by via Sacred Hoops Basketball
At times, we all face times of major adversity in our lives. It is how you handle that situation that determines who you are and where you go in life. Some face it head on and use it as a way to rise up above it, while others use it as an excuse to not do what they are capable of.
Josie Hill (Sisseton Wahpeton), 6’2” Rapid City Central and Sacred Hoops star, is the example on and off of the court of how we should live, how we should handle those tough situations that come our way.
One of the Top Basketball Players in South Dakota, she is also a 3.8 gpa student, Josie is as dedicated in the classroom as she is on the basketball court, and that says a ton as she lives on the court.
Josie hasn’t always had the easy road in life, being raised predominately by her Grandmother, she found herself in a care-taking role a couple of years ago when her Grandma was diagnosed as Cancer. As time went on and Grandma become even more sick, it was the thought of having to life her life with not only her caretaker, but the person in her life that has always been there for her.
Last basketball season just before Rapid City Central was to play Brandon Valley and Yankton, Josie’s Grandma took her last breath on this Earth. With so much going on – Her Losing the most important person in her life, her not knowing where she would now live, etc. Josie turned to the game to escape. She made the decision to go with the team and play the two games that weekend and WOW did she play. Since that time Josie has continued to pursue her passion of the game, she is a tireless worker and truly wants to be the best. She is a rare athlete as she wants to work on her weaknesses as she knows in doing so it will only make her stronger as a player.
She had a tremendous Summer and already has several Full Ride Scholarships even to colleges as far away as Texas and New Mexico. We asked Josie Three Questions about basketball and Life and her answers only reiterate the type of player and person that she is.
1. What did you like most about playing Summer Basketball with Sacred Hoops?
“The thing I liked most about playing summer hoops for sacred hoops was the traveling, my teammates and of course my coach Tuffy.”
2. How Have You Overcome all the Adversity that You have faced?
“How I overcame adversity was focusing on my goals. When I felt down instead of giving up I channeled that energy into something positive and that was basketball for me. So basketball is more than a game to me. Also I surrounded myself with positive peoplewho gave me a lot of support.”
3. What advice would you give to a young girl wanting to be a future basketball player?
“The advice that I would give to you younger girls who want to be future basketball players is don’t be afraid and have confidence. And of course spend your days in the gym working on all the skills you need to be great. Also if you you have bad/off days because everyone has those, don’t let those affect you and just keep pushing because all your hard work will be worth it in the end.”
