Elijah Andrews Overcomes Significant Obstacles to Compete at AAU Easter Classic

Basketball is a way of life for Elijah Andrews.
 
It is a way to connect with his people, a way to mentor Native American youth. And, perhaps greatest of all, basketball has been a way to overcome a significant challenge in his young life.
 
Elijah was just nine years old. His grandmother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and his family had just moved back to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe. A dangerous yet welcoming place, Elijah describes the reservation as “the ghetto, but with Native Americans.”
 
Residents generally live well below the federal poverty line and more than half of the homes on the reservation are several substandard, lacking water, electricity, insulation and sewage systems. Not unlike others on the reservation, Elijah’s family shared a four-bedroom home with 17 people.
 
Life was not easy for a nine-year-old boy who loved getting dirty and having fun outside. The reservation (town of Pine Ridge)had no theater and no active swimming/recreation centers, but there were plenty of basketball courts.
 
In search of a positive outlet, Elijah took up rez ball.
 
Similar to street ball played in inner cities, rez ball is a pick-up game of basketball played by Native Americans with less rules than traditional basketball. It is scrappy, slower-paced and really rough.
 
Elijah was oftentimes the youngest and smallest player on the court. He had to work harder to compete with the adults and improved his game tremendously over the course of a couple months. Shortly thereafter, Elijah joined his first recreation team on the reservation and went on to lead his team to the league championships, earning Most Valuable Player honors along the way.
 
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Elijah’s mother Jeanette grew up at Pine Ridge and lived in poverty for much of her early life. Her father coached a travel basketball team and used basketball as a way to mentor youth and deter them from a life of indiscretions, which was a tall task given more than half of adults at Pine Ridge battle addictions and disease. Put simply, her father inspired many on the reservation to use sport as a way to grow as a people.
 
Since leaving the reservation, Jeanette has challenged Elijah to be an example for his people, encouraging him to return to the reservation regularly and make his mark on the Sioux Tribe youth. He volunteers yearly on trips to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and spends time teaching kids about the Bible, using sports as a way to connect with them and teach them how to grow in their relationships.
 
Elijah recently played in the AAU Easter Classic at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the Wellington Wolves. Visit www.aauboysbasketball.org to see how his team fared in the event.