GRAND RAPIDS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers) - Playing for your country is definitely something special. But Derek Willis felt an extra feeling of pride when he played for the United States at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers: He was also representing the country's Native American community.

Willis appeared in one of the games in the February window, scoring two points in six minutes to go with two rebounds, one steal and one block against Cuba. It was the 22-year-old forward's debut for the United States national team.

"Any time you can represent your country in anything it's such a privilege. I take a lot of pride in that," Willis said. "That is probably the best feeling in the world. I feel this new sense of pride comes out in me."

Willis nearly made his debut last summer at the FIBA AmeriCup 2017, but US head coach Jeff Van Gundy did not pick him for the team. That made it all the more exciting for Willis that Van Gundy called him for the February window.

"I thought it was crazy. I was honored to be thought of and chosen to play on the team. I didn't make the team last August for the AmeriCup. The opportunity came around again and they gave me a call," he remembered.

But Willis had a special group of people rooting for him in the Qualifiers - namely many of the over five million Native Americans living in the United States.

"IT'S SPECIAL FOR ME BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY YOU CAN PUT WORK TOWARDS SOMETHING AND YOU CAN DEFINITELY DO SOMETHING BIG ... I FEEL LIKE I AM A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNGER KIDS."Willis

Willis' mother belongs to three Native American tribes: Southern Arapahoe, Pawnee and Creek. And growing up, Willis lived on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming, the seventh-largest reservation in the country. When he was 5 years old, Willis moved to Mt. Washington, Kentucky, near Louisville with his father, who was from the area.

Willis admits that he lost his connection to the Native American community and didn't find his way back to it until in college at the University of Kentucky.

"During college, I started to have a more sense of pride with it. You are getting older, and speaking to my grandma and seeing how my family was involved in the Native American community and how much l learned about some of this awesome stuff. I felt I needed to take a bigger sense of pride in that. And that’s kind of what I am doing now," he said.

Part of re-connecting to his roots for Willis was getting Native American-themed tattoos.

"I feel like it's a way to express yourself … It was only right," he said.

Willis has a number of tattoos, his favorite of which are a Dreamcatcher on his left forearm and a dead Native American chief headdress on his left shoulder.

"Those two really stick out to me. They all mean so much to me," said Willis, who also has wolf on his rib cage and a skull on his right shoulder.

And playing with USA on his jersey as a Native American meant a lot to Willis.

"It's special for me because it shows the Native American community you can put work towards something and you can definitely do something big," he said. "I feel like I am a role model for younger kids. And hopefully I can show them you can get wherever you want to get, you just have to want it bad enough."

Willis is just one of an ever-growing number of players with Native American roots who are improving and getting more attention in the United States.

Bronson Koenig, a member of the Ho-Chunk tribal nation, reached the NCAA Final Four in 2014 and 2015 with the University of Wisconsin - including becoming the first men's Native American basketball player to play and score in an NCAA title game in 2015, losing to Duke in the final. 

Koenig and Willis actually played together this season in the G-League with the Grand Rapids Drive. And Chance Comanche, whose father is a quarter Comanche, a quarter Chocktaw and half African-American, played this season for the Memphis Hustle of the G-League after spending two years at the University of Arizona.

A couple of other Native Americans on the rise are Lindy Waters III, who finished his sophomore season at Oklahoma State, and Kamaka Hepa of Inupiaq in Alaska, who will be heading to the University of Texas after being the number one high school player in Oregon.

It all comes down to how you play on the court, Willis insists.

"I think it's just as simple as if they can play, they can play. If they can't then it will get shown out on the court. The Native American athletes have obviously proven ourselves," he said. "If you're Native American or whatever, you just have to work at it. And if you’re good enough, you’re good enough."

And now the Native American community have another role model to look up to, knowing they could even play for the United States like Derek Willis.

FIBA