LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – The women’s basketball team at Haskell Indian Nations University has an NAIA first-round tournament game this Friday in Sioux Center, Iowa. The odds are stacked against Haskell as it prepares to play Dordt University, the defending national champ. Until recently, the Haskell women have been led by a volunteer coach.
Few people expected the Haskell women’s basketball team to make it this far. With a 13-and-13 record, making the cut for the tournament seemed unlikely. But Haskell reached that mark by winning their conference tournament and qualifying as one of the 64 teams for the NAIA national tournament. Here in the Haskell weight room, team members are getting pumped up for the big tournament. But Maliya Jacobs says "...being at Haskell, you’re aren’t just playing for your family. You’re playing for 'whole Indian country,' and that’s why we go by that saying."
Jacobs, who has played in all but four games this season, is one of six seniors on the team. She’s from Oneida, Wisconsin, but a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe in South Dakota. On this season’s roster, there are 12 different tribes represented.
Their coach, Adam Strom, is from the Yakama Nation in the state of Washington. This is his fourth season at Haskell, where he's led the women's team to the NAIA tournament three times. But his employment at the federally funded school ended abruptly on Valentine’s Day - as part of the cutback in the federal work force.
"February 14th was not all sweet as it’s supposed to be," he said. "Unfortunately, that’s the day I found out my termination."
Paycheck or not, Strom didn't want to walk away from the team. So, he didn't. Strom recalls the reaction from the Haskell administration when he was fired and said he wanted to stay on - even without a salary.
"That’s the response we knew were going to have and you’re going to be on volunteer status. So, knowing that, I had to deal with the family and deal with that issue. But at the top of my list during this time was the team," Strom said.
He was hopeful that his team would stay together and continue playing for each other. He knows many of his players have dealt with even tougher situations before enrolling at Haskell, explaining that "...we have some some issues, not only just household life issues, but poverty issues, educational gap classroom issues and just dealing with society and their acceptance of Native Americans."
The story of Haskell, its women's basketball team, and its head coach have resonated through Lawrence, where Haskell is located, and throughout Indian Country. At a middle school on the Cherokee reservation in northeastern Oklahoma, many students have heard about coach Strom and the women's basketball team. And many former students here have gone on to continue their education at Haskell.
John Morris, a former multi-sport coach at Haskell, regularly travels across the Cherokee Nation in northeastern Oklahoma as a field rep for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Morris, who left Haskell in 2019, says he has become acquainted with Strom and appreciates his dedication in "...giv(ing) the girls an opportunity to go to Nationals, be there with them and do a good job coaching."
So, with a .500 record, how did Haskell reach this point? Strom says the team has played a tough schedule and didn't get discouraged by some of their deflating losses. Strom says there’s something else that has worked in the team's favor.
"You compare it to like 'sly like a fox' or something. As Native Americans, we learn to just make the most out of our abilities and athleticism," he explained.
Less than a month after Strom was let go, he got some good news. He was reinstated. That will give Strom and the team a little peace of mind as it hits the road for Haskell's fifth-ever appearance in the NAIA tournament. Haskell has never won in its past four appearances at the national tournament. But senior Maliya Jacobs says there's already a sense of accomplishment, even if the team falls short again.
"We’re making our families proud, but we’re making the whole Native American community proud as well."
Haskell’s first-round opponent, the Dordt University Defenders, has a record of 29-2.
Taking on the defending national champs would be a daunting assignment for anyone, let alone for a .500 team with a coach who was fired and re-hired over the past few weeks. But when you come from Indian Country... few things come easy. Getting this far was a victory in itself.
