The Rezball Fever

Basketball season just came in and kids are excited to hit the courts. For many Native American reservations, it’s the best time of the year. Rezball, also known as Reservation Ball is the Native American version of Basketball. It has its own rules and played with a different kind of attitude. That’s why kids who live in the reservations, take it as a source of pride.

The game is patterned from the original game of basketball but played quicker and more aggressive. Many high school teams sometimes play a combination of traditional basketball and Rezball as they strive to compete and win state tournaments. Some teams feature local talents with great Rezball skills.

Regardless of the season, Rezball can be played indoors and outdoors. As long as there is a hoop up there. It’s a great thing to know that this kind of sport bring the people living in the reservations closer.

The game is fun to watch. The rules are the same as in traditional basketball, but at all times the tempo is fast forward: players have a mind-boggling stamina, and the game is a competition of switches, pushes, traps, bold steals and crafty ball-handling. Every player can be a shooting threat on the best Rezball teams, making acrobatic drives to the basket and taking difficult charges to steal the momentum of the opposing team. With this kind of game style of basketball, no wonder why people pack in the gyms, sitting on the edge of their seats while watching two teams battle.

Many Rezball teams play tournaments across the country, one of the most known league is the Native American Basketball Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona. This league features the best Rezball players that hopefully can be watched by college scouts. Opportunities liked this are tightly grabbed by kids from the reservations. That’s because reservations are generally located remotely, sometimes a couple of hours away from major cities. Despite this, many of our Native American brothers and sisters stayed in reservations to maintain the rich tradition, to maintain the roots, and to live close to their tribal community. Unfortunately, some reservations are locations of high unemployment, low graduation rates and scarce resources, while others have better conditions and opportunities. Regardless of the latter fact, all the people from the reservations share rich tribal cultures, histories and traditions. Rezball had become one reason that kept the culture and Native American Spirit alive and hooping.