by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
The United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) recently defeated Dakota College at Bottineau 73-67. Sophomore Karissa DuShane scored 13 points on 6-9 shooting. She contributed to the win with her scoring and defense.
Karissa DuShane is a 5’5, basketball player at United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, ND. She is a Crow tribal member. Her parents are Kidd and Athalia Morrison and her biological father is Christopher Shane. They are also Crow tribal members. Karissa lives in Pryor, Montana with her grandparents Harry and Maggie Roackabove. Her Indian name is Many Riding Horses (A-LA-GA-NAY-AHOOSH).
“My core values are to show respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and leadership,” said Karissa. “It helped make me the person I am today, for development, making good choices in all aspects of life and reflecting the meaning of competition.”
“The people who influenced me as an athlete was my coach from high school Cindy Farmer, my mother Athalia Morrison, my grandpa Harry RockAbove, and Coach Kelsey Peltier from UTTC”, said Karissa.
High school coach Cindy Farmer said: “Karissa’s leadership ability was vital to the overall success of our team. We finished 2nd at ‘State’ two years in a row when Karissa was a junior and senior. Her strong leadership provided a sense of direction in obtaining our goals as a team. I relied on her, as a coach, in clutch situations. I knew she would make the right decisions in the right moments. When she was a senior she hit a clutch 3-pointer to send us to double overtime against Billings Central HS. She wanted to take the last shot, had the confidence and nailed it. We ended up winning the game and advanced to ‘State’.”
“Karissa always motivated her team, had a strong work ethic and simply made her teammates better. She was fearless, on and off the court. She pushed herself and her teammates to excel on the court and the classroom,” added Coach Cindy.
“Karissa Michelle DuShane was about nine months old when she started playing around with a basketball,” said mom Athalia Morrison. “She would sit in front of the TV watching the NBA games that were playing. Karissa has always been active and outgoing. She started playing in basketball tournaments in 4th grade and still plays. She would be at the courts everyday, even when it was still dark she didn’t let anything stop her from playing her game. Karissa would play against the boys. She knew what she had to do on the court by putting in work. I told her don’t talk back to anyone but listen and pay attention, and you will be unstoppable. Karissa is coachable, always encouraging her teammates. She’s a great role model to her younger siblings and other boys and girls who aren’t siblings, and when Karissa is at the courts she has time for all the kids who are wanting to play the game and wanting to learn from her.”
“When Karissa comes home for break she still puts in the time and heads over to her old high school were she practices with the high schoolers. Karissa is kind-hearted, her father was an alcoholic and you can tell that it would upset her that he wasn’t there at her games but she never showed anyone her sadness and still played tough, always smiling. She has the support from my father Harry Rock Above, whom she calls dad, my husband Benito A ‘Kidd’ Morrison and I. As her mom I would be blunt and straightforward with her but she knows I love her. I’m very proud of her, and she is doing good things. With God all things are possible I tell her,” added Athalia.
“Karissa played ball since first grade,” said grandpa Harry RockAbove. “She was always impressed by her basketball ability. She has never wavered to her dedication to basketball. Every team that she’s been on she has improved the team. She has improved her team.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone more competitive than Karissa,” said Coach Kelsey Peltier of UTTC. “Her will and fight to outlast and compete every minute is the power behind our defense. She leads by example and a lot of her teammates would say she fires them up when we get going. This year, I have asked Karissa to not only step up as a leader on the court but in the classroom. She’s doing great at staying on top of her schoolwork, while juggling the schedule of a college athlete. She sets the bar high for our future captains of United Tribes Women’s Basketball.”
“I am a Crow tribal member playing at the college level,” said Karissa. “It wasn’t easy leaving home but to further my education and to play the sport I love I did. Through everything it was still hard but with the support of my family and teammates who now I call family it was easier.”
In high school, Karissa was named the most outstanding player, most inspirational player, 1st team all Conference and all star, 2nd Team Class ‘A’ All Conference two years in a row, and honorable mention All State Class ‘A’.
Karissa encourages other student-athletes to be successful on and off the court. “Focus on your academics and put extra work to become a better ball player,” she said.
