• Slug: SPORTS-ASU Navajo Reservation. 800 words.
• Photo below.

By SAM FICARRO
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The Arizona State women’s basketball team is about to embark on a special weekend for the program as it prepares to play a game on the Navajo Reservation against the Baylor Lady Bears.

The game dubbed the “Showdown on the Rez” was announced over the summer as coach Charli Turner Thorne was looking to do something more for the Native American community.

After the team’s practice Thursday, Turner Thorne was excited that the game is here.

“I am just so excited and appreciative of all the people at Arizona State, both at the president’s office and the Native American Initiatives, our athletic department, the people at Window Rock High School, the school district and the town,” Turner Thorne said. “All the feedback I’ve gotten is that people are just really appreciative, especially those in the Native American community.”

In previous seasons, Arizona State women’s basketball has designated a home game at Wells Fargo Arena during the season to honor Native Americans.

Turner Thorne described the origin of wanting to go to Fort Defiance to play this game.

“The initial idea was to take the game to them. We always have a game honoring them, but it’s for people in the greater Phoenix area. But what about if we actually went up to the Navajo Reservation. The whole idea was national TV,” Turner Thorne said. “Let’s face it, women’s basketball needs storylines. We don’t necessarily just sell ourselves even though it’s two top teams playing. I honestly feel that was a huge part of the game.”

Ryan Cohan, director of women’s basketball operations, said that Turner Thorne wanted to do something a little bit different this season to honor Native Americans.

“(Turner Thorne) and I were talking about a year and a half ago on what we can do to get out there and positively influence the tribes within the greater community. The community means so much to our program starting way back when Ryneldi Becenti played here,” Cohan said. “There’s really no better time than now to play in their community and bring Division I basketball to their fans and they absolutely love basketball.”

Becenti will be one of four former Native American ASU players to be honored at the game Sunday with Michelle Tom leading a coaching clinic Saturday afternoon.

Turner Thorne said that her former players have been extremely grateful for Arizona State to schedule this game with some crying at the press conference in Fort Defiance realizing the impact the game will have.

“I think it’s grown bigger and better than I thought,” Turner Thorne said. “A lot of people have been doing extra to do this and couldn’t more appreciative and they’ve been unbelievable in terms of really rallying people, not only locally but nationally, and their friends and family to support this event.”

Cohan said the search to finding an opponent to play in this game was short.

“It happened pretty quickly. Charli was out recruiting and ran into (Baylor coach) Kim Mulkey and talked to Kim about this idea,” Cohan said. “They were on board from the start and we thank them so much for their willingness to play this game and their understanding of the impact it’s going to have on so many lives.”

Baylor is no slouch of an opponent. The Lady Bears are currently ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll with Sunday’s game featuring two ranked team with Arizona State ranked 23rd.

The Lady Bears presents an early season challenge for the Sun Devils, but Cohan and Turner Thorne didn’t understate the importance of playing this game on the Navajo Reservation.

“Talking with our greater community, and this is what it really is, an opportunity to bring Division I basketball to the Navajo Reservation and really show they can use basketball as a vehicle to receive an education,” Cohan said. “We’re going to have student-athletes play in front of them that have Arizona State across their jersey and realizing that basketball could get you a college education and a degree. Just the opportunity to bring Arizona State to that community in itself is an amazing opportunity for so many kids to realize that a big-time university is just a few hours away.”

“We’ve tried to grow the game with our theme games to give back to the community and selfishly, grow the game. Maybe have some people come out that otherwise wouldn’t come,” Turner Thorne. “Most of the Native American community love the game and they deserve this game. The fact that we get to bring it to them is very special to me, personally.”

Despite the result, Turner Thorne thinks the event’s biggest impact will be the stories that are told.

“If the stories we get to tell educate and inspire some people, then it will all have been worth it, win or lose.”

Follow us on Twitter.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.