by By Dan Ninham
Lakota Woman + Lady Brave = Liane Adams: The journey of an Oglala Sioux athletic youth who dreams to play for D1 and then go above and beyond.
This is the motto of Liane Adams. “My Lakota name is ‘Unpo Wichapi Win’ and translates to ‘Morning Star Woman’,” said Liane Adams. “This name is also my mother’s Lakota name and was given to me to be carried on. My mother is Vanessa Palmier, even though my biological father has never been involved in my life and upbringing, I have had many awesome and athletic father figures; my grandpa Rick ‘Skylab’ Palmier and my uncles Billy, Marky and Richie.”
“I am 16 years old,” said Liane. “I was born in Hawaii but grew up in Rapid City, SD where I currently reside with my mom, stepdad Mike, and 13 siblings, of which I am the oldest girl. I am 6 ft tall and full of potential!”
“I am an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the southwest corner of South Dakota,” said Liane.
“I began to play sports competitively in sixth grade,” said Liane. “I started with volleyball and girls choice, then basketball and track. I continued to compete in all sports until I graduated eigth grade, when I began my freshman year in South Dakota I focused on volleyball and basketball. My sophomore year I transferred to Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, OK. Sadly, there was no volleyball program offered, however the hidden blessing was that this allowed me to focus and work on basketball 100%.
Liane’s hudl highlight video is located here: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/376765/5dc325d1ff01b60ec836c47a
“First and foremost I am positively influenced by my family including my mother, Mike, my grandparents Cleo and Rick, my uncles and my aunties,” said Liane. “I grew up knowing and feeling that it is and always will be family first.”
“My mother was a single mom for a majority of my life,” said Liane. “In those many years when she raised us by herself she worked full time, and went to school for her bachelor’s degree. I learned a lot from her, I witnessed her overcome very difficult and traumatic situations but I also saw with my own eyes in those incidents the lessons of self-respect, self-worth and hard work.”
“I’ve learned many core values from my mother,” said Liane. “She is one strong, beautiful, educated, the most compassionate, very respected and a successful woman! I am who I am because of her. She is fun, gentle and genuine. Just being around her makes you want to be a better person, she is motivational and encouraging.”
“I am a third generation basketball player in my immediate family,” said Liane. “I learned a lot about basketball from my mother and she learned everything she knows from her dad, my grandpa. And I know all native youth will say this but on my ‘rez’ ‘Ball is Life!’. Basketball in my family starts in October and ends in August.”
“As a Lakota youth, I have it in my blood to carry on the strength and wisdom of our ancestors,” said Liane. “I carry their spirits with me everyday in every way, I know their bravery and courage has been passed down within me and I am beyond blessed and honored to come from such a strong Lakota Nation.”
“Coach James Kelley was the first coach I have ever met that was patient with me,” said Liane. “With me coming into a new school, not knowing anyone was scary at first. However, I learned to open up and I began to gain confidence. I mingled in school with my new teammates and then we began to mesh. Coach Kelley has not only taught me more basketball skills but he taught me a way of life, or seeing things from a new perspective. I know I’m not where I want to be yet, but great things take time.”
“Coach Kelley has inspired me by showing the team what you could have if you worked hard enough. He brings examples from his personal life to show us and doesn’t just tell us. I cannot wait to work on myself for him and my team this coming season and show my capabilities and unveil my hidden potential,” added Liane.
“Liane’s height is always a welcomed attribute to any team,” said Coach James Kelley. “Coaches always say ‘you can’t teach height’. In her case, which was a pleasant surprise, she played volleyball so it allowed her to have timing to reach the ball at the height of a shot and block it. That’s a skill she has that’s a huge benefit. With that being said, I learned she hadn’t played for a school team before she reached Riverside. Yes she played, but not for a school team because she played volleyball instead. I was ok with that because it meant she had a clean slate and I could teach her what she needed that would fit her game the best. Once her mindset changed to the process of how basketball is developed, she began to enjoy it a bit more.”
“Having her in the middle is a definite advantage. Her offensive skills improved over the course of the season and she began to score a bit more towards the end of the season as she learned positioning and footwork. You can even see the progression in her highlight video for the year from beginning to end. It was great to see because she would surprise herself sometimes, which was a direct result of work she would put in after practice. I’m excited to get her back with the program and see just how much farther she can go. She has the tools to be a next level player, and with what we have coming back next season, it’s going to be competitive at the post in practice and that is only going to make her better. The sky is the limit for her,” added James.
“My mom, Vanessa Palmier, inspired me the most because we have been through so much together as a family,” said Liane. “I will always acknowledge how mentally strong she is because, I do not think I’ve ever seen her give up. We celebrate the ‘tiny victories,’ those are to help us hold faith. When things get bad, it is important to remain positive. Also, she has pushed me beyond my limits at times because she knows that when I am having a hard time, I just need a little more pushing to finish it out. My mom has inspired me by introducing me to the basketball lifestyle, she showed me how to use my height to my advantage as she was a post during her basketball days too.”
“Physically, I have been trying to stay outside and do work outs,” said Liane. “Coach Kelley sends us conditioning websites, and I have spent time with my friends and family going on either morning runs or evening runs, hiking throughout the day, and playing basketball outdoors when and where allowed.”
“I think I need to work on reacting faster,” said Liane. “I have noticed that it takes me a moment to decide what I want to do with the ball. Either go up or see if my teammates have an open shot. I try to make sure my team has an opportunity to shoot or drive it in. So yes, I would definitely like to work on my reaction time and thinking faster. And also my temper: I need to work on not getting frustrated on the court and somehow using that negative energy in a positive way on the court, something useful.”
“Our Lakota Warriors were very strong-minded and brave,” said Liane. “They think before they act. I want to fulfill those expectations through basketball.”
“Basketball is a way of life,” said Liane. “When the stressors of the world, or school or my social life start to weigh on me, I can use the ball and the court to pray, think or even just talk to mother nature. When I am able to play outdoors with teammates or do a solo shoot around, or when I am on the court during a game, nothing else matters. I can make the ball bounce to the beat of my heart or I can take my frustrations out in a healthy and safe way.”
“In a stressful game situation, I take a moment to breath and I also like to sing ‘some type of love’ by Charlie Puth,” said Liane. “The song is very soothing to me, sometimes I sing it and other times I hum it.”
“I’m trying to work on somehow channeling my negative emotions into positive outcomes,” added Liane.
Photo Credit: Rhonda Freie
