FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Next Friday, Nov. 20, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team will host Embry-Riddle at the BeeHoldzil Fighting Scouts Events Center in Fort Defiance, Ariz. While the game will count for no more than any other game in the standings, the impact it will have on the entire NAU Athletics Department is monumental with the game taking place on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock.

Northern Arizona University and the Native American community are so closely intertwined. With the Lumberjack men's basketball team coming off a successful run in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament last spring, and the immense love and appreciation for the game of basketball among Native Americans, this upcoming game was as close to a perfect marriage as peanut butter and jelly.

However, for one former Lumberjack alum, the game will touch her heart on several levels.

RaeAnn West starred for the NAU women's basketball team from 1995-99 and received her degree in liberal studies with an emphasis in health promotions from Northern Arizona University in May 2000. What should be pointed out is that she is also an alum of Window Rock High School, where the game will be played. As someone from the Navajo Nation, she knows the impact that this game will have.

"Basketball is a huge sport on the Navajo (reservation)," West said. "Any reservation you go to, basketball was the sport we went to when we didn't have anything else to do. As Native Americans, we always fell back on basketball because we enjoy it."

While West points out that some Native American cultures have acquired – and fell in love with – other games such as stickball and lacrosse, basketball appeals across the board because of the competition aspect.

For West, a full-blooded Navajo, she took a lot of pride in making her way to NAU following a decorated career at Window Rock High School. As a member of her high school team, she enjoyed four straight Class 3A state championships, but the transition to college was not an easy one given she graduated high school at 16 years old.

"The demands we had to meet at a Division I college were almost too much for me," West said. "I almost lost my scholarship after my first semester because I wasn't educated in time management. But it wasn't about the awards or accolades that came with it. It was about representing all Native Americans. That's what kept me humble and afloat."

West may have struggled with the transition at first, and she is far from the only freshmen to ever have difficulty moving to college, she found her niche while at NAU. As a junior, she was named the Big Sky's Outstanding Sixth Player – just one of two Lumberjacks to ever receive the award – after averaging 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in just 19.5 minutes per game in conference play. As a senior, she was named an all-conference player, while also being named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team and receiving the Marie M. Rolle Award for Team MVP.

The undersized 5-9 post player, showcased her grit, work ethic and competitiveness as a Lumberjack. To this day, West still holds the school record in career field goal percentage at .533. During her junior year, she shot 58.8 percent from the field, which stood as a school record until recent graduate Erikka Banks broke it two years ago.

Unfortunately, the proud Lumberjack was unable to fulfill the opportunity that the NAU men's basketball team will have next week. The closest West got to playing on the reservation was making a stop at her old high school gym for a practice on NAU's way to play New Mexico in Albuquerque one year. Still, she recounts it being a "huge honor" to do that, shedding light on the importance of next Friday's game.

She recalls playing in the old gym at Window Rock High School in front of sell-outs where she described the noise as "deafening."

There is no doubting how much the sport of basketball runs through the veins of many Native Americans, but where this game may also have an impact is providing the youth on the Navajo Nation hope and aspirations of something bigger.

As a former Native American Division I athlete, West is a success story. She took it upon herself to show that anything is possible with hard work, a trait embedded in the Native American culture. Similarly, the NAU men's basketball players will not only put on a show on the court, but hopefully will drive those in attendance in dream big.

"There's a lot of pride and tradition involved in being a Native American college athlete," West said. "We're role models whether you like it or not. My family taught me at an early age to be grateful for what I have and treat people with respect. When I went to NAU, I felt like I was representing all Native Americans. I didn't come from a rich family. It was either get a full-ride scholarship or I wasn't going to college."

Since graduating from NAU, West has traveled to a number of Native American tournaments and has found a home in Florida. She has participated in motivational speaking and is a certified personal trainer. West also has a job as a substitute teacher at the Miccosukee Indian School in Miami. Best of all, her daughter – one of four kids – is training at the IMG Academy to play basketball, so West and her wife spends a lot of time supporting her in her endeavors.

West, who credits her coaches at NAU, Charli Turner Thorne and Meg Sanders – continues to inspire in the present day and hopes she can be example for kids on the Navajo Nation.

"I'm 5-9 – I wasn't a big player – and I played post," West said. "I want to inspire them. If you go out and work hard, you'll get it done."

For more information on how to purchase tickets for NAU men's basketball's game versus Embry-Riddle at Window Rock, click here.