This episode features Jason Amador, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. ALCC Intern, Meranden, interviews Jason about his basketball career filled with highs and lows. Making his first appearance at March Madness was only one of the many accomplishments of his journey. With these experiences, he explains how he shares his story with native youth to provide them with motivation to go after their dreams, just like he did.
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TRANSCRIPT:
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[Jason Amador]
Still the fact that, you know, playing in front of 12,000, 14,000 people, all the media coverage, seeing all the celebrities walk by, seeing, you know, where you came from at NEI, a school you never heard about. To now, Grand Canyon [University] playing against Maryland, and, you know, we're in the same venue spot as Oregon, U of A, Colorado State, and all these big time schools. It was just such an awesome and amazing season looking back at it now.
[Lakin]
Hello and welcome back to Grand Canyon Speaks. This is Lakin.
[Dan]
And I'm Ranger Dan.
[Lakin]
This episode features Jason Amador, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribe, who is an athlete at Grand Canyon University.
[Dan]
He takes us through his basketball journey, where he faced injuries, the shutting down of his college, and family hardships.
[Lakin]
Through these difficulties, he was reminded by many support systems of how determination and discipline will strengthen him to better days.
[Dan]
Jason shares the triumphs of his career, going from his small hometown to D1 basketball, and how he uses his story to inspire Native youth of different tribal communities.
[Lakin]
And here is Jason Amador.
[Jason Amador]
Before I introduce myself, I just want to say thank you to the Grand Canyon National Park and the staff and Meranden for allowing me to come out here and speak to you guys today. So my name is Jason Amador. I'm a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, which is located in Parker, Arizona.
It is the western side of Arizona, close to Lake Havasu. On my mom's side, I'm Navajo. My clans are Coyotes Pass Clan and Two Came to the Water.
And on my dad's side, I'm Mojave and Quechan. I went to Parker High School, where I graduated. And then from there, I got a scholarship to go play basketball at the University of St. Catherine, which is an NEI school located in San Marcos, California, which is San Diego County. And from there, I got a chance to go play over at Grand Canyon, where now I'm studying for my Master of Science in Leadership.
[Meranden]
Awesome. Okay, and a quick question. Have you been to the Grand Canyon before?
[Jason Amador]
I have been to the Grand Canyon before when I was young with my family and a couple years ago. And it feels like every time when I visit the Grand Canyon, it looks like a perfect picture. For me, I'm not too fond of heights, so I kind of stay away from the rim.
But every time I come, it's just super beautiful, and it just always takes my breath away when I look at it.
[Meranden]
We're really interested in just understanding how you got into basketball and what really kicked off your basketball journey.
[Jason Amador]
So for me, growing up, I had a best friend. His name was Damian, and I consider him a brother now. So when I was in kindergarten, it was a funny story.
I had no friends the first day, and I remember Damian was sitting on the bench outside of our class. I didn't know him at the time. I sat on the bench with him, waiting for class to start, and he had a Pop-Tart.
And any other Pop-Tart comes with two pieces, so he gave me one, I gave him one. And that's kind of how our friendship started. So from there, like any other brother, you want to be close with them and spend time with them.
So for me, I was always into football, but he loved basketball so much, he got me into basketball. So we created a local reservation team called the Arizona Outlaws, and Damian's mom and my dad actually worked together at the Special Diabetes Project on a reservation. So we made an AAU team called the Arizona Outlaws, and we played in all these local tournaments all over.
And me and Damian every day always were brothers. We pushed each other every day. We worked out, played basketball all the time, spent the night at each other's houses, did Halloween together.
We did everything together. But unfortunately, the day before sixth grade starts, me and my dad were out in Vegas getting hats made for the whole team to surprise them. And I remember sitting in the store, and I remember my dad gets a phone call, goes outside, and I'd never seen him act this way.
So I was kind of surprised and kind of like, what's happening? So I just remember he told me, came to the side and said, hey, Damian and his family, they got in a car accident. And unfortunately, they didn't make it.
So for me, from that moment and that day on, I knew I wasn't playing for myself no more. I was playing for something bigger than myself. And that's what made me and kicked off my journey to go do what I do now.
