NASA brings rez ball to USC


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The Native American Student Assembly’s rez ball game gave students an outlet to celebrate their heritage and culture on campus. (Zachary Whalen | Daily Trojan)

The Lyon Center gymnasium came to life Tuesday with quick passes and exuberant cheers as the Native American Student Assembly concluded their Native American Heritage Month celebrations with a game of rez ball. 

Short for “reservation ball,” rez ball is a Native American variation of basketball. While it shares many similarities to traditional basketball, it is characterized by a fast and aggressive play style, particularly on the defensive side. Full court pressing, half court traps and forced turnovers are widely regarded key components of the sport — although play styles vary between teams and reservations. 

The sport plays a huge role in Native American culture, which Terrell Mesteth, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said contributed to NASA choosing it for one of their Heritage Month events. 

“Basketball is a huge thing on the reservations,” Mesteth said. “It’s a sport everyone enjoys and knows.”

Tuesday’s event was a pick-up game against the USC Admissions team and provided a way for Native students to celebrate their heritage and culture.

Nizhoni McDonough, a sophomore majoring in law, history and culture, said colleges in the surrounding area offer a much wider range of opportunities for Native American students than USC.

“Compared to other colleges around us, our Native program isn’t great,” McDonough said. “At Stanford, they have a powwow and they have their own residence for Native Americans. More funding from the higher ups and more support like that would definitely help better [USC] and make it a more welcoming community for Native students here.” 

Mestheth said that along with additional funding for Native American events, it is important for USC to make an active effort to recruit Native American students in their incoming classes — in 2020, only 25 Native American students attended the University.

“It really does start with recruitment, making a place for Natives,” Mestheth said. “I think a lot of Natives don’t come to USC because they don’t know about it, and I think USC definitely has an opportunity to change that.”

The Native American Student Assembly lounge serves as a safe space where students can bond about their cultural experiences. (Zachary Whalen | Daily Trojan)

Up until last year, USC lacked an official Native American student assembly. This year marks NASA’s first full year of being an assembly, and it already holds an immense amount of significance to Native students on campus. 

“[NASA] is a community for me. It’s like a support group,”said Natalie Battiest, a sophomore majoring in health promotion and disease prevention studies. “I think it’s really important to have a community to rely on during the transition into college, especially since the majority of NASA are first-generation students.”

McDonough said that NASA also provides a way to connect with those who share the same culture and background.

“It’s really fulfilling to me to come to a place where there’s a lot of Native Americans, where I share the same cultural heritage and getting to learn more of it,” McDonough said.

Roughly a dozen NASA members participated in the rez ball game, split fairly evenly between those playing and those offering support from the sidelines. As everyone left the court smiling, it certainly seemed to have the desired effect.

NASA’s activities go beyond Native American Heritage Month celebrations. The organization hosts a weekly beading circle every Thursday from 6 p.m to 8 p.m in STU 405, and has already run events such as a career workshop, study nights, and a bowling outing.

“NASA is a great community for Natives,” Mesteth said. “But it’s also more than community, we do more than that. We build a foundation for future Native students.”