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Rez Ball Cast: Meet the Team of Basketball movie starring Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten and more

Bronwen Cerys September 30, 2024

Get ready to hit the court. Rez Ball invites you into a hidden sports landscape – the world of reservation basketball where indigenous teenagers channel their inner LeBron James (who serves as a producer on the new film). Directed by Sydney Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest), Rez Ball is a thrilling and emotional sports film based on a real team. So of course the filmmakers had to find their own team.

“It was very important to me that these kids could play basketball,” Freeland told Netflix about casting the film. “As a huge basketball fan, nothing takes me out of a movie faster than seeing someone who can’t play. Fortunately, we found that because basketball is so prevalent in these Native communities, there is a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram between Native actors and Native actors who could play basketball.”

The Rez Ball The crew called for casting and received a flood of submissions. Each prospective teammate had to pass several tests. “Out of 5,000 entries, they not only had to get on the tape reading lines, but they also had to shoot a free throw, a layup and a three-pointer,” Freeland said.

Slowly, the huge field was whittled down to the top 32, who were flown to Albuquerque for what the production called Rez Ball inviting. “We had 32 actors audition for 10 roles,” Freeland said. “The first half of the day was acting, callbacks, chemistry and line readings, mixing and matching different players and actors. Then the second half of the day was basketball camp. We worked with our basketball choreographer Mike Fisher and he ran through all of these drills and scenarios and some easy choreography to see if they could handle it. And that’s how we found our ten actors at the end of the day.”

After all this, many members of the Rez Ball The cast was finally on stage for the first time. Freeland found this both comforting and nerve-wracking. “I started working with non-actors; I feel very comfortable working with them,” Freeland said. “It was both exciting and terrifying to go back there with these higher stakes of a bigger production. Can we find the kids to bring this movie to life?”

Below you can meet the actors behind the Chuska Warriors.

Kauchani Bratt

as Jimmy Holiday

About the character

Kauchani Bratt plays Jimmy Holiday, a high school senior and basketball player who has spent his life taking care of himself and working a part-time job to help pay his single mother’s rent. After suffering an unimaginable loss, Jimmy does his best to lead the Chuska Warriors to victory.

Rez Ball is Bratt’s first film role. His tribal affiliation is with the Quechua and Coahuiltecan nations.

Jessica Matten

as Heather Hobbs

About the character

Jessica Matten plays Heather Hobbs, Chuska High’s basketball coach. A former professional basketball player herself, Heather tries to get the team back on its feet after a tragedy.

Matten’s tribal affiliation is Red River Cree Métis.

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Devin Sampson Craig

as Bryson Badonie

About the character

Devin Sampson-Craig plays point guard Bryson Badonie, who has a big mouth but even bigger basketball skills; He also has a child with his girlfriend Dezbah, who is a star player herself.

Rez Ball is Sampson-Craig’s first feature film appearance. His tribal affiliation is with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

Amber Midthunder

as Dezbah Weaver

About the character

Amber Midthunder plays Dezbah, the point guard on the Chuska girls’ team and Bryson’s partner. She is a strong athlete who juggles her ground skills with raising her six-month-old daughter with Bryson.

Midthunder’s tribal affiliation is Assiniboine-Sioux.

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River Rayne Thomas

as Tyson Yazzie

About the character

River Rayne Thomas plays Chuska Warriors center Tyson Yazzie. He’s the strong, quiet guy with a certain rough charm.

Thomas’s tribal affiliation is Plains Cree.

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Jojo Jackson

as Warlance Yazzie

About the character

Jojo Jackson plays Warlance Yazzie, Tyson’s twin brother and the Warriors’ power forward. He is the team intellectual – clever, smart and empathetic.

Rez Ball is Jackson’s first film role. His tribal affiliation is the Navajo.

Avery Hale

as Miles Martinez

About the character

Avery Hale plays Miles Martinez, a reserve player who is notorious on the reservation for his TikTok and Instagram accounts. It is also popular with women.

This is Hale’s first feature film appearance. His tribal affiliation is with the San Carlos Apache, San Felipe Pueblo, Mandan and Hidatsa.

Hunter Redhorse Arthur

as Kobe Nez

About the character

Hunter Redhorse Arthur plays Kobe Nez, a reserve player whose parents are former basketball players – they named him after their favorite professional player.

This is Arthur’s first feature film appearance, but he previously worked in Martin Scorsese’s art department Flower Moon Killer. His tribal affiliation is the Navajo.

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Henry Wilson Jr.

as Leland Tom

About the character

Henry Wilson Jr. plays Leland Tom, a speedy rookie recruited by the Warriors.

This is Wilson’s first film role. His tribal affiliation is the Navajo.

Jaren K. Robledo

as Levi Silversmith

About the character

Jaren K. Robledo plays Levi Silversmith, a reserve player who never misses a free throw.

This is Robledo’s first film role. His tribal affiliation is with the Navajo and Mohave.

Damian “LuvSmokeyy” Castellane

as Ruckus Largo

About the character

Damian “LuvSmokeyy” Castellane plays Ruckus Largo, the team’s best defender. He also works as a sanitation worker.

This is Castellane’s first film role. His tribal affiliation is the Puyallup Tribe.

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Kusem Goodwind

as Nataanii Jackson

About the character

Kusem Goodwind plays Nataanii Jackson, the team’s star player and Jimmy’s best friend since childhood. He’s an incredible player, but he struggles with depression.

This is Goodwind’s first film role. He is of Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce descent.

Ernest David Tsosie

as Benny Begay

About the character

Ernest David Tsosie plays Benny Begay, the former Rez Ball coach who coached Heather as a player. Heather asks him to help her bring the Warriors back to life after a tragedy.

Comedian Tsosie appeared in Freeland’s first feature film Drunktown’s Finest. His tribal affiliation is the Navajo.

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Rez Ball is now streaming on Netflix.

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