It's often said, there are more important things in life than sports. But for Charles Schrader Jr of Pine Ridge, basketball has helped him overcome life's challenges.
Meet Charles Schrader, a senior point guard for the Pine Ridge Thorpes. While he may look like your everyday high school kid on the surface, the journey he’s had to overcome over the past three years is something even an adult would struggle with.
“All of my kids are good basketball players. Every single one of them. And I’m proud of that. Yeah, very proud of that,” said Charles’ mother Lisa La Deaux. “But Charles, when he was two years old, he just had this shot. We got him one of the little goals. He just had a shot. Or even one of the little tiny goals. (This bite continued through the end.”
Throughout his youth, all Charles knew was basketball – something he and his brother Vincent ‘Vinny’ Brewer III spent a lot of time doing…together.
As he grew older, Charles had an opportunity to make Rapid City Stevens his home for his high school career.
“We had big goals for him. So did the coach. He’s seen Charles talent, he’s seen the smartness that he had, his basketball awareness. He loved him. And so, that was a big AA school, and I just really wanted it for him,” explained La Deaux. “And then my son gets killed…”
In October of 2016, a little over a month away from the start of his freshman basketball season, Charles’ brother Vinny was shot and killed right outside of the SuAnne Big Crow Center in Pine Ridge.
“Well first of all, me and my brother, we were just getting really close. We were close our whole lives, but we’re just now getting that brotherly bond, and getting really close,” said Charles Scharder Jr. “He was working out every day. He was helping me work on my game. And before the day happened, I was actually playing in a basketball tournament with him.”
Vinny’s death occurred one month before the start of basketball, and it challenged Charles to find the love for the game of basketball.
“I realized every time I come to the gym all that would go away. And that’s really when I turned to basketball is when my brother passed away,” said Schrader Jr. “Because it brought light to my family that was down, and it really helped bring my family up from my brother’s passing.”
The death of Charles’ brother Vinny altered his plans for high school. He would no longer be attending and playing basketball for Stevens in Rapid City – his plan now was to play for Pine Ridge.
In December of his freshman year, roughly two months after the death of his brother Vinny, Charles worked his way up to the starting lineup.
“I actually didn’t get to start until after we played Winnebago at the Lakota Nation Invitational. I got my shot with eight minutes to go left in the game, and I came in and I scored 14 straight,” exclaimed Schrader Jr. “And then the next day my coach told me I was starting. They trusted me, take care of the ball. And I knew I had my brother watching over me, so I was going to be good.”
After a successful opening season with the Thorpes, Charles was poised for an even bigger sophomore season – but again, life had other plans.
An awkward landing during a day of shooting hoops at open gym resulted in an aversion of Charles’ Patella Tendon – a serious ending knee injury that would end his 10th grade year before it even began.
“And it really hurt me because when I lost my brother in my freshman year, basketball season was a month away. So I literally had to hold my feelings in of my brothers passing. I had to stay strong for my family. So I really kept those feelings in. But when I got hurt, it was just like, all hit me at once, one time,” said Schrader Jr. “The passing of my brother and not playing that year, and it just all hit me at once. And I was in depression for a while.”
As fate would have it, Charles would once again find his love for the game. With help from his cousin Casey, who had coached Pine Ridge in the past, Charles was rehabbing his knee to get back on the court. At the same time, Casey would reclaim his role as the team’s head coach.
“Everything happens for a reason, you try to learn from it and turn it into a positive. Takes what cards he’s dealt, and handle it and keeps fighting,” said Pine Ridge head coach Casey Means. “He’s still here. I believe he’s the best playing in the state and I’ve said this multiple times.”
Come Charles junior season, with a healthy knee and new motivation, the Thorpes boys’ basketball team was poised for a serious run.
With ten seniors on the roster, leadership was key. Pine Ridge proved a lot of doubters wrong in 2019, which included a trip to the semifinal round of the state tournament against No. 1 ranked Tea Area. The Thorpes came up short in the game but did claim the third-place trophy at the event. While there was disappointment about not winning a state championship, the season was still labeled as a success.
“It was a once in a lifetime memory. A good memory, with my brothers I grew up with. We actually played together ever since we were little kids, and we always wanted to be at the state tournament ever since we were little. And we knew he was going to,” state Schrader Jr. “And last year, we had a really deep team, 10 guys who could probably drop 30 points a game if they wanted to. But we all made some sacrifices and put it all together as a team. And that's why we were successful.”
Now as a senior, Charles is a true leader for the Thorpes. No matter what his future holds, his legacy will leave a permanent mark on his teammates, community, and coaches of Pine Ridge.
“I’m proud of Charles for what he has overcome, how he goes about his daily life, how he carries others, how he’s humble and respectful. He’s the old ways. He reminds me of a grandpa, from the 1800’s,” explained coach Means. “He’s respectful. Watches his elders. Carries himself in a good way. Don’t talk about others. I love him like a son, that much!”