So for every day, whenever I wake up, that was something that instilled a spark in me. And for me, whenever we played a tournament from that day moving on, it rained. And for us in Native American culture, when it rains, it means something sacred.
It means they're kind of watching over you. And literally for like two, two and a half years, every time we had a tournament, it always rained. And for me, that's something that always kicked off my basketball journey.
And that's where it got me in today. And just kind of knowing that he's up there and his family and he's watching over me. And I know he's proud of me.
And I'm trying to do my best to make him proud.
[Meranden]
Yeah. Wow. That's a really great way to keep you inspired.
You know, and I know that this started really young and you made your way to high school. And how did you go? How did your basketball journey continue after high school?
[Jason Amador]
Yeah. So after high school, you know, growing up in Parker High School, I'm pretty sure a lot of you guys haven't heard of Parker. So knowing that when I was going into my sophomore, junior and senior seasons, I wasn't getting recruited a lot.
I had all these accolades. I was Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-State. I was a McDonald's All-American nominee.
I had all these thousand points, club, had all these accolades, first team, everything. I wasn't getting looked at. No schools were reaching out to me.
And looking back at it now, what I know now is that a lot of these recruiters and a lot of these college coaches, they don't go out to the reservations to seek and recruit kids. They go to the big cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, California, all these big-time cities. So for me, going into it, I was like, why am I not being recruited?
And I just remember going into my senior season, reaching out to all these schools, sending out my tapes and everything like that. I got reached out to by a coach, Kevin Williamson, at a D2 camp called Cal State San Marcos in San Diego County. This camp was the day after my graduation from high school.
And this was my last chance to go play college basketball. So we woke up at 4 in the morning, took off to the camp, drove there. And getting there, I always think about it, too, because it's always crazy to look back and think about the journey along the way.
And I know when I got there, I had my best performance. I knew that this was my last chance to go try to make the college basketball team, pursue my dream. This was my last chance.
Going through all the drills, I couldn't miss a single shot. My family came up to me, like, have you missed? I'm like, I have not missed, you know, going off screens, you know, like dunking the basketball, like everything like that.
I was doing everything I could to stand out. And I remember it came down to the All-Star game. A lot of these college coaches and camps host an All-Star game where the seniors and juniors play against each other, and they see who they want to recruit, and the freshmen and the sophomores.
And I remember when it was time to get picked, I was going into it. And I remember the coach looked at me, and he put me with the freshmen and the sophomores. And for me in that moment, it was really, like, looked upon like that was the first time I ever had my confidence taken away from me, because I worked so hard.
I had all these accolades. I knew I was a good basketball player. But for a coach to look at me and to say, hey, you're going to be the freshmen and the sophomores, I remember my family saying, like, yeah, go out there, you know, make sure you kill it.
But for me in that moment, it was a lot of hard. It was really hard for me to do that, because that was the first time I ever had anything taken away from me like that. So I just remember, like, I didn't want to, like, play my hardest.
I was like, this is it. And then after the camp, I talked to the head coach, and he was like, yeah, like, we could try to make something work, enroll into school, and come to me on the first day, and we could see what we can do. So it didn't work out, and I remember I was in the parking lot.
The assistant coach that invited me out, he was walking away, and my dad told me, he was like, I did everything I could for you up to this point. You know, I can't talk for you anymore. Like, you're a grown man now.
Like, it's time for you to go speak up for yourself, and this is your dream. You have to go chase it. And for me, I was always a shy kid.
I never liked talking to people. I always shied away. So for me in that moment, I knew my dream was walking out the door.
So I chased after him, said everything I could in a minute, and I got his contact information. He actually knew a former player of mine that came out from Parker. His name was Vegas Davis, and we made that connection really well.
He ended up leaving Cal State San Marcos, and he became the head coach at the University of St. Catherine. And going into the summer, I remember getting a phone call from him, and he said, yeah, Jason, I want you to be my first recruit. So he gave me a scholarship, and that's where I ended up going after high school.
[Meranden]
Wow. So all the determination, all that work, it really paid off, right? Yeah.
And then, like, after that, you were able to go to something greater, like going from that to now GCU. What made you choose GCU?
[Jason Amador]
So what made me go to GCU, I wish I could say, you know, it was as simple as they reached out to me. They got my film. They reached out to my coach, and it was simple as that.
