Analyss Benally had a particular reason for accepting a full-ride scholarship to play basketball for the San Jose State Spartans.
Born and raised on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, Benally said it’s common for young people to feel they lack the opportunity to leave.
“My parents wanted us to have that feeling like, even if you leave (the reservation), you’re going be fine, we’ll be here. But we don’t want you stuck here,” the 26-year-old said.
San Jose turned out to be one of the many distant places that Benally has ventured to, thanks to basketball. For the past three years, the 5-foot-7-inch guard has lived in Europe, playing basketball professionally in Romania, Albania and Kosovo. And, last year, her hoop skills brought her to a movie set, where she was cast in a small role in the fabulous new Netflix coming-of-age sports drama, “Rez Ball, which premiered over the weekend.
“So basketball is opening all these different doors that I’d never thought I’d be walking through,” Benally said about appearing in “Rez Ball.”
Her experience with “Rez Ball” has allowed her to come “full circle.” The movie, helmed by Native American director Sydney Freeland and co-produced by NBA legend LeBron James, was filmed in and around Benally’s hometown of Shiprock, New Mexico. It follows the Chuska High School Warriors, a Navajo Nation basketball team, over the course of a season. As they vie for the state championship, the Warriors reconnect with their culture as they band together after losing their star player. They also deal with common hardships for young Native Americans, including substance abuse, mental health struggles and the risk of suicide. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, the film has received glowing reviews.
“I’m only in the movie for, like, five minutes,” said Benally, speaking from New Mexico, while on her off-season. “But it’s about something really important — unfortunate events that are really common on the reservation and things that people go through every day.”
During the off-season, Benally gives back to her community by partnering with the nonprofit, Rise Above. Benally runs free basketball camps and does speaking engagements. She shares how “education is important and that basketball has taken me all over the world and brought me so many opportunities — like being in a movie.”
Benally was playing for a team in the Albania Superliga league in 2023 when her father, Brian Benally, an assistant varsity coach for a girls’ high school basketball team, learned about a call for local players to appear in “Rez Ball.” Benally’s season ended in time for her to return home and to perform in some basketball scenes in the the film’s final week of production.
“By my second or third day, we all get called into a circle to discuss what’s going to be filmed and Sydney Freeland told me, ‘Analyss,’ you’re going to have some lines,’” Benally said. “I was like, I’m not an actress. … but I said, ‘Wow, that’s so cool.’”
Benally joked that her lines involved some “trash taking,” and she had to film multiple takes of one particular move. “I felt like I was training, and they’re spraying water on me to make me look sweaty. I’m like, I am sweaty,” Benally said.
The film is adapted from “Canyon Dreams,” the critically acclaimed nonfiction book by New York Times sports columnist Michael Powell. In both the book and in Powell’s New York Times articles, he explored “reservation basketball,” a lighting-quick form of the game, which involves “acrobatic layups and jumpers and running” and which is said to have influenced top NBA teams and coaches through the years.
The film also shows how youth basketball is a major force in Native American communities. Sports provide young people like Benally with the chance to leave the reservation for education and other opportunities. And, in small desert towns, high school basketball games become a focal point for culture and community. The film shows both boys and girls teams packing in crowds in a “Friday Night Lights” way.
That certainly was Benally’s experience growing up. As a baby, she was taken to her father’s adult league games and, when she was older, she joined crowds in the gymnasium to cheer on her older sister when she played high school basketball.
Benally’s high school playing experience was somewhat different. She and her parents relocated to Wichita, Kansas, when her sister, Patience, played for Kansas Wesleyan University. Her girls team didn’t enjoy the same level of popularity in the big city.
Still, Benally played well and managed to attract the attention of recruiters. “I always knew I would go and play D-1 ball,” Benally said. “My family were just really supportive of me, and just they never doubted me.”
Benally considered an offer from University of New Mexico, but attending San Jose State would let her live in a different part of the county. She also felt instantly at home in San Jose’s basketball program under then-coach Jamie Craighead Turner.
“They’re a run-and-gun team, quick up and down the court,” said Benally. “They were a full court press team, and that pretty much mirrored what I’d been doing through middle school and high school. They liked my speed and how fast I was shooting the ball, so it just pretty much linked up when I was there.”
During the 2018-19 season, she started in 10 of 30 games played, averaging 8.3 points per game, 1.6 rebounds and 1 assist. In her final two seasons, she was first sidelined by a shoulder injury, then dealt with the 2020-21 season being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given her injury, Benally didn’t expect an offer from a WNBA team following graduation. “My numbers weren’t there.” But the WNBA is still “the goal.” Meanwhile, she’s enjoyed plenty of court time playing in the Balkans leagues, most recently in the Kosovo Superliga. According to ICT News, she’s an example of Native American basketball talent relocating overseas to play professionally.
Benally also said she’s gained valuable life experience, traveling on her own and picking up some Albanian so she could understand one coach’s calls. She’s found herself being an ambassador of sorts for Native American culture in Eastern Europe, an experience that’s helped her appreciate the culture of her Balkan friends. She’s found one important commonality between the people in Balkans and the Navajo Nation: They love basketball.
“These countries are small but they just have a love for the game, and I think that mirrors the rez,” Benally said.