by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Tori DePerry scored 12 points last Saturday helping lead her Saginaw Valley State University Cardinal’s to a narrow 75-72 victory over Davenport University. The team record stands at 12-13 overall and 8-9 in the NCAA DII Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Tori DePerry is a 5’11, freshman basketball player at Saginaw Valley State University. She is Stockbridge and Chippewa. Her dad’s name is Jeff DePerry and he is Chippewa. Her mom’s name is Tanya Miller and she is Stockbridge.
“I always want to represent my tribe on and off the court,” said Tori. “I love getting the question what ethnicity I am because I am very proud to be Native American. I play basketball for all those who never got the chance in my tribe and I love accomplishing things to show my tribes that we can be successful in anything we set our mind to.”
“Coach Ryan Koenig, my high school basketball coach at Shawano Community HS in Wisconsin, positively influenced me by creating the player I am today,” said Tori.
“Tori was a 4 year varsity player for Shawano and I observed her mature and develop into a leader on and off the court and continue to see her development now that she is in college when we talk,” said Coach Ryan. “After her freshman year we had a conversation about her future plans and she stated she wanted to be a scholarship basketball player. Over the next three years she worked very hard to make that happen and her work ethic made her a leader for our team as the other players respected her efforts in and out of season. She is a very determined individual and I look forward to following her college career and seeing the strides she makes just as she did in high school.”
“Coach Hacker, my AAU coach, influenced me by contacting other coaches and having them come to watch our games so he can show them my potential.”
“My dad Jeff always comes to my games,” said Tori. “He is the biggest supporter and we had late nights in the gyms.”
“As the youngest of four children, Tori had numerous opportunities to ‘follow the lead’ set forth by her older siblings, but at a young age she decided to choose her own path…her own way,” said dad Jeff DePerry. “Playing college basketball has always been her goal. It was her goal not only because she loved the game, but because she wanted to help her family and the financial burden that can sometimes occur with college. She stated this as early as 3rd grade. That determination and maturity is what stands out.”
“Tori is the epitome of a leader. First one to gym and last one to leave and leaders lead in different ways. Motivate, encourage, cheerlead, challenging someone, or lead by example, but characteristic of leadership that really sticks out with me about Tori, is that on just about every team she had ever played on, she has been the loudest and the most vocal. Leading every huddle, every cheer, and going crazy on the bench when a teammate does something good,” added Jeff.
“The true sign of a great teammate to me is selflessness,” said Jeff. “When the feeling you get after someone else does something great far exceeds your own personal accomplishments and feats then you are a true leader.”
“Same as my dad, my mom Tanya is such a big support system,” said Tori. “They are both always supporting my dreams no matter how far away I am.”
“Tori has been playing basketball since the first grade,” said mom Tanya Miller. “The love for the game became apparent early on as by the time she was in middle school she already started talking about wanting to play in college. I always encouraged her to do her best in whatever activity she was doing. Yes Tori is a great basketball player but she is a very intelligent and caring individual that will always give 100%.”
“I believe in positive words to encourage her to do well on a test or in a game. I send text messages to Tori wishing her good luck, to play your heart out and never give up. I let Tori know how proud I am of her on and off the court. She is positive influence to others as she does awesome in school and on the court. She will succeed and make all her dreams come true because of her drive and determination to be the best at everything she does,” added Tanya.
“Through the good and the bad she knows she can always count on me to be there for her,” said Tanya. “If she does bad on a test or in a game, I let her know to move on as it is a learning experience.”
“I have the commitment to play collegiate basketball,” said Tori. “Being from a small town and especially being Native American, the odds aren’t really in your favor to go on in life and do something you’ve always dreamed about doing. I am living proof that hard work can really bring great opportunities to light.”
“I was a very good student athlete in high school having a 3.7 GPA and being in high honor roll every semester, as well as National Honor Society,” said Tori. “In college my first semester here at SVSU I received a 3.2 GPA.”
“Advice I give other student athletes is that you have to really love what you do,” said Tori. “You can’t just like it a lot or want to do it. You got to love it. It’s so much hard work and determination day in and day out. Whether it is the hard workouts, the long practices, the long bus trips, study tables every day, or tutors. It’s a grind that you have to be ready for and take it head on. But anything is possible as long as you stick to it and it’ll all be worth it.”
Photo Credit: Saginaw Valley State University Athletics and Tori DePerry
Congratulations
So proud of your commitment to succeed Tori. I note that it seems more and more Native youth are making college teams. Wouldn’t it be something if you all made it to WNBA. We wouldn’t know who to cheer for! LOL