They wanted me. It was not the case. So I ended up going to the University of St. Catherine, which was an NEI school, and it was the smallest Orthodox Christianity school in the country. And when you think of university, you think of, like, tens of thousands of students, all these big resources, everything. So I ended up going there. It was about 150 kids, and they were 90 to 95 percent all athletes.
It was an all-athlete school. So when I went there, it was literally like a two-story building when I first got there. So going there, you know, I was just so grateful for the opportunity to go play another four years.
So I had a great time doing that. Played against a lot of great D1 schools, San Diego State, Long Beach State, Utah State, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona State. But along the way, I noticed I had some pain in my hips.
So at the age of 20, after my first year of college basketball, everyone was telling me, oh, like, you probably got tight hips, keep stretching. So I kept doing that. I kept playing through it.
And I got to a point where I noticed I couldn't play defense no more. I couldn't sit in the car for too long. Like, it just started hurting.
So finally, I go get an MRI, and they tell me that I need double hip surgery and that all my ligaments, most of them, have been torn. So for me, I had to get double hip surgery at the age of 20. And trust me, that's not any way how you want to spend your summer is when you get double hip surgery, you're in a bed for two months.
You can't walk. You're in a wheelchair having to have your parents, you know, wheel you around the house and help you shower and help you go to the bathroom. I won't go too far into that because I don't want to think about that anymore.
But it was just a lot of adversity along the way. We don't have the resources as the big schools, you know, like our coach had a saying, and it was FIO. It was figure it out.
And that came to, like, rooming, being cramped in, like, little small vans, going to away games, only getting one meal a day. So going into that, you know, after my surgery, I was out for a year and a half. A year and a half is a long time in college basketball.
It's like dog years. Like, you have a certain clock when it comes to basketball and college basketball. So for me, I was out for a year and a half.
The first day I came back, I was rushing to get back. I was telling the doctors, like, I'm good. My hips are good.
Like, I'm ready to play. So the first day I come back and the first practice, literally five minutes into our first drill, we're doing a post-up drill. And I remember I'm guarding my defender, and I had my hand on his back.
As soon as I moved to put my hand away, he backed up into my hand, and I ended up breaking my finger. So after a year and a half of being out, first day I come back, I break my finger. So now I'm out, like, two more months.
And for me in that moment, it's like I developed, like, a why me attitude. Like, why did this happen to me? Like, why do I have to go through all this stuff?
And later I learned, like, God will humble you before he elevates you. And these are all tests along the way to make sure that you're capable and strong for it. So going into it, I go into my senior season.
You know, I play. I had a great season. I had my career high on senior night.
And a month before graduation, I knew I wanted to play. I had an extra grad year. I wanted to get my master's and play another year.
I remember a month before graduation, I'm working on my senior thesis, and I get an e-mail from the school, and it's from the president of the school. And it says the University of St. Catharines has shut down effective immediately. And I'm looking at that.
It looks like spam. Spam e-mail. So then all of a sudden my phone starts blowing up, and I look at my phone, my coaches.
It's my teammates. It's my classmates. And I'm looking at it, and literally it's this e-mail right here, and that's how I found out my school shut down.
Literally the grades were posted the same day. And I'm looking at it like, I've got to find a new school to play at. And I'm like, this doesn't seem real.
Like, how did your school just shut down? So at that point, I'm wondering, like, if I'm going to get my credits, if I'm going to get my diploma. Like, what's going to happen to all the guys?
Like, all my coaches, everyone's got to find a new school, a new home to play at. So going into it, I had to find a new home. And for me, I reached out to a lot of schools.
I had a dream of playing Division I. And for me, I was fortunate enough to reach out to all these schools. And looking back on it now, it's pretty cool.
As a kid from a reservation, talking to schools like San Diego State, Long Beach State, Washington State. GCU, you know, it didn't really cross my mind. But looking back at it, I knew I wanted to play in front of my family.
And the year before GCU, I spoke to Bryce Drew, who's the head coach at a summer camp. And a fast-forward a year later, you know, my head coach has his number. We reach out.
Nothing comes back yet. All the e-mails I sent to all the assistant coaches, the athletic trainer, everyone at GCU, it's not working. There's no response coming to it.
