Singer), given to me by my Great-Grandmother, Janice Wilson,” said Kamber. “My parents are Tristan and Sarah Good Luck and we live in Hardin, MT.”
“Throughout my life, I’ve competed in barrel racing, basketball and cross country,” said Kamber. “I mainly run cross country to stay in shape, but I love barrel racing and basketball. Lately basketball has most, if not all, of my attention.”
“I am a sophomore at Hardin High School. My accomplishments in basketball are:
- Knights of Columbus Free Throw District & State Champion at the ages of 9, 10, 11 and 12;
- Knights of Columbus Free Throw National Champion at the ages of 11 & 12;
- Freshman Year: Eastern A Second Team All Conference, Class A Girls Basketball State Runner-up, and selected as the Lady Bulldogs Most Improved Player; and,
- Sophomore Year: Eastern A Second Team All Conference in Basketball, and Class A Girls Basketball State Co-Champions.
“She qualified for the state competition and won,” said dad Tristan Good Luck. “She got a big trophy and was pretty happy with it. Her teacher Mr. Joyce told us that she was close to winning the National Title and lost by one free throw. He said that only one person from here won that title and it was her relative, Darnell Lefthand. So she told me ‘Dad, I want to win it.’ So we would go to the gym and shoot free throws. We would use two basketballs and she would shoot and shoot. Every shot was the same. She would go outside at night and shoot. We had a good dog that would keep an eye on her. She was determined and ready.”
“My parents taught me the importance of respecting my elders, showing respect for adults and listening when they advise me,” said Kamber. “I was taught not to be mouthy or talk back. When it comes to sports, they tell me it is important to be a coachable player and to have a good attitude. No matter what sport I am participating in, my parents stress the importance of being respectful and listening to my coaches.”
“My parents and grandparents taught me to always be humble in everything I do, and to always give all the glory to God even if I did good or bad. I will forever be thankful for that. The values that I was taught about being ‘Apsaalooke’ are to respect others, myself, and my elders, and to always stay humble. These values have helped me to be a coachable student-athlete,” added Kamber.
“My biggest influence would be my dad,” said Kamber. “He’s always working with me and my siblings on how to improve in everything we do. He has taught me that there is always room for improvement no matter what. When I was six years old, my dad signed me up for the YMCA basketball league in Billings and I’ve been hooked ever since. When I was nine years old, he entered my cousin Ivery and me in a fifth and sixth grade team tournament. After a few tough losses, I told my dad I wanted a traveling team like my brother. My dad made it happen and this was the beginning of the Crow Cowgirls. My dad also records all my games. I appreciate him recording my games because I can watch them as soon as I get home and we can talk about what I need to work on and what I did well. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without the help and guidance of my dad.”
Dad Tristan recalled Kamber’s high school main opponents. He said: “In her freshman year of high school, the memorable games would be against Laurel, Havre, including all three State tournament games against Browning, Billings Central and Havre again. I remember seeing Kamber and fellow freshmen Cowgirls, Breanna and Kylee Old Elk, lined up for the team introductions. I thought to myself that a year ago these girls were playing in small gyms with only parents in the stands to now a full event center. It was a surreal moment. They lost the state title game, but gained experience.”
“This year was Kamber’s sophomore season. The team had one loss in the regular season. She was determined to make another State Championship appearance. I remember at the State Semi-final game they were playing Park HS. This was the last game of the night. Just before the starting lineups the PA read a statement from MHSA stating there were two confirmed COVID-19 cases and they had no choice but to end the tournament. They also said the winner of tonight’s game will be crowned Co-State Champions with the earlier winner Billings Central. The Lady Bulldogs came out victorious and won the crown. This was a proud moment,” added Tristan.
