Sports is one of the most effective ways to motivate Native youth to stay in school. The baseball program is in its fifth year with former New York Yankee pitcher, Jack Aker, as the instructor. Jack is one of the few Native Americans to find success in the major leagues. Currently, two of Jack's former students, both members of the Navajo tribe, are playing college baseball. Through funding support from the Southwest Indian Foundation, Jack offers his baseball clinics free of charge to local youth.
Basketball is the major sport in reservation communities in the southwest.
Wherever there are Native American kids, they will be playing basketball. Their heroes are Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and other NBA stars. The players may be shooting at an old bike rim nailed to a pole, but the intensity is as high as the inner city playground game. In August 1998, eight college coaches, including two women's coaches, spent three days with over 120 young people, imparting the skills to bring the Native youth to a more competitive level, while encouraging them to think about college. Coaches from universities in Connecticut, Ohio, New York, and New Jersey donate their time for this event every summer.