Thunder Mountain High School senior Kiara Kookesh signed a National Letter of Intent in the TMHS commons on Monday to play college basketball at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington.
“They reached out to me and the more I started looking into the college I liked how it made me feel comfortable,” Kookesh said. “I felt like it didn’t overwhelm me as other colleges because it was small and I felt like I would fit in there more.”
Family and friends stand with Thunder Mountain High School senior Kiara Kookesh (holding No. 23) on Monday after she signed to play college basketball for Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
NWIC is one of 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities across the nation that play in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Located on the Lummi Indian Reservation, 20 miles south of the Canadian border, NWIC is the only accredited tribal college serving the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The NWIC Eagles men’s basketball team won the AIHEC National Basketball Championship this past April and the Lady Eagles placed second in the women’s tournament.
NWIC Athletic Director and AIHEC Commissioner James Mathias and NWIC Men’s Coach Adam Lane traveled to Juneau for Kookesh’s signing as part of a recruiting trip in Alaska.
Thunder Mountain High School senior Kiara Kookesh signed a National Letter of Intent on Monday to play college basketball at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washingon. Behind Kookesh are (from left to right) NWIC men’s coach Adam Lane, NWIC Athletic Director James Mathias and TMHS coach Andy Lee. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
NWIC Women’s Coach Rochone Quasula was unable to travel as she is expecting her first child.
“We followed Kiara through her high school career,” Lane said. “We watched her play and thought she would be a really good fit for our program.”
Mathias had visited TMHS in October and conducted workouts with Kookesh.
“She showed a strong work ethic and we felt like she could come in and be an asset to our program,” he said.
This past season was a return to the court for NWIC after a three-year COVID-19 shut down.
According to Lane, NWIC has recruited a fast and athletic team with good shooters who like to get up and down the floor on offense and defense.
“The team is excited and motivated,” Lane said. “Kiara will fit right in.”
Marcie Kookesh, who coached her daughter on Angoon Middle School teams, said the day was a dream of her daughter’s since she was a village fifth grader traveling in to play against Juneau eighth grade teams.
“Our first year we got our butts kicked by all the Juneau teams,” she said. “But the teams goal was to come back the next year and beat everybody and we did… and now – after starting in Angoon, moving to Juneau – she is going to play college basketball. It is something she always wanted to do since she was little and fell in love with the game, she always told me she would only go to college if she could play basketball.”
NWIC is also a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the American Council on Education. NWIC is accredited at the associate and baccalaureate level by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and their educational programs have been approved by the U.S. Department of Education, Verteran’s Administration and Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board. Kookesh will be focusing on a degree in business.
Thunder Mountain High School senior Kiara Kookesh, joined by teammates, holds a Northwest Indian College jersey after signing to play college basketball on Monday. Standing with her (from left to right) are Raynona Fraker, Bergen Erickson, Kookesh, Cailynn Baxter, Kerra Baxter and Emma Johnson. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
TMHS girls coach Andy Lee said Kookesh was a blank slate, “meaning she gets to write her own story. She has not scratched the surface of her athleticism… I think what they are getting is somebody that is going to be a rotation player, somebody they can rely on at the end of games and somebody that has untapped potential.”
Kookesh averaged 11 points, three rebounds and two assists this season but was counted on for her defense. Her notable performance was guarding the No. 1 women’s college basketball recruit last season, Juju Watkins of California’s Sierra Canyon High School. Watkins recently signed to play at the University of Southern California.
“We put Kiara on other team’s best players,” Lee said. “And she wanted that. She asked for that challenge. And now she is going to be surrounded by great players and have to guard great players every night. I am excited for her future.”
Kookesh said she loves the defensive side of the game.
“I like to think things through when I am playing basketball,” she said. “I am always observing opponents skills, what they are best at, what their weaknesses are and so I think that makes me a pretty good player. Just overall I am an all-around player and I think that helps a lot.”
