GREAT FALLS — The Native American Classic high school basketball tournament took place in Great Falls at CMR High School last weekend, and an event which has helped tip-off each season over the past three decades continues to expand.
"The event started in 1992. It was the brainchild of the late Bobby Small, who was a longtime basketball coach in (the) Rocky Boy Native American communities," Rocky Boy schools superintendent Voyd St. Pierre said Friday. "This year, I think, is the largest one, and we put together 14 teams from all across the state — south, east, north central, west."
WATCH THE VIDEO:
The tournament is hosted by Rocky Boy. St. Pierre called it a family event.
"We've got a lot of relatives, not only from our home reservations, but are spread out through the state of Montana," St. Pierre said. "That camaraderie and cohesiveness that it brings these communities is a real great thing to see."
Two individuals that played in former Classics are current Chippewa Cree Tribal Chairman Harlan Gopher Baker and Montana high school basketball legend Mike Chavez.
"You see some of the guys from the other tribal nations that come, and we used to ball it up on the court. Yeah, we still talk about that," Gopher Baker said. "It's a memory you don't forget. So I hope that impact on these young student athletes will carry on."
"Kind of call it the small Powwow. You know, we see all these other tribes coming together and then you see old friends, because in the world of basketball on reservations, it's a small community," Chavez said.
"It kind of warms my heart seeing all our old friends and old guys I competed against, and I see them coaching their youngins now, and I think it's really cool."
The Box Elder boys team — which has won back-to-back Class C state championships and entered the season on a 52-game winning streak — again took the court in the tournament. While the Bears' win streak was snapped in a loss to Lame Deer, it goes to show the talent showcased at the Classic, Chavez said.
"The competitiveness is really high," Chavez, who played college basketball at Montana, said. "You have a lot of guys who've gone on to play college basketball from who have all played in this before. So it shows you the kind of talent that's here."
