ZUNI, NM — Basketball season is here, and Zuni Youth Enrichment Project staff and community coaches are looking forward to the 2025 Basketball League kickoff this month. ZYEP’s Family Night will take place at 5:15-7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 12; the youth basketball camp is scheduled for Mar. 22-23; and the official season will run from Monday, Mar. 24 to Friday, May 16.
Registration is now open, and it will remain open until all slots are filled. Players may either fill out a paper registration — available through their schools or through ZYEP at Ho’n A:wan Park — or register online at https://forms.gle/MV2ggYrACgrpn2ee9 (if preferred, a QR code is available on the Basketball League flyer at facebook.com/zuniyouthenrichmentproject).
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ZYEP’s popular annual youth basketball league serves approximately 200 Zuni youth ages 7-12 who are divided into roughly 20 teams, half in the Shiwi League for 7- to 9-year-olds and half in the Zuni League for 10- to 12-year-olds. The program is made possible with support from Nike, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the New Mexico Department of Health and the Zuni Public School District.
Practices will take place Monday to Thursday each week, with time slots for practices at 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m. The Shiwi League will practice at Shiwi Ts’ana Elementary School, and the Zuni League will practice at Zuni Middle School.
Weekly games will take place on Fridays at Zuni High School starting at 5:15 p.m., with the final games of the evening starting at 7:55 p.m. ZYEP also is scheduling a midseason tournament on Apr. 7-17 to replace the usual end-season tournament. This is due to scheduling constraints at the ZHS gymnasium.
“The Shiwi League will have a round-robin tournament, while the Zuni League will start with a round-robin tournament for the first week and then end with a double-elimination tournament,” said Tyler Sice, ZYEP’s physical activity coordinator. “The midseason tournament aims to give our youth opportunities to practice their skills and engage in healthy competition.”
First, however, the ZYEP team is gearing up for Family Night on Wednesday, Mar. 12, which will be broken into two sessions to ensure that the youth project can accommodate all families. The first session is scheduled for 5:15-6:30 p.m., with the second at 6:30-7:45 p.m.
“We will discuss expectations and specifics for the season, as well as important details like promoting resilience and hydration,” Sice said. “It also will be an opportunity for families to meet our coaches.”
For the 2025 season, ZYEP has 45 community coaches ranging in age from 16 to 53 years old. They will lead the youth basketball camp at Zuni High School on the weekend of Mar. 22-23.
“The camp will focus on skill development, personal growth, game IQ and how to create a space that is fun and engaging,” Sice said. “Then, after the camp is done, the coaches will go through their coach training for the season, which starts that next Monday.”
Returning coach Tanisha Boone said she is excited to see familiar faces, meet the new players and be back in the positive environment of coaching.
“The thing that motivated me to be a ZYEP coach again was hearing that one of my former players wanted me to come back,” Boone said. “I was so happy when his mom told me that.”
“What brought me back was the interactions with the kids on and off the court,” said fellow veteran coach Marlin Panteah. “I am very excited for this year’s basketball season. I’m excited to coach the youth and see them have fun.”
Coach Sara Sice said she is looking forward to connecting with her players.
“They all have one-of-a-kind personalities,” she explained. “Wanting to be that person the little kids look up to — I think that’s what motivates me. Not only that, but also being able to share with them the knowledge I have.
“I enjoyed last season so much, it gave me a passion I didn’t think I’d have,” she continued. “It’s such an awesome feeling to see the players grow and succeed on the court.”
Coach Kailey Walela is in her third season with the ZYEP’s Basketball League. She said basketball is more than a sport to her.
“It was so important to me as a kid, because it taught me to have confidence,” she explained. “That was life-changing, and now I get to pass that on.”
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