‘Anywhere but here’ This teen could be a college basketball star. First she must find a way off this Montana reservation.

For Mya Fourstar, making it to college basketball – and beyond the reservation she calls home – won’t be easy.

Mya hates the day after off games, when time drips by and all she can think about is a lopsided loss and missed shots and missed opportunity. Basketball is an escape from the troubles surrounding her, a core part of her American Indian identity, and the heartbeat of Frazer, where the sport is a lifeline and high school stars are often divisive symbols of hope. But basketball also makes Mya put more pressure on herself, to be found where college basketball players aren’t often recruited, to stand out on these pale-yellow plains and leave the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the only home she has ever known.

Story by Jesse Dougherty
Photos by Jonathan Newton
Video by Lee Powell

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/01/03/feature/american-indian-high-school-basketball-star-mya-fourstar-pursues-dream-of-playing-college-basketball/?utm_term=.862baea571c9