Kristine Scabby moved more than 700 miles to follow her basketball dream. 

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member caught the attention of the women’s basketball program at California Tribal College in Sacramento, which was recruiting Native students for its brand-new athletic program.

Scabby, a 2023 Westwood High School graduate with a headline-making basketball career, spent a year at Scottsdale Community College before heading to California. She just finished her first semester at CTC, which has a unique partnership with Sacramento State University to help tribal students earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees. In turn, Scabby helped her basketball team start its first season with a 9-4 record.

“My first semester has gone very well,” Scabby said. “I’m glad that I get to experience college at a university level. It’s not too different from SCC, there’s just a little more work. Other than that, I’ve met new people, traveled to different places in Northern California, and it’s just been a fun experience in general.”

After spending the winter holidays with family in Arizona, Scabby returned to California to continue her education and dominance on the court. She said visiting home helped her overcome the first semester’s biggest challenge: Homesickness.

“It was a little hard, going from seeing my family every day to not seeing them at all,” she said. “I was used to waking up every day and going to talk to any of my family members and finding random activities to do with them. Once I got out here [in California] it was a little hard for me to figure out what to do with all the extra time I had to myself.”

Now Scabby said she’s ready to tackle the spring semester.

“I represent my family and the Community while I’m out here,” said Scabby, “and I want to show my younger siblings and cousins that they are capable of doing whatever they put their mind to.”

A conversation with Kristine Scabby:

Question: What does your daily routine look like?

Scabby: Typically, I wake up around 5 a.m. and get ready for practice at 6 a.m. Once practice is over, I either go back to my apartment or go to class. If I had time after practice, I sometimes go lift in the fitness room in my apartment building. 

Q: How do you balance school and basketball?

Scabby: It’s been easy since we practice in the morning, then the rest of the day is for school. This past semester I had only one class a day except Tuesdays and Thursdays when I had two classes. Having practice in the morning allowed me to work on whatever I needed to. 

Q: Who or what is your biggest support system? What motivates you?

Scabby: My family has been my biggest support system since I was young. My great-grandparents are who I would say motivates me the most. This past year I lost my great-grandmother, Beverly Smith, which had a big impact on me. My great-grandparents would always sit front row at all my games when I was at Westwood and Scottsdale Community College. I could always count on them to be there sitting in the front. My grandfather Paul Smith Sr. would talk to me and give me advice and told me to play hard. I’ve made my personal goal to play my hardest each time I step on the court for them both.

Q: What would you tell younger kids who may look up to you?

Scabby: Don’t give up on yourself. Keep putting in the work on your own, even when no one is watching. Those are two main things I would keep in mind while I was in high school and during my time at SCC. I can honestly say there had been times where I wanted to quit, but I stayed strong and thought about all the people who have supported me and realized I can’t just give up.