"It's always been a pit stop for me, on my way to school from Claflin and back," said the greatest scorer in the history of both Kansas high school and NCAA women's basketball.

On Saturday, though, the former All-American and Women's National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year made a basketball stop here, conducting an afternoon camp for a big group of Parsons-area girls, and a few boys, in grades three through eight.

Before Stiles moved into action - which was limited by two recent surgeries - she got a ringing endorsement from Chuck Williams, camp coordinator and a coach at many levels over the years.

"Jackie is a real role model," Williams told the crowd. "She not only has a tremendous work ethic, which she has shown for many years, she is also a person with high morals."

The former Southwest Missouri State star is also an eternal optimist.

"A little bump in the road," she said of her injuries and surgeries. "Since Sept. 11, 2001, I've had seven surgeries. But they're all over with and now I'm rehabbing.

"I'm very limited right now. The foot's coming along. I had Achilles tendon surgery. I'm starting to job. I'm cleared to take jump shots - standing. But, I had rotator cuff done a month ago, so I can't shoot now with the shoulder (the way it is).

"But they expect everything to be on the court and healthy in December. That will be a nice Christmas present, to be able to go full speed.

"Hopefully I'll be ready by May. That's when the WNBA training camp opens."

Because Stiles was limited in her actions, she had Parsons High School standout Debbie Burris assist her in demonstrating various moves.

Stiles knows why her injuries happened.

"I've always been a workout-aholic," she said. "I think my body couldn't keep up with my drive, and it just kind of fell apart on me.

"They're all basketball-related - all on the right side. I've had two on the ankle, two on the wrist, a shoulder - just over-use. I don't think my body was meant for 1,000 (jump) shots a day.

After two years with the WNBA's Portland Fire, who made her the No. 4 overall pick in the 2001 draft, she was picked up by the two-time WNBA-champion Los Angeles Sparks.

"They played for the championship this year," Stiles noted. "They lost, but it was a really good game. This is a chance to win a championship, which I've never done in my career. I'm excited about that.

"I started working camps in college. That was my summer job. I would travel around Kansas doing camps, so I've got a lot of experience.

"As a player I've grown up going to camps. That's why I'm where I am today. I'm a big believer in camps and teaching the young kids fundamentals. It's real exciting to work with kids and see them develop."

"It's amazing to me, what they can do with the basketball. The sport is getting better and better, especially on the women's side. We're getting more opportunities. Now we have the WNBA; when I was growing up we didn't have the professional league for women.

"Added opportunities, added exposure. Girls are getting excited at a young age and developing their games."