‘Hostile, racist’ adults targeted Cherokee girls’ high school basketball team, chief says
Teachers and other adults in the stands made “hostile and racist” gestures and comments toward Cherokee High girls’ basketball players as they celebrated their Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament Championship win in Hayesville on Saturday night, according to Principal Chief Michell Hicks.
“This was not just frustration over a loss, this was adults, including educators, choosing to direct their anger toward Cherokee student-athletes simply for winning,” Hicks said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer this week.
“Their response was not only unsportsmanlike — it was hateful,” Hicks said.
“Our student-athletes should never have to question whether they will be treated with respect when they step onto the court,” Hicks said. “Yet, they have been met with racism and hostility instead of the sportsmanship they deserve.”
Cherokee chief vows ‘immediate action’
The town of Hayesville, population 500, is the seat of government in Clay County, which borders Georgia in southwestern North Carolina. Hayesville is about 100 miles southwest of Asheville and nearly 220 miles west of Charlotte.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is taking “immediate action” in response to what happened Saturday after the win against Hayesville High, including having tribal police officers at every athletic event, Hicks said.
In a letter to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, the tribe and Cherokee Central Schools are demanding accountability from the association, Hicks said.
“Schools and referees are responsible for protecting student-athletes, and upholding the principles of respect, sportsmanship and fair competition,” the chief said. “When the administration and process fail to do so, they must be held accountable.”
He said he also intends to speak with Clay County Schools Superintendent Melissa Godfrey.
“These measures are just the beginning — we will continue to advocate for stronger protections to ensure our kids are safe, respected, and treated with the dignity they deserve,” Hicks told the Observer.
On social media Monday, Hicks said school system administrators “failed to address the issues in a fair manner, and we will not stand for it.”
The association “must enforce the standards it claims to uphold” in its handbook of rules and regulations, Hicks said.
Hicks didn’t provide specifics of what crowd members said.
WLOS reported that adults made “obscene hand gestures” to the players as they celebrated their win at mid-court, and comments against the team were later made online.
School system and association respond
In a statement on social media Monday night, Godfrey and the county Board of Education said they “deeply regret” what happened. “This behavior will not be tolerated,” according to the statement.
School officials actively investigate any report of inappropriate behavior from the stands and, if needed, “put measures in place to address poor behavior,” Godfrey and the board said.
The athletic association provided a statement for this story on Thursday saying its policy is not to comment publicly on the situation.
“The NCHSAA takes issues of racism, poor sportsmanship, and bullying very seriously, and the Association has been made aware of the events that occurred this weekend,” the statement said. Commissioner Marilyn Que Tucker “has been in contact with the involved parties.”
Racism against Cherokee longstanding, chief says
Hicks said Cherokee student-athletes, both boys and girls, have heard “hateful slurs, degrading chants and outright threats” for years, “words that are rooted in the same racism that once justified violence against our people.”
The boys’ varsity basketball team “faced discriminatory treatment” similar to the girls’ team during a game in Murphy, “making it clear that this vitriol goes beyond a single game,” the chief said.
“Yet time and time again, these acts of bigotry are dismissed or excused,” he said.
“Let this be clear: This is ‘our land,’ and we are still here,” Hicks said. “There is no excuse for this behavior, and we will not ignore it or excuse it.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘Hostile, racist’ adults targeted Cherokee girls’ high school basketball team, chief says."