So in my head, I knew I was going to try to go play at San Diego State. Going into the summer, it's crunch time. I got to choose a school.
So I send out a last-minute e-mail to Jamie Boggs, who is the athletic director at GCU. And when you look up e-mails at GCU, like on the staff website, they don't have them. The higher you go up, they don't have the e-mails.
So I literally guessed her e-mail, and I sent out an e-mail as a last resort. The next day, I look over my phone, and she responds. And she's from San Diego, and she heard about my school's closure.
So she got me in contact with Coach Drew and Coach Shaw over at GCU. And from there, you know, I was able to go out there, do a visit, see some of the guys, meet the coaches. And fast-forward a couple weeks later, didn't hear nothing from them.
And I'm out coaching at a high school tournament in Phoenix. I get a call from Coach Shaw, brings me into his office, and he said, you know, we heard nothing but great things about you, and we'd love to have you, and welcome to GCU men's basketball. So that's why I chose GCU.
[Meranden]
Wow. That's a long process. I think, everyone, we should give him a hand for, like, that.
That's insane. Yeah, you've come a long way. That's exactly what we need to hear is, like, these people like you, they don't get that kind of recognition.
They don't know these kind of pathways that our indigenous athletes are going through. And, like you mentioned, not a lot of recruiters or people like that go to the reservation for this kind of talent, and it's there. So, yeah, you went from res to getting, unfortunately, those injuries to your school shutting down to now at GCU to having a very successful season.
So, you know, with Grand Canyon University, I've just seen how they've excelled in the championships that they won over the past few years and then winning again this year. I'm just curious of, with this very exciting season that you had with them, what are some of the highlights that you've had while being at Grand Canyon University?
[Jason Amador]
So some of the highlights I had is, one, I've seen it from NEI to D1 is the resources. I mean, the facilities of a 24-7 access to the gym. We have a chef that makes food after every practice, every game.
So, like, having a limited food, being able to go in there and get any Gatorade, protein drink, smoothie. You know, one day it could be, like, spaghetti, chicken parm, chicken alfredo, spaghetti meatballs. Like, this was so surreal.
I've never had this at my old school. So just that and just the amount of fans and, you know, the amount of love that we get, that's one of the highlights I had. Just, you know, going, transitioning from NEI to D1.
But moving forward into this season, I actually got baptized by Coach Shaw. He's the one that actually kind of recruited me. And for me, the reason I got baptized is just a blessing in the journey that it took for me to get here.
It made me realize of how blessed and, you know, how God's always been by my side. I was warming up before a game. Kids came from spiraling in, filling up the student section.
And I'm sitting there, and I'm like, you know, it hit me. Like, I wanted to dedicate and, you know, devote my life to Christ. So I told Coach Shaw before warm-ups.
And the next day, we brought the team out, and I got baptized in the pool. And it was such a surreal feeling, and I'm glad my brothers got to witness. And it was such an awesome moment.
Anytime I win in the game, they always chant it for me. The Havocs is our student section. So imagine you have an arena of 7,000 people chanting, like, we want Jason.
So for me, like, that was such a surreal feeling. You know, I love them for that. And we have an amazing student section.
We have amazing fans. You know, we have amazing coaching staff and an amazing team with it. So I remember this particular shot right here was against Utah Valley, and they were number one in our conference.
And that game was special to me because my family came down all the way from Gallup and Navajo Nation and had a lot of friends come down. And just seeing them in the stands when I made the three, you know, they were all jumping up and down, so excited. So just being able to see that, my family in the stands, you know, celebrating and all the sacrifice they did for me and all the love and support they've shown over me, it just made it, like, worthwhile.
And just seeing them jump up and down, that's what I do it for. And then we actually won the WAC conference, and that was probably the most amazing feeling. You know, we were second in our conference, and we played Utah Valley in the championship in Las Vegas at the New Orleans Casino.
And I just remember the feeling of, you know, just the confetti dropping down, all the cameras, all the media came up, and it was just such an awesome feeling being able to cut down a net and being able to get a ring and just knowing that you're going to have a banner up in the GC arena for life. And that's something that I loved. And from there, you know, we got a chance to go play in the March Madness tournament.
