Rezball, short for reservation ball, is the term used to describe the avid Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 following of basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 and in some areas the style of play of their Native American teams.

Style of Play

Rezball is transition-based basketball that forces tempo with aggressive play, quick scoring (or at least shooting) and assertive defense that looks to force turnovers through pressing or half-court traps. There are slight variations from program to program. Keys to a good rezball offense are sound fundamentals and being in very good condition.

Following

The Apache

Apache

Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...

 and Navajo

Navajo people

The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...

 tribes in northeastern Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 and northwesthern New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 are home to several high schools. In these areas basketball reigns supreme, and towns come to a standstill during basketball season. In Arizona, 3 of the top six largest crowds at a boys' basketball game are rezball games (regardless of school size), with the second highest ever being a game between an Apache powerhouse and a Navajo powerhouse.

1. 16,010 Phoenix Shadow Mountain 81, Tempe Corona del Sol 56 1996 (America West Arena

US Airways Center

US Airways Center is a sports and entertainment arena located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It opened in 1992, and is the home of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena...

, Phoenix)

2. 16,010 Tuba City 66, Whiteriver Alchesay 60 2000 (America West Arena, Phoenix)

3. 15,379 Phoenix Shadow Mountain 79, Centrallia, Illinois 76 1995 (Kiel Center

Scottrade Center

Scottrade Center is a 19,150 seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, opened in 1994. It is the home of the St...

, St. Louis)

4. 14,270 Tuba City 69, Coolidge 57 2001 (America West Arena, Phoenix)

5. 14,219 Tuba City 65, Winslow 62 2001 (America West Arena, Phoenix)

6. 14,123 Tempe McClintock 71, Phoenix Brophy Prep 67 1986 (ASU Activity Center

Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe)

Wells Fargo Arena is a 10,754-seat multi-purpose arena at 634 E Veterans Way in Tempe, Arizona, USA, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.Constructed in the spring of 1974 as the as the Arizona State University Activity Center and at the cost of $8 million, the facility also plays host to graduation...

, Tempe)http://www.aiaonline.org/athletics/archives.php

Also the top three largest crowds for a girls' game were reservation teams.

16,010 Winslow 40, Monument Valley 39 2000 (America West Arena / Semifinals)

10,588 Window Rock 53, Winslow 47 1992 (Walkup Skydome

Walkup Skydome

The J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome is an indoor multi-purpose stadium in Flagstaff, Arizona, on the campus of Northern Arizona University. Opened in September 1977, it is the home of the NAU Lumberjacks football and basketball teams of the Big Sky Conference. The seating capacity is 16,230, with...

, Flagstaff)

10,000 Winslow 76, Monument Valley 69 2004 (America West Arena)http://www.aiaonline.org/athletics/archives.php

Arizona's largest high school arenas are in these areas of the state; the Ganado Pavilion hosts 5,500, and the Chinle Wildcat Den (opened 2006) is the 15th-largest high school arena in the United States with a capacity of 7,000.

Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI)

Every year the Ak-Chin Indian Community

Ak-Chin Indian Community

The Ak-Chin Indian Community is a Native American community located in the Santa Cruz Valley in Arizona. The community is composed mainly of Pima and Tohono O'odham, as well as some Yoeme members....

, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, formerly the Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community of the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation), is a federally recognized tribe and Indian reservation in Maricopa County, Arizona about northeast of Phoenix, currently encompassing only out of the much larger area...

, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community

The Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community comprises two distinct Native American tribes—the Pima and the Maricopa —many of whom were originally of the Halchidhoma tribe. The community was officially created by an Executive Order of US President Rutherford B. Hayes on June 14, 1879...

 host the Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI), an all native tournament sponsored by the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 and Nike

Nike, Inc.

Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...

. In its third year, it has become recognized as the premier all-native tournament in North America. It hosts 60+ teams from all over the U.S. and Canada, and is instrumental in showcasing the talent of Native American teams to college recruiters, most of whom would not travel to the remote reservation towns to watch them play. http://www.nabihoops.com/2007/

Modern Reservation Teams

Wyoming Indian High School

Wyoming Indian High School

Wyoming Indian High School is located in Ethete, Wyoming, United States on the Wind River Reservation. It is part of Fremont County School District #14....

, Ethete, Wyoming

Magdalena High School, Magdalena, New Mexico

Magdalena, New Mexico

Magdalena is a village in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 938 at the 2010 census."The Lady on the Mountain" is a rock formation on Magdalena Peak overlooking Magdalena. Spanish soldiers saw the face of a woman on the west face of the peak...

