On Saturday, April 21, 48 young basketball players stormed the courts at the Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, competing in the 2012 Youth Basketball 5-on-5 Tournament. Comprising three girls’ teams and three boys’ teams, these enthusiastic 8- to 12-year-olds gave their families, friends and community plenty to cheer about — and admissions, raffle tickets, concessions and team sponsorships raised $500 to support CRYP youth programming.
Both the boys’ and girls’ divisions played double elimination tournaments. Chaos, coached by Dean Kohlus and Jodi Lofton, took the boys’ championship; West End, coached by Dewey Kills Crow, took second place; and Flight, coached by Wendell Phillipps and Michelle Fischer came in third. Malik Thomas of West End was MVP, while Grant Kohlus of Chaos earned the Sportsmanship Award.
In the girls’ division, the Timber Lake Panthers, coached by Jennifer Schoelerman, took home the championship title. The Pink Panthers, coached by Dustin Dupree, took second; and the CRYP Dominators, coached by long-term volunteer Mallory Miller, took third. Josie White was MVP, and Loryn Schoelerman won the Sportsmanship Award; both played with the Timber Lake Panthers team.
Team members received MP3 players, basketballs and backpacks filled with school supplies as prizes, while those who earned the special MVP and Sportsmanship awards took home athletic clothing. And they weren’t the only winners: Emmanuel Red Bear won the 50-50 Raffle, and Shirley Ducheneaux won an iLive Player in the Prize Raffle.
“It was such a great day,” said Tammy Granados, CRYP’s wellness coordinator and the tournament organizer. “It’s fun for the younger kids to have a special basketball tournament just for them, and the spectators really got into it. The community really supported the kids too. We’re so grateful to the Leo and Lois Fischer Ranch, Albert and Stevie Jewett, Dewey Kills Crow, the Pink Panther Parents, Dean Kohlus and Jodi Lofton, and Jennifer Schoelerman for their team sponsorships.
“A couple of our teens got into the spirit of the day as well,” she continued. “Trenton Pretty Weasel and Katana Bartlett volunteered their Saturday to serve as tournament referees. Their time and effort meant a lot to us… and to the kids who played so hard that day.”
And tournament season has just begun. Next on deck: the CRYP Junior High Basketball Tournament. Scheduled for 5-9 p.m. on Friday, May 18, the tournament is open to players ages 12-14 and also will be held in the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center gymnasium.
To register your team for the junior high tournament, to ask questions and to get more information, call Tammy Eagle Hunter at (605) 964-8200 or send an email to tammy.cryp@gmail.com.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.