by By Dan Ninham
James Keplin, 18, graduated from Turtle Mountain Community HS in Belcourt, ND.
“I am a tribal member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians,” said James.
“I began as an athlete at a very young age growing up with older siblings,” said James. “I always wanted to play basketball against my older brother growing up and I feel that’s what got me to the point where I am today. Throughout grade school and middle school I played football and basketball but as I got older I picked to play basketball as my only sport.”
“Growing up on the reservation really showed me how tough life can be but I stayed strong to my values and kept trying to get better,” said James. “I wanted to be able to show the kids that good can be done on the reservation and they don’t have to settle for anything less.”
“My older brother Steve Keplin Jr. was my mentor,” said James. “He was my first coach. He was about 10 years older than me but we were always very close. I remember some of the first practices I had with him and it was running sprints up and down the hall and practicing on the mini-hoops that hang on the door. My brother always pushed me to be the best that I can.”
“Right now during the pandemic I still try to get as much practice as possible by getting in the gym multiple times a week,” said James. “I also do weightlifting workouts about five times a week. I’m practicing outside trying to get better on my own and working on my weaknesses.”
James is a successful student-athlete. He is graduating on top of his class as a valedictorian with a 4.0 gpa. He signed to continue his basketball and student career at Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, ND.
“James is not the biggest player on the floor, at 5’10” but he is a fiery competitor that will not back down from any challenger,” said Travis Azure, head boys’ basketball coach at Turtle Mountain HS. “James has a natural instinct of the game on offense and a mindset to be an absolute terror on the defensive side of the floor.”
“This past year during our Belcourt Braves season we looked for James to lock down the opposition’s best player. He never did disappoint, he looked at it as a challenge and did a tremendous job at taking sometimes elite all-state players out of their game,” added Travis.
“For James, the jump to a community college to play basketball should not be a hard process as he has a very nice skill set,” said Travis. “He has been very coachable the time he played for us in our system at Belcourt. He also has the want or will to compete inside of him and will always be willing to take a challenge and make it his own.”
Mike Vandal, head coach of the Turtle Mountain Community College, knew James when he was younger and he even coached him on high school travel teams. Coach Mike said: “He was a natural knock down shooter from mid- and three-point ranges. He is a tremendous ball handler and we had to bring him up a few grade levels to handle the point guard position. His senior year he really became the total package.”
“He was defending at a high level in the Western Dakota Association (WDA) which I think is one off the top basketball conferences around the Tri-State area. A lot of high level college athletes come out of the WDA. He continued to be a great shooter and his athleticism improved as well as I watched him drive and finish at the rim with relative ease. His shooting and defense is going to make him successful at the college level,” added Mike.
“His best attribute though to play at the college level is his basketball IQ,” said Mike. “James is a very intelligent player on both sides of the court and I can’t wait to utilize him this season and glad he choose local TMCC to continue his basketball career.”
Coach Mike added: “I look for three things in players: be coachable, be a good teammate, and have high character on and off the court. James is all of that and is going to set a good example for future TMCC recruits around the area.”
Photo Credit: Steve Keplin Sr.
