Toward the end of the latest episode of the Home.Made. podcast, Quiana Dishface says she chose Springfield Technical Community College in part because she wanted to go to a school that was far away from home.
Quiana grew up in the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American territory in the United States. She lived in an isolated part of Utah.
She recalled that her parents encouraged her to go to school in New England if that’s what she wanted to do. “The home is always going to be here,” Quiana told the podcast host, Stephanie Foo.
STCC women’s basketball coach Ed Guczek recruited Quiana to play on the women’s team.
STCC student played ‘rez ball’ when growing up
The podcast from Rocket Mortgage “explores the meaning of home and what it can teach us about ourselves and each other,” according to the Home.Made. website. Titled “Rez Ball,” the episode featuring Quiana focuses on the unique type of basketball played on the Native American reservation.
“Rez ball is run-and-gun, flashy basketball. You have to be sneaky, you have to be fast,” Quiana tells the host.
Quiana went to a high school off the reservation because she said it would open up more opportunities. In high school, she said she faced racism on and off the court. Other students treated her differently.
“When her coaches subbed her in for a white teammate, the teammate’s parents complained,” according to the podcast.
“Her parents were furious, they were like, ‘How come you’re subbing in a girl of color for my daughter?’” Quiana recalls.
Coach defended player
In the podcast, Quiana describes how the coach defended her, describing her as one of the best players on the court. Quiana helped the team win the game.
Quiana’s actions helped erase stereotypes some people held about her and Native Americans. She won over many in the community who shunned her when she arrived.
STCC.edu has a full profile of Quiana. Read the story titled “3 players from the Navajo Nation join a diverse STCC basketball team.”
Are you interested in playing basketball for STCC or becoming a student? Contact Admissions at (413) 755-3333 or visit stcc.edu/apply. The spring semester starts Jan. 24, 2022.
