At 17 years old, Alejandro Rama is already among the most important figures on the Pine Ridge reservation.
Basketball has helped elevate the Red Cloud High School senior to prominence as he considers recruiting offers from area colleges. He understands his position as a role model and openly embraces the responsibilities that come with it.
“Ale is a leader, not just on our team but in the community,” Red Cloud coach Christian McGhee said. “The kids know him from the games, but watching him interact with the youth is such an awesome feeling for everybody who comes across his path.”
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Rama’s contributions range from volunteering at youth sports camps to helping preserve the Lakota culture by teaching language classes and leading drills in Lakota.
As he sees it, language and culture go hand-in-hand, so maintaining that identity is of the utmost importance, especially as he prepares to move off the reservation for college.
“When I leave the reservation, I want to be able to proudly say I’m Lakota and know what that means to me,” said Rama, a 6-foot-1 guard who is playing for Sacred Hoops this summer. “Knowing my language strengthens my identity as a person, and I want other kids to also have that chance.”
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Earlier this year, Rama arrived at the Red Cloud gym to see a youngster wearing a jersey with his No. 0 on it — but the number was off-center. As it turns out, the boy had watched Rama play the night before and was so excited that he asked his mom to take the No. 2 off his jersey so he could be No. 0 just like Rama.
“That really hit me hard,” Rama said. “I was just playing basketball and that affected him to the point where he got home and the first thing on his mind was, ‘I want to be like him.’ That really was a big eye-opener for me.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
