by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Treysey DuBray, 18, is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. His parents are Michael and Kateri Murphy and they live near Porcupine, North Dakota.
Treysey is a senior at Standing Rock Community HS, ND. This past season he played football, basketball, and would’ve been in track. He was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year his junior year, and the Most Dedicated his freshman year.
“The tribal core values that define me as a student-athlete are I play for my family,” said Treysey. “I hope basketball takes me places that will help my family and I to where I can help them live a better life and make them proud of me. I’m doing everything in school to the best of my ability so that I can get the best grades to help me get into a better college whether it is through a sport or knowledge scholarship.”
“Wisdom is also a very important value and I try to the best of my ability show my teammates how certain things are in the game whether it is on offense or defense. In school I try to teach some people different ways of doing things in certain subjects,” added Treysey.
“There are people who have influenced me to be a competitive athlete,” said Treysey. “Rhias Archambault always showed me ways to be a better shooter and a better dribbler. He always showed me things to do when I’m in the gym with shooting or ball handling and he always played me one-on-one in practice or at open gym. He told me this will only make us better and it did and I thank him very much for showing me things I still do to this day.”
“Coach Cyril or ‘Chuck’ Archambault helped me understand what it took to be great and the grit and grind on how to work as an athlete,” said Treysey. “He never gave up on me as an athlete.”
“I first encountered Treysey when he was in grade school,” said Chuck Archambault. “I coached him then and Treysey always wanted to learn. He gave his all even in grade school. I started coaching at the high school level when he entered his junior high level. Once Treysey got to high school his work ethic and will to learn showed more than ever. Treysey would put in work whether we had practice or not. Freshman year he worked his way all season to a spot on the varsity team. He definitely was a firecracker. It didn’t matter if he was seeing the floor for 20 seconds he gave his all. As the years progressed so did Treysey and he never doubted his ability.”
“Treysey became a crucial part of our team his sophomore season. We could always count on his hard work and his tenacious defensive effort in the heat of the game. He again gave us every bit of energy he could on the court. Our teams were always focused on respect and leadership. We were a family. Treysey always fulfilled his commitment to the team and more. He helped where needed whether it was giving the whole team a ride in his car taking two to three trips for practice or tutoring the boys in math, or helping a player in need. He always was willing to help,” added Chuck.
“Tresey was definitely a team as family player,” said Chuck. “He was the kind of kid every coach loved to have on his team. Never a bad word left his mouth and always uplifting everyone’s spirit if they were down. In fact, he was so happy one time in district play the ref’s didn’t know how he was and they gave him a technical foul. The ref told us to calm him down and we told the ref that he’s not being a smart butt and he’s just always that happy. The ref chuckled a bit and said ‘whoops’. He’s lucky we were up by a good margin or I would have caught a technical too.”
“Ghavin Willard is a former teammate of mine who was the living definition of defense, hard work and dedication,” said Treysey. “He taught me how to get around screens, take charges, and how to be a leader on offense or defense.”
The four holistic concept of wellness are physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health. “The training plan I am doing to maximize my performance before the Covid-19 pandemic was going to the weight room and going to gym and work on my game. Now with the coronavirus going on I do push-ups, sit-ups, and planks and when the weather is good outside I shoot with my hoop outside. With mental emotions I keep a cool head, listen to music before a game, and get into a state of mind of wanting to win. How I connect spiritually with this sport is I’m always fighting to win no matter the consequence or outcome of the game. Emotional is the one I find pride in most I’m always showing my emotions when I get on the court or I’m on the bench when my teammates make a great play I’m always cheering for them, or when I make a good play I always display my emotions.”
Photo Credit: Desiree Condon Photography
