Cass Lake-Bena's Jared Brown (10) passes the ball in the Class A quarterfinal game against Rushford-Peterson at the state basketball tournament March 22, 2018, at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. (Jillian Gandsey | Bemidji Pioneer)

Editor's note: In the Ojibwe communities of northern Minnesota, basketball is huge. As the popularity of the game continues to grow, basketball presents an increasing number of opportunities for young athletes and the communities they represent. The following is the first of a three-part series detailing how basketball has provided a path to higher education for Ojibwe peoples in the region.

The state of Minnesota was really first introduced to Red Lake basketball during the 1997 state tournament, when the Red Lake Warriors faced off against the Wabasso Rabbits, a school from the southern part of the state, which ironically derives its name from the Ojibwe word for rabbit, "wabooze." The Warriors, who were said to be the first "all Indian" team in state tournament history, trailed by 14 points with little over a minute left before completing one of the state's most memorable comebacks. Led by sophomore guard Gerald Kingbird, who scored 13 of his 38 points in the final minute, the Warriors tied the game with 17 seconds left at 105-105. The game went into overtime, and while the Warriors did not end up on top, the game became an instant classic and is considered to be one of the most exciting games in Minnesota basketball history.

Red Lake's basketball tradition goes back much farther than the Wabasso game. Roger White, who coached the Red Lake boys for 13 years, said, "I remember when I was young, the elderly men talking about the teams."

And then there was 1985, when the Red Lake boys won their district, later falling to East Grand Forks in the Region 8 tournament.

"There was only two classes then, so it was huge. The guys from that team still have a sort of legendary status," White said.

White explained that as the teams at Red Lake became more competitive and successful at the state level, basketball grew in popularity and the culture of basketball changed.

"Boys were seeing it as a way to become respected here… And it was something positive," he said.

Red Lake basketball players have earned respect for their performance on the court and more and more of them are carrying their game over to the college level. From 2016-17's boys and girls teams, both of which made the state basketball tournament, at least four players have continued on to the next level.

Roger White's daughter, Grace White, is playing Division I basketball at the University of Denver, where she was a part-time starter who averaged 4.6 points per game her freshman season. Grace started five games and scored in double figures three times, including 13 points against North Dakota State. Her father said, "She definitely had a good season. The adjustment to the college game was hard, as was the adjustment to college school work with her travel schedule, but she is adjusting well."

Also playing in college from last year's Red Lake boys team were Jamie Cook, who played at Leech Lake Tribal College, and Rob Beaulieu and Rob McClain, who played at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D., which competes at the National Junior College Division II level. Beaulieu averaged 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Thunderbirds, while McClain averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, earning him first team all-conference honors.

"I would like to think that seeing the successes of our Native players (at the college level) would inspire our youth to do the same," White stated, before adding, "I will always believe that if you can use your talent to further your education, then do it."

Cass Lake-Bena varsity boys coach John Wind shared White's sentiments.

"Basketball can get them in the door, at college… then they can find something they are interested in, something they can do to support their family," Wind said.

Wind gave the example of his son Alvin Wind, a former Cass Lake-Bena star who played this season at Leech Lake Tribal College.

"He got a taste of the electrician program at the Tribal College, now he wants to continue his education at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji," he said.

Red Lake's Grace White (24) shoots in a Class A quarterfinal game against Cromwell-Wright in the state basketball tournament March 16, 2017, at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. (Jillian Gandsey | Bemidji Pioneer)

Wind directs Panthers back to state

According to coach John Wind, the Cass Lake-Bena Panthers' return to the state basketball tournament after seven years was a long time coming.

"We were working on this for a while, to develop a complete team, for a complete season," he said. "The boys really worked hard. They were in the weight room every morning at 6:30."

Wind also attributes the success of this year's team to the balanced attack that made the Panthers difficult to defend.

"We had different leading scorers in many of our games," he said. "We had several kids who could hit close to 20 or 30 points on any night."

Coach Wind believes that basketball at Cass Lake-Bena provides young athletes with incentive to remain in school and keep their grades up, that it helps them to learn and grow into young adults, and that it earns them the respect of their school and community. Wind, who coached third graders in his spare time this winter, stressed that many of the players are forced to overcome a great deal of challenges at home, at school, and in their community to reach the success they have had.

A Cass Lake-Bena basketball alum himself, Wind feels like basketball wasn't always as popular as it is now, but that the basketball culture at Cass Lake-Bena changed in the 1990s when "people like Don Bellanger and Henry Harper began offering basketball opportunities for youth, and Dan Ninham came in and built up the varsity program."

Since the 1990s, several of Wind's children have starred at Cass Lake-Bena, as well as many of his nieces and nephews. The family basketball tradition has now been passed on to the next generation. Wind's grandson Nate Seeyle Jr., is a highly-touted prospect out of Grand Rapids, who will be continuing his career at the college level next year.

Coach Wind's son Martin Wind, currently one of the assistant coaches at Cass Lake-Bena and a homeschool advocate at Cass Lake-Bena High School, scored over 2,600 career points, reached the state tournament several times and continues to hold the state record for most assists in a game with 28.

The final installment of the Pioneer's three-part series will chronicle how two brothers from Cass Lake have helped provide opportunities for people of all ages in their community to further their education through basketball.

Patrick Haugen is a graduate of Bemidji High School and has been a special education teacher at Cass Lake-Bena for 22 years.