And that was such an amazing, you know, amazing time. You know, the 64 teams, the best teams all in college basketball, being able to go out there. We played against Maryland over in Seattle, Washington.
Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the outcome that we wanted. But just still the fact that, you know, playing in front of 12,000, 14,000 people, all the media coverage, seeing all the celebrities walk by, seeing, you know, where you came from at NEI, a school you never heard about. So now Grand Canyon playing against Maryland, and, you know, we're in the same venue spot as Oregon, U of A, Colorado State, and all these big-time schools.
It was just such an awesome and amazing season looking back at it now.
[Meranden]
Yeah, that's crazy. Once again, I'm, like, shocked at everything that's been going on. And, you know, like with the celebrations and everything that's going on at GCU, it's amazing.
The support is there. Like, you know, that student section to the coaches, to everyone that's in the stands. You are a really big inspiration to the tribal communities, more specifically the youth.
Your basketball journey has come a really long way, and you're an inspiration to the community. What does it mean to you, and how has that overwhelming support made you feel?
[Jason Amador]
It means everything to me. Just seeing the youth and just seeing how much they support you, I just remember looking at them like I was in your shoes, and that was me growing up. I had dreams.
I wanted to play college basketball. I wanted to play professionally. So, for me, it just means the absolute world to me, you know, the amount of support, the amount of love, you know, that they've given me.
And this photo right here, they actually came out to one of my games, and they had the best time. The Havocs, the student section, were all dancing with them. They were jumping up and down.
They were singing songs, you know. They showed a lot of love. And after the game, they all came up to me and were giving me hugs and just telling me how proud of me they were, you know.
And it was just an awesome feeling, you know, just knowing that that was once me in their shoes, and I wanted to look up to someone, you know. But they've shown me the most amount of love and support, and I couldn't thank them enough for it.
[Meranden]
Yeah, that's amazing. And, you know, that representation is there. And personally, I don't see a lot of that indigenous representation, especially in the D1 community and, like, those kind of higher-ups.
Have you played against any other indigenous players or seen any indigenous representation, you know, with GCU or any college experience or games you've been in?
[Jason Amador]
Yeah. So at the NEI level, I played against SAGU, which is an American Indian college. So I played against them.
But at the D1 level, I can't say that I've played against anyone at the D1 level. But I know there's a lot of great athletes, a lot of great coaches, and, you know, at the Division I NCAA level, Houston just played Florida in a national championship. The head coach for Houston, he's Lumbee.
He's Native American, so seeing him and seeing how far he took his team to the national championship was amazing. Trayson Eagle Staff, he plays over at North Dakota, I believe. He's, like, going off and doing amazing things.
But, you know, there's a lot of great athletes, you know, Kyrie Irving, Lindy Waters, Marjan, there's a lot of great athletes out there. And it's just amazing to see.
[Meranden]
Yeah, that representation is very small, but those people who are there make a huge impact, like yourself. It's been a lot right here, like, rollercoaster, just hearing everything that you've done and where you've gotten to right now. Where do you see your basketball journey going from this point on?
[Jason Amador]
So I played my graduate year. My last year, I had a senior night. And for me, that was an awesome, awesome game.
They actually made a new rule where it's a non-NCAA rule where if you play at a non-NCAA institute, you get a year back. So my coach and coaching staff informed me that I have an extra year back. So hopefully I get to go back and play at GCU this upcoming season as we go into the Mountain West Conference.
But after, you know, I plan on getting into coaching. But also, too, like, I just love giving back to communities. I love doing the speaking engagements.
And it's just such an awesome feeling just to, you know, to speak to the youth and just to help motivate them and help push them in a way that they can achieve their dreams. So I know definitely I want to stay in the coaching world, whether that's actually in basketball or whether that's strength conditioning or if I want to play professionally after my collegiate season. Wow.
[Meranden]
Well, we wish you well on that journey. And, you know, just hearing from what you've been doing, we see a really bright future for you. And, you know, like you mentioned again, your tribal communities and how important that means to you.
You're part of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. And along with your tribal community and the 11 tribes here, the Grand Canyon means a lot to us. And you are, once again, it's in the title of your tribal community, the Colorado River.