Tsé Yí Gai High School, Smith Lake, New Mexico 

Cibecue High School, Cibecue, Arizona

Cibecue, Arizona

Cibecue is a census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2000 census.The current council leaders are Arnold Beach Sr...

 

Shonto Preparatory Technology High School

Shonto Preparatory Technology High School

Shonto Preparatory Technology High School also is a state charter high school in Shonto, Arizona...

, Shonto, Arizona

Shonto, Arizona

Shonto is a census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 568 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shonto is located at ....

 

Jemez Valley High School, Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico

Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico

Jemez Pueblo is a census-designated place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,953 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.The CDP is named after the pueblo at its center...

 

St. Michael High School

St. Michael High School

St. Michael High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school which is part of St. Michael Indian School in St. Michaels, Arizona. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation reservation. It was built in 1950 on the grounds of the St...

, St. Michaels, Arizona

St. Michaels, Arizona

St. Michaels is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St...

 

Pine Hill High School, Pinehill, New Mexico

Pinehill, New Mexico

Pinehill or Pine Hill is a census-designated place in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. It is located on the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation. The population was 116 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pinehill is located at...

 

Fort Thomas High School

Fort Thomas High School

Fort Thomas High School is a high school serving grades 7-12 in Fort Thomas, Arizona. It is operated by the Fort Thomas Unified School District, which also operates an elementary school. Combined, the two schools have some 600 students; 93% of the student body is Native American...

, Fort Thomas, Arizona

Fort Thomas, Arizona

Fort Thomas is a small unincorporated community in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The community has an elementary school and a high school. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area...

 

Pima High School

Pima High School

Pima High School is a high school in Pima, Arizona. It is operated by the Pima Unified School District, which also operates an elementary school and junior high school....

, Pima, Arizona

Pima, Arizona

Pima is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,965. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 

Salt River High School

Salt River High School

Salt River High School is a high school on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, Arizona. It is operated by that tribe's Education Department along with an elementary school. It was founded in 1996 as Desert Eagle Secondary School; it opened in its modern form in 2004, and...

, Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...

 

Navajo Pine High School, Navajo, New Mexico

Navajo, New Mexico

Navajo is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,097 at the 2000 census. Navajo is the most Navajo town in the United States, with 95.04% of residents having full or partial Navajo ancestry....

 

Dulce High School, Dulce, New Mexico

Dulce, New Mexico

Dulce is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,623 at the 2000 census, almost entirely Native American...

 

Ramah High School, Ramah, New Mexico

Ramah, New Mexico

Ramah is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ramah is located at...

 

Rough Rock High School, Rough Rock, Arizona

Rough Rock, Arizona

Rough Rock is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rough Rock is located at ....

 

Baboquivari High School

Baboquivari High School

Baboquivari High School is a high school in Sells, Arizona. It is the only high school in the Indian Oasis-Baboquivari School District, which also includes Baboquivari Middle School and Indian Oasis Elementary School....

, Sells, Arizona

Sells, Arizona

Sells is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,799 at the 2000 census. It is the capital of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the home of several of their tribal businesses, such as Tohono O'Odham Ki:Ki Association...

 

Newcomb High School

Newcomb High School

Newcomb High School is a public high school in Newcomb, New Mexico . Newcomb High is a part of the Central Consolidated School District along with Kirtland Central High School and Shiprock High School...

, Newcomb, New Mexico

Newcomb, New Mexico

Newcomb is a census-designated place in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Newcomb is located at ....

 

Red Mesa High School

Red Mesa High School

Red Mesa High School is a high school in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. It is one of two high schools under the jurisdiction of the Red Mesa Unified School District, along with Red Valley/Cove High School.It operates an FM radio station, KRMH 89.7....

, Teec Nos Pos, Arizona

Teec Nos Pos, Arizona

Teec Nos Pos is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 799 at the 2000 census. The Navajo name of this community translates as "cottonwoods in a Circle". It is the western terminus of U.S...

 

San Carlos High School

San Carlos High School

San Carlos High School was a high school that the Sequoia Union High School District operated in San Carlos, California, United States, 1960–1982. Its enrollment declined from a peak of 2,500 until it closed.The school was demolished in 1988...

, San Carlos, Arizona

San Carlos, Arizona

San Carlos is a census-designated place in Gila County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,716 at the 2000 census.San Carlos is the largest community in and the seat of government for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation....

