Cherokee up and coming WNBA player inspires area Native youth

TULSA, Okla. – After April 15, there was never any doubt in Amanda Mink’s mind.



Growing up, the Stilwell native played basketball at a recreation center in nearby Cherry Tree. Among the other area residents who played there was Cherokee Nation citizen Angel Goodrich, who was picked in the third round of the 2013 WNBA draft by the Tulsa Shock. The Shock play their home games at the BOK Center, about 100 miles west of the largely Cherokee Adair County community.



“As soon as her name was announced on draft night, we called and bought four season tickets,” Mink said. “She hadn’t even made the roster yet, but we believe in her that much. There was no question in our minds that she’d make the team.”



The Shock front office does not release the number of season tickets sold each season, but representatives have said publicly that ticket sales have increased each year the team has been in Tulsa, with a greater spike this season. Part of that increase can be attributed to the Shock’s other 2013 draft pick, former Notre Dame standout point guard Skylar Diggins, but some of those new Shock fans are due to the Sequoyah High School graduate on the roster.



“I used to watch them (the Shock) on TV maybe once or twice a year on TV, but that was it,” Mink said. “We didn’t go to games until this year.”



One of two 2013 third-round draft picks league-wide to make it past training camp, Goodrich averages four points and 2.5 assists per game for the Shock (3-7). In Saturday’s 92-70 win over the Seattle Storm (4-4), she was one of six Tulsa players to score in double-digits, logging a season-high 10 points and five assists in 17 minutes of game time off of the bench.



“Our bench did an outstanding job,” Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg said Saturday night. “I thought Angel did an outstanding job getting the ball inside.”



Already the highest-selected Native American in WNBA draft history, Goodrich became the first tribal citizen to start a game during the Shock home opener on May 27 against the Washington Mystics. To date, she is one of three Native Americans to have played in the league since games began in 1997.



“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in,” Goodrich said. “Obviously, it was new and different, but it’s been fun and it’s been a great journey so far.



“It’s amazing that I get to experience this opportunity and that it’s close to home makes it even better.”



With 25 self-identifying Native Americans playing Division 1 college basketball during the 2011-2012 season – the most recent season statistics for which are available – and even fewer Native athletes playing professionally, at least one Cherokee child in Adair County is paying closer attention to the WNBA team down State Highway 51 this season.



“My son looks up to her,” Mink said. “He’s nine years old and yells as loud as he can every time she gets in a game. She’s just a great role model for all of these Native kids.”











Angel Goodrich goes up for two against the Seattle Storm Saturday night in Tulsa.



TROY LITTLEDEER | COURTESY PHOTO