Published on January 9, 2012 by Casey
Rezball
Rezball
Rezball, short for reservation ball, is the term used to describe the avid Native American following of basketball and in some areas the style of play of their Native American teams.
Style of Play
Rezball is transition-based basketball that forces tempo with aggressive play, quick scoring (or at least shooting) and assertive defense that looks to force turnovers through pressing or half-court traps. There are slight variations from program to program. Keys to a good rezball offense are sound fundamentals and being in very good condition.
Following
The Apache and Navajo tribes in northeastern Arizona and northwesthern New Mexico are home to several high schools. In these areas basketball reigns supreme, and towns come to a standstill during basketball season. In Arizona, 3 of the top six largest crowds at a boys’ basketball game are rezball games (regardless of school size), with the second highest ever being a game between an Apache powerhouse and a Navajo powerhouse.
- 1. 16,010 Phoenix Shadow Mountain 81, Tempe Corona del Sol 56 1996 (America West Arena, Phoenix)
- 2. 16,010 Tuba City 66, Whiteriver Alchesay 60 2000 (America West Arena, Phoenix)
- 3. 15,379 Phoenix Shadow Mountain 79, Centrallia, Illinois 76 1995 (Kiel Center, St. Louis)
- 4. 14,270 Tuba City 69, Coolidge 57 2001 (America West Arena, Phoenix)
- 5. 14,219 Tuba City 65, Winslow 62 2001 (America West Arena, Phoenix)
- 6. 14,123 Tempe McClintock 71, Phoenix Brophy Prep 67 1986 (ASU Activity Center, Tempe)
Also the top three largest crowds for a girls’ game were reservation teams.
- 16,010 Winslow 40, Monument Valley 39 2000 (America West Arena / Semifinals)
- 10,588 Window Rock 53, Winslow 47 1992 (Walkup Skydome, Flagstaff)
- 10,000 Winslow 76, Monument Valley 69 2004 (America West Arena)
Arizona’s largest high school arenas are in these areas of the state; the Ganado Pavilion hosts 5,500, and the Chinle Wildcat Den (opened 2006) is the 15th-largest high school arena in the United States with a capacity of 7,000.
Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI)
Every year the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community host the Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI), an all native tournament sponsored by the Phoenix Suns and Nike. In its third year, it has become recognized as the premier all-native tournament in North America. It hosts 60+ teams from all over the U.S. and Canada, and is instrumental in showcasing the talent of Native American teams to college recruiters, most of whom would not travel to the remote reservation towns to watch them play.
Source: Wikipedia
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Based on the collective work of NativeAmericanEncyclopedia.com, © 2012 Native American Encyclopedia.
Cite This Source | Link To Native American Rezball
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title = {NativeAmericanEncyclopedia.com Unabridged},
month = Feb,
day = 23,
year = 2012,
url = {http://nativeamericanencyclopedia.com/rezball/},
}
.