 

Piñon High School

Pinon High School

Pinon High School is a high school in Pinon, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Piñon Unified School District, which also includes an elementary and middle school....

, Piñon, Arizona

Piñon, Arizona

Pinon is a census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States, and in the Navajo Nation. The population was 1,190 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pinon is located at ....

 

Valley High School

Valley High School (Apache County, Arizona)

Valley High School is a high school in Sanders, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Sanders Unified School District, which also includes an elementary school and a middle school ....

, Sanders, Arizona

Sanders, Arizona

Sanders is an unincorporated community in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Sanders is located at the junction of US 191 and Interstate 40, within the Navajo Nation....

 

Cuba High School

Cuba High School

Cuba High School, also known as Cuba Senior High School, or CHS, is a public four-year high school located at 20325 North IL Route 97 south of Cuba, Illinois, a small city in Fulton County, in the Midwestern United States, at the intersection of Illinois Routes 95 and 97...

, Cuba, New Mexico

Cuba, New Mexico

Cuba is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 590. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 

Crownpoint High School, Crownpoint, New Mexico

Crownpoint, New Mexico

Crownpoint is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,630 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crownpoint is located at ....

 

Zuni High School, Zuni, New Mexico 

Rehoboth High School, Rehoboth, New Mexico 

Many Farms High School

Many Farms High School

Many Farms High School is located in the heart of the Navajo reservation in Many Farms, Arizona and 15 miles northeast of Canyon De Chelly National Monument. It has 409 students and 35 faculty members along with a large support staff. It is a boarding school operated by the US Department of the...

, Many Farms, Arizona

Many Farms, Arizona

Many Farms is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,548 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Many Farms is located at ....

 

Tohatchi High School, Tohatchi, New Mexico

Tohatchi, New Mexico

Tohatchi is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,037 at the 2000 census. Tohatchi is located near the border of the Navajo Nation.-Geography:Tohatchi is located at ....

 

Greyhills Academy High School

Greyhills Academy High School

Greyhills Academy High School is a high school in Tuba City, Arizona. It is operated by the Western Navajo Agency, a division of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which also operates more than ten boarding schools on the Navajo reservation in the states of Utah and Arizona.-External links:***...

, Tuba City, Arizona

Tuba City, Arizona

Tuba City is a census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2000 census. It is the Dine' Nation's largest community, slightly larger than Shiprock, New Mexico. The Hopi town of Moenkopi lies directly to its southeast.The name of the town...

 

Hopi Junior/Senior High School

Hopi Junior/Senior High School

Hopi Junior/Senior High School is a junior high and high school in Keams Canyon, Arizona. It is operated in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Education as a grant day school...

, Keams Canyon, Arizona

Keams Canyon, Arizona

Keams Canyon is a census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 260 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Keams Canyon is located at ....

 

Parker High School

Parker High School (Arizona)

Parker High School is a high school in Parker, Arizona. It is the only high school in the Parker Unified School District, which also includes one junior high, two elementary schools, and a primary school....

, Parker, Arizona

Parker, Arizona

Parker is a town in and the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. The population was 3,140 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 

Thoreau High School, Thoreau, New Mexico

Thoreau, New Mexico

Thoreau is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,863 at the 2000 census.Practically all residents pronounce the town's name like "thuh-ROO" and definitely not like "thorough" or "throw." The town is also not named for Henry David Thoreau,...

 

Alchesay High School

Alchesay High School

Alchesay High School is a public high school located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona, Navajo County. It was founded in 1956 and named after Chief Alchesay, who was a key person in the formation of the White Mountain Apache tribe...

, Whiteriver, Arizona

Whiteriver, Arizona

Whiteriver is a census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,220 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Whiteriver is located at ....

 

Ganado High School

Ganado High School (Arizona)

Ganado High School is a high school in Ganado, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Ganado Unified School District....

, Ganado, Arizona

Ganado, Arizona

Ganado is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2000 census.Ganado is part of the Navajo Nation...

 

Holbrook High School

Holbrook High School (Arizona)

Holbrook High School is a high school in Holbrook, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Holbrook Unified School District. Adjacent to the school is a Bureau of Indian Affairs-operated dormitory, the Tiisyatin Residential Hall, housing a maximum of 128 students....

, Holbrook, Arizona

Holbrook, Arizona

-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...

Winslow High School

Winslow High School (Arizona)

Winslow High School is a high school in Winslow, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Winslow Unified School District, which also includes three elementary schools and a junior high school.-Athletics:...

