A series to share #smiles across our community through the achievements of our local youth, brought to you by Olsen Orthodontics.
Written by Carl Cote
(Ethete, WY) – Wyoming Indian senior Taya Dixey will continue her basketball career at Taft College in Taft, California, about 35 miles southwest of Bakersfield.
Dixey, a 5-foot-9 guard/forward, is a three-time Class 2A all-state selection who helped lead the Lady Chiefs to the 2A state championship game as a junior. As a senior, Wyoming Indian reached the state semifinals, and as a sophomore, she was part of a team that finished third at state.
She was recently selected for the Inter-Tribal Athletics Native American All-Star games, where she was named MVP of Game 1. Dixey, who represents the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe, said her team won both of their games in the event, which brought together some of the best Native players from tribes across the country.
Dixey said the Taft College coaching staff stood out during the recruiting process.
“He was very ecstatic and excited to talk to me,” Dixey said of head coach Romeo Lagmay Jr. “It didn’t feel too much like a scouting call. He told me what he could offer and everything. He told me what he can do for me, and he has amazing stats as a coach.”
Dixey said she plans to play two years at Taft before transferring to a four-year school. Off the court, she’s pursuing political science with the goal of going into international relations and becoming a diplomat.
She credited the physical practices at Wyoming Indian, including scrimmaging against the boys’ team, with helping her development as a player.
“It got very intense sometimes, but it’s a really good experience,” Dixey said.
Dixey thanked her parents, particularly her father, who drove her to tournaments across the region to get exposure, sometimes making 14-hour drives for a single event. She also thanked her grandmothers, including her grandmother Vernita, who helped fund travel through Indian taco sales and skirt making, and other family members who pitched in with fundraising raffles.
She also credited Central Wyoming College for connecting her with a scouting platform that helped her get noticed by college coaches.
Dixey said she’ll miss her large extended family the most when she heads to California.
“I’m the oldest out of all of them,” Dixey said of her first cousins. “Very hectic, but I love them.”