What importance does the Colorado River have to yourself and your tribal community?
[Jason Amador]
Yeah, it means a lot to us. It means everything to us. You know, we believe the water is sacred.
It's a healing source for us. And, you know, the Grand Canyon, just looking at it now, like it's just something that you don't really think too much about. But when you come visit, it's like, why am I not here more often?
You know, it takes your breath away. It's a place of healing. And for me, you know, it means everything to me.
It takes my breath away, and I just love it.
[Meranden]
Awesome. So we have a little fun question that we like to ask for our podcast here. If you were to have any indigenous food right now, what would it be?
[Jason Amador]
That's a good question. So for me, like in the season, I can't really have anything like that. So now that I'm in the off season, I am actually craving a Navajo burger.
I just love it. I don't know what it is. It's the fried bread with the burger patty in between.
It's the best thing in the world. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend for you guys to go try it. It's the most amazing thing.
[Meranden]
Is there a specific place you get yours?
[Jason Amador]
I just go to Pow Wows, and whenever I see it. The last one I had was over in Morongo. And it was from, I believe, somewhere up in Navajo Nation.
And it was the best thing ever. I had like three of them. It was amazing.
[Meranden]
Thank you so much for getting right here where we are and hearing so much about your journey. As we are wrapping up here, is there anything that you would like to leave the audience with?
[Jason Amador]
I would always say just dream big. And for me, what I always tell kids and what I always tell people is that every person in this room has their own journey in life. A lot of you guys are going to have different roads of high points of adversity, high points of success.
Each and every one of you guys is different. One of the biggest things that I could always say is just to never give up. Keep going.
And God will humble you before he elevates you. And I always go back to a quote, John 13, 7. You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.
And for me, I always take that a lot because I always go through stuff in my life where I'm like, why does this have to happen? Why do I have to go through this? And later on, I realize it had to happen for me in order for me to achieve the next part of my life.
So I would always say to never give up, keep going, and chase your dreams. Because for me, I was a kid in the stands from a small reservation. Now I'm a six-foot guard playing at Grand Canyon.
And at any Division I level, all the guards are 6'3", 6'4", 6'5". I have a teammate, his name is Dennis Evans, and he is 7'3". So for me, you can achieve anything you want.
Don't let anyone tell you anything different, whether you want to play in sports, academics, doctor, lawyer, whatever the case may be. You can achieve anything you want. But just know it comes with dedication and sacrifice and everything in between.
To get what you want, anything worthwhile in this life that you want is not going to be easy. And I won't be the last person to tell you that. Just know that there's going to be high points and low points in life.
And just to keep your head on straight and just to never give up.
[Meranden]
Good. A round of applause right now. Thank you guys so much.
Thank you, Jason. So we have a little section right here at the end if anyone has any questions.
[Audience Member]
Your story was very inspirational, amazing to hear. How do we have 100 more of you?
[Jason Amador]
Thank you for that. That's the million-dollar question. I just feel like in life you have to find something that motivates you and that makes you want to do what you want to do at the level you want to do it.
And for me, unfortunately, losing my brother early on, that kind of instilled a spark in for me. And that's something I use every single day when I'm on the court, off the court, trying to be a better son, be a better student, be a better teammate, be a better friend, be a better person. That's the question for everyone.
Just find ways to motivate you to help you get to where you want to be.
[Audience Member]
Go Lopes!
[Jason Amador]
Yeah, go Lopes, go Lopes, yep.
[Audience Member]
Who did you look up to?
[Jason Amador]
Who did I look up to? That is a great question. Growing up, I would look up to Damien.
He inspired me a lot. But now that I look back at it, I look up to my dad. He did so much for me, and he was the first person to believe in me and believe in my dreams.
He took me from my reservation, he took me to all these camps, the Pangos All-American Camp, he took me to the Michael Jordan Camp, he took me to all these tournaments in Phoenix, Vegas, Oklahoma, California. He gave up all of his time, all of his money, all of his energy, and best believe, he lets me know every single day that he could have been on a weekend, going on a vacation, buying a new truck or whatever. Just looking back at it, he was always in my corner.
Anytime I had a bad game, anytime I went through something in life, I knew I could always call him. He is my biggest fan. Just looking back on it, he's someone that I look up to every single day.