“My brother Peyton has always had a big influence on me, and he has been my driving force, he is who I measure myself against,” said Kamber. “Ever since I can remember, I wanted to do everything he did and be just as good as him. He’d never give me chances when we played in our driveway. At first I didn’t like it and I would run in the house crying to tell my parents that he was blocking me and not giving me a chance. My parents told me not to play with him if I didn’t like it, but I wanted to play so I just put up with it.”
“Peyton had a traveling team called ‘The Bulls’, so I had to have a traveling team as well. Playing with and against him and my cousins Jaxon, Trae, Ivery and the rest of the Bulls helped me improve and gave me the confidence to play against boys and girls who were older than me. In 2018, during my eighth grade year, my brothers and the Bulldogs made it to the State Championship game and won the State Title. After being in that atmosphere and seeing the intensity of the game, I knew I wanted the same thing. During that moment, my Cowgirls/Lady Bulldog teammate, Breanna Old Elk, said, ‘we can do this too!’ My brother tells me what I need to work on, how to prepare mentally and physically and that I am capable of more,” added Kamber.
“I played Kamber all the time,” said big brother Peyton Good Luck. “I never took it easy on her. This helped with her toughness. I enjoyed blocking her shots.”
“Shooting is Kamber’s best asset. She’s also fast. The tempo changes when she brings up the ball,” added Peyton.
“Kamber played on co-ed teams with me,” said Peyton. “Being a typical big brother, at the time I did not want her on my team but I can see now how it has helped her in her game.”
“The girls didn’t have jerseys so we borrowed my wife’s old basketball jerseys,” said Tristan. “On the jersey said ‘Cowgirls’. We entered the team ‘Crow Cowgirls’. Kamber was small for her age, so when she had to play up from third to sixth grade, it was a challenge. During one of her games, I noticed a ref walked up to her and was talking to her, and Kamber wrinkled her nose and smiled with a response. After the game I asked Kamber, ‘what did the ref say to you?’ Kamber responded, ‘she said how old are you?’ In the sixth grade tournaments the girls would get beat pretty bad by other travel teams, this was new for her versus playing with her brothers’ team where they did a lot of winning and collecting jackets, trophies and medals. She wanted to win.”
“My uncle Justin Huggs had a positive influence on me as a young competitor because he gave me the opportunity to prove myself by allowing me to play with the older boys and girls,” said Kamber. “He would encourage me and wasn’t afraid to put me in the game. When I was about seven years old, he would enter me in Co-Ed tournaments with my older brothers’ team. We were always competing for championships. He would tell the boys to look for me when I was open, and he always wanted me to score every game. It was a good learning experience and was a challenge for me.”
Uncle Justin said: “Kamber grew up with a ball in her hand and riding horses. When she was young she would always be in the gym and competing against her and playing with her older brothers travel team. She played on our coed travel team. She was always hustling on court giving it 110% and she was all over the court.”
“I’ve been playing with Mecklen Davis’ AAU travel teams since sixth grade,” said Kamber. “I’ve played with him in tournaments and showcases throughout the nation. He gave me the opportunity to play against the best girls in the nation alongside some of the best players in the state of Montana such as Joelnell Momberg, L’Tia Lawrence and Marie Five.”
“Kamber Good Luck is one of the nicest young athletes that I gave ever had a chance to coach,” said Mecklen Davis. “The first time I met her was when she was in fifth grade. I was training a small group of girls at the elementary school in Crow Agency and Kamber was one of the girls. Kamber was very shy and did not say a word the whole session. What I did take away from that session was that she could shoot the lights out and had an awesome smile.”
“Over the years I have watched Kamber grow from a shy fifth grader to a confident young student athlete. She has played us for quite a few summers with this past summer being her breakout season. In the winter of 2019, I went to watch her play in a league in Belgrade, Montana. When I got there she had worked her way into the starting lineup as a freshman. She played a phenomenal game and help lead her team to a two point victory,” added Mecklen.
