Behind what drives Chicago State's Josie Hill as one of the NCAA Division I leader in blocks

CHICAGO, Ill. - Last night's sold out crowd at Northwestern to see Cailtin Clark was proof of the influence women can have on sport and communities.

In the city, Chicago State sophomore Josie Hill is doing the same for her home in South Dakota.

"I'm already writing myself in history and I want to do continue to do more," Hill said.

Hill, a center for the Chicago State women's basketball team, is making her mark on college basketball. For the majority of the year, the sophomore has led the NCAA in blocks with 70 on the season.

"Being No. 1, that really surprised me," Hill said. "Cameron Brink from Sanford, Kamilla Cardoso from South Carolina, to be on top of that laity as a sophomore makes me feel very proud."

"It kind of snuck up on us because we knew she was good at it," Chicago State head women's basketball coach Andrea Williams said. "She stayed in longer durations, had some great games and the triple-double game was phenomenal. The excitement and culmination and end results, we're glad where we are and she's put in work for it."

Hill chose Chicago State because she wanted to help rebuild the program.

Just this year, she set the new record for most blocks in a single season.

"I was a shot blocker in high school, broke the record" Hill said. "Last year, I feel like I was still learning to control my body. I would get into foul trouble a lot. This year, I grew into having more control and my long arms really helped me with that."

While Hill is already part of the Chicago State record books, she wants to be a part of a larger change in South Dakota.

"It's really important for me to showcase my culture and who I am at the highest level of basketball," Hill said. "I want to be an inspiration to the youth back home, youth on the reservation because they're faced with a lot of adversity. I want to show them with hard work and dedication, you can do what you want. My flag is for my tribe: Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate."

It's also who she hopes to motivate with her platform.

"It's important to me because I'm deeply enriched in my roots and there's a lot of talent in Indian country and I feel like it goes unnoticed," Hill said. "I want to be a part of the change and showcasing there's talent out there."

"She's put in that ral where she's gong to be called upon differently for her agent of change when it happens," Williams said. "That's she's going to be serving a couple communities: women, the reservation, her tribe and women's basketball in general."