Terae Briggs is from Pryor, Montana, and it is on the Crow Reservation. Her Indian name is Brings Spring Water. She belongs to the Ties in the Bundle Clan and is a Child of the Big Lodge Clan. Her parents are Terry Briggs and Janel Spotted Bear, and her grandparents Max and Dorothy Spotted Bear helped raise her. She has five siblings, Crystal Briggs, Joshua Briggs, Marcus Spotted Bear, Kimberly Briggs, and Terrilyn Briggs.

Briggs played varsity basketball for four years and graduated from Plenty Coups High School in 2015 as the Valedictorian and served as student council president. She earned first team All State and fist team All District 6C her senior year.

She went on to play college basketball at United Tribes Technical College (2015-2016), where she was voted the first-ever Most Valuable Player as a freshman for the basketball program at the Region XIII Tournament. She helped lead the UTTC team to win the District’s and the Regional Basketball Tournament. It was UTTC’s first appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Basketball Tournament. She averaged 22.4 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game and earned second team NJCAA DII All American honors.

She received a full basketball scholarship to the University of Nevada (2016-2019) where she played three years and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies. While playing at the University of Nevada, she tallied 993 points and 692 rebounds. Her total rebounds ranks seventh for program history, her career field goal percentage of 51.2 ranks fourth, and 279 made free throws ranks sixth all time. As a senior she started all 31 games, averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game, led the team with 10 double-doubles and was named Mountain West All Conference Honorable Mention.

Brigg’s went on to play professionally, as a rookie in Sweden for the club Mark Basket until it was shut down mid-season due to COVID-19. She is now playing in Norway for the club Ulriken Eagles.

Basketball has taught her so much about life that she can’t wait to share her knowledge and experience with her niece and whomever from my reservation that wants to follow in her path of using basketball as a tool to get a college education. Her goal is to get more opportunities for basketball players who want to further their game.
Photos: The University of Nevada Photography and The Ulriken Eagles Photography