Bemidji Pioneer: Ojibwe hoops on the rise: Tribal college provides opportunity via hoops

Editor’s note: In the Ojibwe communities of northern Minnesota, basketball is huge. As the popularity of the game continues to grow, basketball presents an increasing number of opportunities for young athletes and the communities they represent. The following is the final installment of the Pioneer’s three-part series detailing how basketball has provided a path to higher education for Ojibwe peoples in the region.

Like his former Panther teammates and their predecessors, Brady Fairbanks is another Cass Lake-Bena alum who has achieved great things. A former McDonald’s All-American nominee and second team all-state athlete, Fairbanks led the Panthers to the state championship game in 2007, where they lost to Ellsworth on a three-pointer in the final seconds. Like the Red Lake vs. Wabasso game in 1997, the Cass Lake-Bena vs. Ellsworth game is considered to be one of the greatest in state tournament history.

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/basketball/4435206-ojibwe-hoops-rise-tribal-college-provides-opportunity-hoops