CLAFLIN - Claflin may have only 705 people, and the school district is just 1A. But on Saturday, "Jackie Stiles Day," it was the center of everything.

Dignitaries from all over the state took the opportunity to heap honors on Stiles, holder of the NCAA career-scoring record for women's basketball and one of the most sought-after athletes by the WNBA. U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran there; Kansas Rep. Bob Bethell, Kansas Sen. Janis K. Lee and mayors of other Kansas cities were in attendance.

Stiles is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for Claflin and the source of a lot of attention for everyone there, said Margaret Logan, Claflin's mayor.

"We're so proud of her," Logan said. "It's great to have someone call and ask about her. It's an honor to be able to tell how great she is."

And every person, every corner of Claflin, had a different way to tell it.

Claflin Junior/Senior High School enshrines Jackie Stiles. Her high-school state track trophies share space with the ESPN "Espy" for women's basketball guard of the year and the Wade Trophy, given by the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association.

Farther down the hall, her Claflin Wildcats jersey, No. 45, is retired in its case on the wall. Inside the gym, where Stiles's father, Pat Stiles, coaches basketball, a banner near the ceiling pictures the jersey as a logo: "Jackie Stiles: 1993-97."

The gym was shelter from a brief rain Saturday afternoon after a parade in Stiles's honor, where it seemed everyone in town was either on a float or waiting on the sidelines.

"The gym holds a lot more people than I'd thought it would," said Bill Rowe, athletic director for Southwest Missouri State University, whose Lady Bears were led to the women's NCAA Final Four by Stiles.

Cheryl Burnett, Lady Bears basketball coach, recalled seeing Stiles play as a sixth-grader, the beginning of a long recruitment process for the girl who would become their star guard.

Burnett remembered the man wearing a Claflin cap who showed up at a midnight practice at SMSU during Stiles' freshman year. The man, John Herter, was Burnett's first connection to the small town's love of their native daughter.

"My reaction was, 'Sir, are you nuts?' " Burnett said.

Herter had switched to a Lady Bears cap on Saturday as he helped usher Stiles to her many appointments. He wasn't nuts, he said, he just hadn't seen Stiles on the court since the previous season, when she led Claflin to the state championship.

"I just love seeing her play," Herter said. "Always have."

Joe Stiles, Jackie's grandfather, was all smiles. He recalled Jackie had told him that if she gets a pro contract, "I'll get paid for doing something I love."

The people of Claflin have a great relationship with Jackie, Joe Stiles said. "They follow her everywhere."

Boor's BBQ from Great Bend served the chow line in the school hallways before the parade. The local Boy Scout troop sold autographed Stiles pictures to help send members to camp. Eagle Radio sold compact discs of a Stiles tribute song, "Thank You, Jackie," to benefit a scholarship fund at the high school in her name.

Newspaper clippings chronicling Stiles's senior year at SMSU, pasted onto paperboard and mounted on signs, lined Kim Connell's front yard near the end of the route.

Stiles made it home in the wee hours Thursday morning after a long drive from Springfield, Mo. Connell said she was one of several people who came by with a glossy photo about 2 a.m. for Stiles to sign while she and her roommate, best friend and Lady Bear teammate Carly Deer unloaded the car.

"She signed everything," Connell said. "She was out there talking away. Normal Jackie, no big deal."

Stiles had a lot more photos, posters and T-shirts to sign throughout the day. After her brief words of gratitude, Stiles said she would stay "as long as it takes to sign everything."

Starla Willenberg, 12, Deidre Moran, 13, and Kelsey Hickel, 13, waited for Stiles in the school gym, where they said they'd seen her when she came to work out in the weight room.

"The whole town's in this building," Deidre marveled.

In the end, it was hard to say whether anyone was prouder of Jackie Stiles than her parents, Pat and Pam Stiles.

"She's really stayed down to earth," Pam Stiles said, "and I'm so thankful for that.'