“Last summer in one of our major AAU tournaments in Spokane we were playing a big game on the main court in front of college scouts from Montana and Washington. The team we were playing against was also from Montana and had a few girls that had committed to play college ball on it. For most of the game we were ahead before our lead was cut to just two points with a little over three minutes to play. Kamber hit two huge back-to-back threes. The first three she caught in transition five feet behind the arc and let it fly! We then got a steal and hit Kamber streaking up the wing in the same spot that she shot the previous one and she cashed that out to. Those buckets were the nail in the coffin,” added Mecklen.
“Kamber is a highly intelligent athlete that does not waste motion,” said Mecklen. “She is deceptive and athletic which makes her tough to guard. Behind her awesome smile is a mean steak that she brings into the court that becomes contagious, especially when she hits momentum ‘threes’ that help propel or cap of some of the runs we go on in games. Her father Tristan has be a key driving force in her success on and off the court. Kamber has solidified herself as our shooter in our class of 2022 girls.”
“I met Coach Farmer the summer after my seventh grade year when she asked me to play with the junior varsity team in summer team camps,” said Kamber. “The following summer, she gave me the opportunity to play with the junior varsity and varsity teams. At the start of my freshman year, I played half junior varsity and half varsity. Halfway through the season, Coach Farmer gave me the opportunity to start, which was against the #1 team in the conference at the time, the Laurel HS Locomotives. During the warmups, I remember it was a packed gym and I looked over at Ivery and she said, ‘Kamber, you better get hot!’ With the confidence that Coach Farmer and Ivery had in me, I finished the game with five 3-pointers and we defeated the undefeated Locomotives.”
“Coach Farmer has always had confidence in me and encourages me to keep shooting. She gave me the opportunity to compete in the state tournament and the title game as a freshman. She had enough confidence in me to start me as a freshman on a deep team. What I like about Coach Farmer’s coaching style is the pressure defense and being able to push the ball along with controlling the tempo of the game. We both share the same competitive drive for championships,” added Kamber.
“Kamber proved as a young freshman that she deserved to be starting on the varsity team,” said Cindy Farmer, head varsity girls’ basketball coach of the Hardin Lady Bulldogs. “In her first start as freshman she showed no fear and played with confidence making six – three pointers. She continued to excel and as a sophomore taking on another dimension by driving to the basket and finishing strong. She is able to absorb contact and play through it. This along with her three-point field goal shooting ability earned her Second Team all conference honors this season and her team co-state champions.
“My Great-Grandpa Larry Pretty Weasel’s legacy is important to me,” said Kamber. “I am very proud to be his granddaughter. He is always giving me tips on shooting and teasing me when I miss my layups and free throws. I could have a 20-point game and he would still say ‘you would’ve had a better game if you made all your layups’. When I was little, my brother and I read some articles from his high school career. I remember being so amazed and fascinated by the articles. I am very fortunate that he and my Great-Grandma Agnes can attend my games along with my paternal great-grandparents.”
Larry Pretty Weasel, 81, is considered ‘the legend’ arguably bar none in eastern Montana basketball. This is the elitist title in a country that has been one of the native high school basketball hotbeds in the world. Hardin HS played in the 1957 Class ‘A’ state tournament, and Larry averaged 32 points per game including a 48 point effort in the third-place game. The 5-10 Pretty Weasel could shoot both left and right handed and get rebounds off the rim. He had 50 points in the East-West Shrine all-star game. This was all before the three-point line that came to be 25-years later.
“I tell Kamber she can only be good as she wants to practice being good,” said great-grandpa Larry Pretty Weasel. “There is no substitute for practice. Kamber is a very good shooter. She surprises me sometimes. She scores from three to four feet behind the three-point line and she makes three, four and five shots in a game.”
“Curt Bad Bear is my paternal uncle as well as one of my maternal grandfathers and has been a mentor to me since I started playing basketball with his daughter Kola Bad Bear,” said Kamber. “He gives me words of advice on my health, basketball and life. He tells me what to expect at the next level of basketball.”
