In Whatcom County, one boys’ basketball program has quietly established itself as one of the state’s premier small-school teams. Despite winning championships and consistently competing for state titles, Lummi Nation School’s boys’ basketball team has often flown under the radar outside Northwest Washington.
Last season, two journalists set out to change that narrative.
Nick Zeller-Singh, sports editor at Cascadia Daily News, and visual journalist Finn Wendt spent eight months embedded with the Blackhawks while producing “Respect the Rez: Inside the Lummi Blackhawks’ Title-or-Bust Season,” a four-part documentary chronicling Lummi Nation’s 2025-26 Class 1B state title defense. More than a basketball documentary, the project explores education, tribal sovereignty, cultural identity and community pride.
“Before I began working at Cascadia Daily News in 2024, Finn pitched to the former sports editor about beginning to cover Lummi Nation sports, specifically their basketball programs because of their success every season,” Zeller-Singh said. “In March 2025, I went to Yakima while Finn made the trip to Spokane to follow Lummi winning the 1B boys championship. After joking around for a while and talking about our similar passion for sports documentaries, Finn and I decided to reach out to coach Jerome Toby to follow the team. We also heard about Chayce Waite-Kellar transferring into the school and noticed their tough nonconference schedule, which made it a bonus to follow the team.”
The documentary features behind-the-scenes access throughout the season with interviews from players, coaches, educators, tribal leaders and community members. Rather than simply documenting wins and losses, the series examines how basketball reflects the values and resilience of the Lummi Nation community.
“Basketball is just one of many ways Lummi Nation and other Native American tribes represent their identity and fulfill the goals set by their ancestors that fought so hard for sovereignty,” Zeller-Singh said. “Basketball was the underlying theme of the documentary, but it was important to tell how Lummi Nation was able to reach this point of success both on and off the court. We made sure to talk to educators, coaches, the business council and community members so we could hear voices from all points of view.”
One of the documentary’s central themes is “rez ball,” the fast-paced style of basketball synonymous with many Native communities throughout the Northwest.
“Rez ball was born naturally where players had to make up for their lack of height with speed and tenacity,” Wendt said. “It’s kind of ironic that Chayce transferred in being one of the tallest big men in the state, but it turned out he fit perfectly into the Blackhawks’ system. I think that’s a big testament to having coach JT at the helm. He lets them play the rez ball, both he and the players grew up on, but he also knows when it’s the perfect time to break down into a play. That’s definitely a big attribute that plays into Lummi Nation School’s success.”
Building the trust necessary to tell the story authentically required months of commitment.
“It all started by showing up at the first practice and returning continuously,” Zeller-Singh said. “Finn and I would attend at least one practice or training session per week, went to nearly every game across the state and built bonds with every player through interviews, car rides, meals and other moments throughout the season. We were also able to build trust and confidence by asking questions and diving deeper into their background instead of focusing strictly on basketball.”
For Wendt, the project also highlighted the differences between documentary filmmaking and newspaper reporting.
“It wasn’t the biggest jump in the world. At the end of the day, it’s all storytelling,” Wendt said. “But for us, the biggest difference in telling this story was the time commitment it required. If you’re writing something and you’re not there for an event that happens, you can paint a picture with words. If you don’t show up for an event for a documentary, you simply don’t have anything to show the audience.”
That commitment led to unforgettable moments.
“There were so many amazing moments, but the part that sticks with me the most is the playing of the flood song during the state championship game,” Zeller-Singh said. “Although the stadium was only half full, the echoes of the drums and the roar of each Lummi fan were a heartwarming and extremely loud moment that I can cherish for a long time. It truly showed one community rallying together for its youth and seeing them fulfill the wishes of their ancestors before them.”
Following its premiere for the Lummi Nation community, the documentary was later shown during sold-out public screenings.
“I’ve been overwhelmed and incredibly grateful for how positively this project has been received,” Wendt said. “I think we knew that this was an important and powerful story to tell, but at the Lummi Nation premiere, tears were leaking around the room. I didn’t expect such an emotional response.”
One interaction after a screening has remained especially meaningful.
“Somebody recognized me on the street after going to one of the screenings and told me that watching it with their dad, who had grown up with similar experiences, became a bonding moment for them,” Wendt said. “Telling stories that connect communities is the best part about my job. Being able to premiere the project in a theater was such a unique experience.”
Although an eight-month documentary is difficult to produce regularly, Wendt believes visual storytelling will remain part of Cascadia Daily News’ future.
“Documentary or otherwise, it’s impossible to consistently dedicate time to work on eight-month-long projects,” Wendt said. “At a smaller scale, documentary storytelling will definitely continue to be part of what CDN delivers to the community. We’ll definitely keep thinking about ways we can incorporate video into stories that fall somewhere between a 40-minute docuseries and a one-minute short.”
You can stream the documentary on the CDN YouTube Channel here.
