CLAFLIN -- Back in 1997, Jackie Stiles' basketball exploits in Claflin had spectators hanging from the rafters at the high school's 2,000-seat gymnasium.

On Saturday, Stiles packed the hometown house one more time at a community tribute to the first-team All-America selection who last season became the leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history. She finished her career with 3,393 points.

Stiles' prolific point production also helped lead the Southwest Missouri State University Bears to an appearance in the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four last month in St. Louis.

"There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today if it were not for all the support in Claflin over the years," Stiles said at a late-morning news conference in the gymnasium. "I am totally overwhelmed by the support you have given me."

The daylong festivities also featured a one-hour parade that wound through the streets of the Barton County community of 705 residents. There were T-shirts commemorating Jackie Stiles Day and the post office was canceling letters and postcards with a Jackie Stiles stamp.

Although Stiles completed her collegiate career with a loss to Purdue in the national semi-finals, the 1997 Claflin High School graduate predicted that a professional basketball career is on the immediate horizon.

Stiles will be entered in the Women's National Basketball Association college draft, set to begin Friday.

"I never thought I'd be in this position," she said. "Sometimes I have to pinch myself and ask, 'Is this really happening?' It took a lot of people to get me where I am. And the people in this town did their job well."

Also on Saturday, Stiles was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame as officials cited the 22-year-old's mark as the all-time leading prep scorer in state history.

Stiles amassed 3,603 points during four years at Claflin High. She also holds the single-season scoring mark and the single-game record -- 71 points against Macksville High School.

Claflin High School athletic director Pat Stiles, who happens to be the basketball star's dad, said he realized that Jackie might have a future on the hardwood at the age of 5.

"She kept dribbling basketballs around," he said. "So we thought she was either very hyperactive or, if we were lucky, she just might have some special talents when it came to basketball."

During a round of testimonials presented by neighbors and friends, a pair of Stiles' childhood pals recited a poem titled, "Ode to Jackie Stiles."

Read aloud by twins Kyle and Kevin Haxton, members of the Claflin High School class of 1995, the poem concludes with the following tribute:

"Claflin fans were quite amazed/At what this girl could do./The seats began to fill at games./She's special, this we knew./

"Our pride runs deep, she'll never know/The joy she's given us./ Claflin loves you Jackie/So very, very much."

Since arriving back in Claflin at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, the doorbell at her family's home has rung "every five minutes," Stiles said.

"It's been pretty wild since I got here," she said. "Everybody has been coming to our door. But I've been coming down to the gym for some pick-up games and leaving here at 2 in the morning. All of that brings back old memories."

Following an Easter dinner with family and friends, Stiles said she will return to the SMS campus in Springfield, Mo., this evening.

"I'm just trying to enjoy these moments because they won't last too much longer," she said.

In addition to the pending WNBA draft, Stiles said she has another year of classwork at SMS to complete a bachelor's degree in physical education. She also is involved in an ongoing weight-training program and physical conditioning.

"Hopefully, some WNBA team will want me," she said.

At an afternoon program, 1936 Claflin High School graduate Walter Hickel praised Stiles' achievements as representative of a fresh generation of Barton Countians who seek to distinguish themselves in a new age.

Hickel was elected to two four-year terms as governor of Alaska during the 1990s and was President Nixon's interior secretary in 1969.

"I'm supposed to pass the baton on to you, Jackie, and it couldn't have happened to a better person," Hickel said. "Claflin was founded about 100 years ago but, Jackie, you put it on the map."

Homemade floats in the mile-long parade proclaimed the community's collective sense of pride in Claflin's most famous daughter, including a pair of wagon-pulling miniature goats wearing sweaters emblazoned with the inscription, "Way to GOAT, Jackie."