“Kamber was nine years old when I had her play with my girls team at the Ft. Hall, Idaho, 14U tournament,” said Curt Bad Bear. “Her dad Tristan took a team for 11U at the time. I told him that we will suit her up.”
“At 13 years old, girls are getting teenage tests about clothes and looks. I wanted to teach my girls a lesson to be looking after younger athletes. Kamber was a nine year old kid with a big smile whenever you looked at her and just having fun on the court. Kamber would play couple of minutes here and there. I would make sure the girls screen to shoot.
Our girls won the tournament and Kamber was two-for-six in the championship game. She always had a big smile and ready to play. This is my lesson for the teenage girls before high school to look after the upcoming players and see the big smile of having fun Kamber showed,” added Curt.
“Kamber’s grandfathers are my uncles on both sides,” said Curt. “Larry Pretty Weasel is my mom’s brother and Tex Good Luck is my uncle on my dad’s side. LT Hugs, Kamber’s grandfather, is related to me n my wife. Her grandfather’s and great grandfather are very good basketball players. Kamber and Kola Bad Bear, basketball player at Montana State University, look alike the most. We say Kola’s mini me is Kamber.”
“Kamber has worked to have fun on court. I counted on her to make shots at nine years old, now she is still counted on to make shots for the Hardin Lady Bulldogs,” added Curt.
“I have a big family and they are very supportive of me, especially my paternal grandparents Tex and Coty Good Luck and maternal grandparents Leo and Tammie Hugs,” said Kamber. “They have always been there, making sure that I have what I need, praying for me and giving me advice.”
“My favorite professional sports figures are Skylar Diggins and JJ Redick,” said Kamber. “What I like about Skylar Diggins is she plays aggressive defense, she can handle the ball and she has great court vision. She is also a great team leader.”
“I modeled my shot after JJ Redick. I watched a lot of YouTube videos of him when he played at Duke. I admire JJ’s confidence from the 3-point line and free throw line but what I take pride in is being able to shoot the deep 3 like he does,” added Kamber.
“I am working to improve my ball handling, strength, endurance, footwork and finishing at the rim consistently,” said Kamber.
“I want to improve my decision making when it comes to playing defense,” said Kamber. “There were times I found myself in foul trouble because I was a little too aggressive. With the seniors being gone, I also want to work on my leadership skills by being more vocal and communicating.”
“My relationship with God is important to me,” said Kamber. “Before every game or workout, I pray for protection over myself and everyone around me. I thank him for blessing me with the ability to play.”
“Every game I play, I have to have that ‘next play’ mentality and to have a short memory when it comes to my mistakes,” said Kamber. “This helps me in stressful game situations. I know my teammates are counting on me because I’m part of a unit. It’s a slippery slope to worry about your mistakes.”
“During this pandemic I’ve been doing my homework online which is a bit awkward for me,” said Kamber. “I’m working out in the house and shooting around outside in my backyard. I’m following the guidelines of this pandemic by staying home. The only time I leave my house is to go in the sweat lodge or to Gas Cap Hill to run hills.”
“Loss has given me a different perspective on life,” said Kamber. “The beginning of my seventh grade year I lost my cousin Courtney Little Nest who was my teammate and classmate since second grade. She was on my Crow Cowgirls team and we won numerous championships together. She was one of our starters and after that happened we decided to dedicate our season to her and start with four players because we could not replace her in the starting line up. This was a hard thing but we as a team were there for each other and still are. We planned on going to the same high school so we could win a State Title. Now when I play I use her as motivation.”
“One of the challenges that I had to deal with is the loss of my paternal Grandfather Ronnie Stewart, he passed away two days after we were crowned Class A State Co-Champions,” said Kamber.
“If I could share anything I’ve learned to other kids, I would tell them, no matter the circumstances, choose to have a positive mindset, stay on that grind with schoolwork and your sport,” said Kamber.
Photo Credit: Tommy B. Robinson
