By Dan Ninham
Two highly acclaimed former basketball players and Red Lake Band of Ojibwe tribal members came home to lead a summer basketball camp. The dates were June 5-9 and the site was the Red Lake Boys and Girls Club. Over 140 young athletes participated in the weeklong summer day camp. The camp directors were Grace White and Ben Strong. Assisting them were Taryn Frazer and former Valparaiso University teammates of Grace White.
Grace White is the first student athlete from Red Lake HS to be given a basketball scholarship to play at the NCAA DI level when she began at the University of Denver and transferred to Valparaiso University.
Since leaving Valparaiso University, White recently completed a position as a graduate assistant coach at La Salle University in Philadelphia. She is expanding her plan to coach. “I plan on continuing to develop coaching skills, and I am excited to participate in the North American Indigenous Games this year in Canada, where I will be coaching a Team Minnesota girls’ team.”
“Thanks to basketball, I have had the chance to visit many places and experience new things,” said White. “It has opened many doors for me, and I am eager to keep exploring the world while sharing my journey and gaining knowledge along the way.”
Ben Strong was named the NCAA DIII national player of the year in 2007 at Guilford College in North Carolina. He played professionally overseas and also played in the NBA G League from 2011-16. He eventually began a career as an advanced scout, and assistant coach and player development instructor in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76’ers and Phoenix Suns.
Also on the summer camp coaching staff was Taryn Frazer (Leech Lake Ojibwe), a current college basketball athlete. Her major basketball accomplishments include leading her Cass Lake-Bena HS basketball team to back-to-back state tournament berths. She was also named All State her junior and senior years, was nominated as Miss Basketball, and scored a school record 2592 points. She has gone on to play NCAA DII basketball at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Frazer has been busy since leaving CLBHS. She said, “I’ve started my college career at the University of Minnesota Crookston, finished up my freshman year there. Been working with Grace White at these camps for the kids, just trying to give back to the younger generation and help them learn new things when it comes to basketball but not only that, for life itself.”
The Red Lake Basketball Camp instructors have a main message they want the campers to take home with them.
White said, “My dream has always been to contribute to the process of helping our people at Red Lake and other reservations discover their gifts and talents, not just in basketball but in all aspects of life. I want them to understand that they have the power to shape themselves into whoever they aspire to be, and I have faith in them.”
Strong said, “The main message I wanted to send to campers is that everyone needs a support system. This extends beyond basketball. I had a great support system with basketball, my brother and parents were very supportive and encouraging when I was younger and without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. I encouraged campers to either be a support for someone else or to ask for help if they need it. Utilizing a support system is essential to achieving success on any level.”
And Frazer commented, “The main message I want the campers to take home with them is to never give up on something you want. No matter how long it takes, or how hard it is to reach your goal, never give up. You can always come back home to the reservation, it’s always going to be there. Go out and get what you really want to achieve in life.”
