By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) have continued to dominate in the 2024-25 season, initiating a mercy rule running clock for most of their games, echoing last year’s championship run.
When looking at their success, analysts often talk about their speed, their defense, their shooting percentage, but there is another element to their success that is often overlooked:
The Tsalagi Anata Anitsvyasdi (Cherokee Lady Braves) celebrate teammate So. (#20) Emilee Brady who sank a three against Christ The King in the third round of NCHSAA 1A state playoffs on the evening of Tuesday, March 4. FINAL SCORE: Cherokee 108 CTK 28 (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photo)
They are good teammates.
At the signing day for Sr. Captain (#32) Whitney Rogers, who will play at the next level for Montreat College, Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks said of the team, “I’ve heard from so many people that when they watch Cherokee play…they say these Cherokee kids play the game right. You share the ball, you’re not selfish. You just play the game like it’s supposed to be played.”
He is right. Sharing the ball means trusting your teammates will take care of business, and on the other side of the pass, being ready when you get the ball.
The players expect excellence from each other. They motivate each other, they play for each other, and they celebrate each other.
I love watching the reaction from the bench when a player scores, or makes a good pass, or gets a block or a steal. They smile bigger for their teammates’ success than they do for their own. That’s rare, and we could learn from that.
Being “selfless” is the foundation of their success. Basketball is a team sport, and they play as a team. You hear that a lot, “there’s no ‘I’ in team,” but you don’t see it often.
Think about it. These are young Cherokee girls. They are the youth of our tribe, and they are giving us the example of the selflessness that we should strive for as a community. Jr. (#4) Dvdaya Swimmer currently holds the title of Teen Miss Cherokee, as she should.
Because they are gadugi. Being a good community member is just that: being a good teammate.