I hope I made him proud, and he's the best father I could have asked for.
[Audience Member]
I've heard you mention coaching before. I was wondering if you had any teams in mind. Would you go to Navajo Nation, Flagstaff?
Where would you want to coach?
[Jason Amador]
I definitely want to stay. I've done high school tournaments, I've done local rez tournaments. I did NABI, I did the national Native American tournaments, all of those.
But for me, just seeing the level of play at the Division I level, at the collegiate level, I love being around those type of people. They just have such a work ethic about them. My teammates, my coaching staff, they're always working, they're always recruiting, always trying to find ways to improve their game and their coaching game.
I definitely want to stay in that realm. And just kind of being an outlet, and just kind of having an outlet to speak, and to represent Native American culture at the highest level. I would definitely stay either at the collegiate level or professional.
Great question, though.
[Audience Member]
When were you at your lowest points, what made you keep going?
[Jason Amador]
What made me keep going, that is an absolutely amazing question. So in those moments of adversity, in those moments when you feel like nothing could come good out of the situation, just knowing that God has a plan for everyone, and for me that really kind of instilled in me that he's always going to be there for me when I fall, my high and low points in life, and just my family. But also, too, just my brother Damien.
I just knew I wasn't playing for myself no more, I was playing for him. And he gave me signs that he was watching over me, and his family too. I just knew my journey ahead was all for him.
So in those moments of adversity, just knowing that God was there, and I had people, my ancestors looking over me, watching over me, and I had a strong support system that really helped me get through all those low points in my life. But that was an amazing question. Thank you.
[Dan]
I'm getting my workout.
[Audience Member]
Did you have a pump-up song before every game? Like something to pump you up?
[Jason Amador]
That is a great question. So before every game, it's always like there's a stigma for athletes to have pump-up songs, rap, rock, whatever the case may be, to pump you up. For me, it was always just clearing my head, just turning off the lights, taking a pregame nap, and just kind of envisioning what was going to happen before the game.
That kind of really got me psyched. But I can't sit here and lie. There's a lot of great rappers that I listened to before the game.
This year, our team loved Boss Man D-Lo. That was like everyone loves Boss Man D-Lo. We play on the speaker and we walk out before the tunnel.
I would say it's definitely rap. Rap was like the one thing that really pumped me up before games.
[Audience Member]
What would you consider your highest moment, your highest point so far?
[Jason Amador]
My highest point, you know, there's a lot of stuff I could say. Going to March Madness, scoring my first point at the Division I level, going from NAI to D1. But I would probably say the highest point of my life was just being baptized and just dedicating and serving my life to Christ.
That was a moment in my life where I knew I could, out of all the things that I've achieved in life, that it wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for Him. Just being baptized and having my teammates out there, my brothers, my coach baptize me, it was such a surreal and amazing feeling for me. That's something I'll never forget.
So without God, for Him, I wouldn't be where I am today. So that was definitely probably the highest point in my life.
[Meranden]
Thank you, Dan, for running around.
[Jason Amador]
Thank you, Dan.
[Meranden]
We'll have one more round of applause.
Thank you so much, Jason, for being here today. Jason has something if you want to talk about it.
[Jason Amador]
Yeah, before we end off, I just want to say thank you to Grand Canyon National Park and the staff and Meranden for allowing me to come out here to speak to you guys. Thank you for you guys who stayed and asked questions. You guys are awesome, and I really appreciate you guys listening in on my journey.
But, yeah, I actually have autographs, cards. I would love it if you guys could take one. Just thank you to you guys for allowing me to come and speak to you guys here today.
Thank you.
[Ranger Jonah]
Grand Canyon Speaks is a program hosted by Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy. A special thanks to Aaron White for the theme music. This recording reflects the personal, lived experiences of Tribal members and do not encompass the views of their Tribal Nation or that of the National Park.
To learn more about Grand Canyon First Voices, visit www.nps.gov/GRCA. Here at Grand Canyon National Park, we are on the ancestral homelands of the 11 associated Tribes of the Grand Canyon, these being the Havasupai Tribe, the Hualapai Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Yavapai Apache Nation, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, the Moapa Band of Paiutes, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.
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