Copyright © 2003 NLThomas
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TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA - Hundreds of Sequoyah High School (SHS) basketball fans gathered at the Cherokee Nation Court House to celebrate the boys basketball team’s recent victory in the class 3A state tournament.

"They (the SHS basketball team) exemplify three things: teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship", said Principal Chief Chad Smith. "They represent the Cherokee Nation well. They represent Sequoyah High School well. They have set the benchmark for us."

"On behalf of the Sequoyah High School basketball team and our fallen teammate, Smokey Mankiller, we present this trophy to Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation", said Joe Byrd, a senior member of the SHS basketball team.

"On behalf of the Cherokee Nation, we, with great honor, accept this trophy and we are going to build a four million dollar trophy case for it, a new gymnasium", Smith said.

Jerry Cook, Mayor of the city of Tahlequah, spoke to the crowd and proclaimed the day as Sequoyah High School day in Cherokee County.

"It’s a great honor to be able to stand up here and thank our fans, our school, the nation and everybody involved", said Larry Grigg, SHS boy’s basketball coach. "It was a team victory. Not just the players and the coaches, but everyone here."

The celebration at the Cherokee Nation Court House was preceded by a pep assembly at the Sequoyah High School gymnasium where players spoke to fans and signed autographs. The players and cheerleaders then paraded through downtown Tahlequah to meet the hundreds of fans that had gathered to greet them at the Cherokee Nation Court House. The celebration events were concluded with dinner and a pow wow at the Cherokee Nation Cultural Grounds.

"This is a great group of young men", said Gina Stanley, SHS Principal. "Not just athletically, but also academically."

"It’s hard for me to express the pride I have in each and every one of these kids", added Tony Pivec, SHS Superintendent.

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!"             Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.