, Winslow, Arizona

Winslow, Arizona

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile...

 

Window Rock High School

Window Rock High School

Window Rock High School is a public high school in Fort Defiance, Arizona. WRHS is the only high school in the Window Rock Unified School District.-History:The school district opened by the mid-1950s, with high school students two years later...

, Fort Defiance, Arizona

Fort Defiance, Arizona

Fort Defiance is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 4,061 at the 2000 census.- History :...

Bloomfield High School

Bloomfield High School (Bloomfield, New Mexico)

Bloomfield High School is a school located in Bloomfield, New Mexico. The high school's attendance area covers the town and communities south and east of Bloomfield along US 550 and US 64. The high school is currently undergoing renovations that will cover several years which will replace old...

, Bloomfield, New Mexico

Bloomfield, New Mexico

Bloomfield is a city in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,420 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bloomfield is located at ....

 

River Valley High School

River Valley High School (Mohave Valley, Arizona)

River Valley High School is a high school located in Mohave Valley, Arizona. It is part of the Colorado River Union High School District.-External links:*...

, Mojave Valley, Arizona 

Tuba City High School

Tuba City High School

Tuba City High School is a high school in Tuba City, Arizona under the jurisdiction of the Tuba City Unified School District.It was established in 1959 and is now one of two high schools in Tuba City, Arizona....

, Tuba City, Arizona

Tuba City, Arizona

Tuba City is a census-designated place in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2000 census. It is the Dine' Nation's largest community, slightly larger than Shiprock, New Mexico. The Hopi town of Moenkopi lies directly to its southeast.The name of the town...

Bernalillo High School

Bernalillo High School

Bernalillo High School is a public high hchool in Bernalillo, New Mexico, US. The school is a part of the Bernalillo Public School District and is the only high school in the district. The mascot is the Spartan.*Senior Class President: Maria Monclova...

, Bernalillo, New Mexico

Bernalillo, New Mexico

Bernalillo is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 6,611. It is the county seat of Sandoval County.Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 

Monument Valley High School

Monument Valley High School

Monument Valley High School is a high school in Kayenta, Arizona. It is the only high school under the jurisdiction of the Kayenta Unified School District, which includes a primary school , intermediate school , and middle school , and Monument Valley High....

, Kayenta, Arizona

Kayenta, Arizona

Kayenta is a census-designated place which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,189 at the 2010 census. Kayenta is located south of Monument Valley and contains a number of hotels and motels which service visitors to Monument...

 

Shiprock High School

Shiprock High School

Shiprock High School is a public high school in Shiprock, New Mexico . Shiprock High is a part of the Central Consolidated School District along with Kirtland Central High School and Newcomb High School. The school colors are Maroon, Silver, and Turquoise and the mascot is the...

, Shiprock, New Mexico

Shiprock, New Mexico

Shiprock is a census-designated place in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States, on the Navajo reservation. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 

Central High School, Kirtland, New Mexico

Kirtland, New Mexico

Kirtland is a census-designated place in San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 6,190 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Farmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 

Chinle High School

Chinle High School

Chinle High School is a high school in Chinle, an unincorporated area of Apache County, Arizona, United States.The school is the only high school in the Chinle Unified School District, and all of the district's elementary and middle schools feed into it...

, Chinle, Arizona

Chinle, Arizona

Chinle is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chinle is located at ....

 

Page High School

Page High School (Page, Arizona)

Page High School is a high school in Page, Arizona. It is part of the Page Unified School District....

, Page, Arizona

Page, Arizona

Page is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, near the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 6,794.-Geography:Page is located at ....

Coconino High School

Coconino High School

Coconino High School is a public secondary school located in Flagstaff, Arizona . Coconino High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is one of two high schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District.-History:The school first opened its doors in September 1967 to grades 10-12...

, Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...

 

Gallup High School

Gallup High School

Gallup High School is a public high school in Gallup, New Mexico. Gallup HS is the largest high school in the Gallup-McKinley County School District. The school's campus is relatively new as GHS moved to its current location in 1998 and the old campus became known as Gallup Junior High School...

, Gallup, New Mexico

Gallup, New Mexico

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile...

 

Farmington High School

Farmington High School (New Mexico)

Farmington High School is a public high school in Farmington, New Mexico . It is part of the Farmington Municipal School District....

, Farmington, New Mexico

Farmington, New Mexico

Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S...