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Stiles catches Fire in Portland
By Shannon Conner, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/04/01 PORTLAND, Ore. - Jackie Stiles unlaced her hightops and smiled as a camera flashed. Stiles was uncharacteristically calm. A rookie guard for the WNBA's Portland Fire, she had just endured one of the worst games of her basketball career. And the first half of Portland's 58-43 victory over Seattle on June 19 was the worst of her career, by Stiles' reckoning. She had taken zero shots in the first half, on the way to a four-point game (two of six from the field). Four months ago, the star of the Southwest Missouri State basketball team would have gone into seclusion after failing to shoot during 20 minutes of action. That air of acceptance and the braces on her top teeth are the two biggest differences between Stiles as a college basketball player and Stiles as a professional athlete. "I'm aware of what happened out there because I'm a scorer," she said. "I think that's the first time in my career I haven't taken a shot (in a half). Everything's an adjustment. I knew it would be tough. I knew the first year would definitely be a struggle. The biggest thing is that I just have to stay confident, otherwise it will snowball." Stiles' final game as a collegian came at Savvis Center in March. SMS lost in the NCAA Women's Tournament semifinals to Purdue. As the final seconds ticked away, Stiles sat on the bench with her face in a white towel. After the game ended, Stiles sat red-faced and weepy and answered questions about her future. Three weeks later, the top scorer in NCAA history was selected by Portland with the fourth pick of the Women's National Basketball Association draft. Oregon has been good to her, Stiles said. "It's so new. I'm out of my comfort zone. It feels like my freshman year in college." Transition game The hurried transition from SMS to a professional career prevented Stiles from finishing her education degree. Stiles, who is from Claflin, Kan., will return to Springfield to finish work toward her degree in the fall, and to student-teach in the spring. SMS coach Cheryl Burnett is going to allow her to work out with the team. "I miss Springfield, the SMS program - and I got so attached to those people, and what's great about having to leave there is that I'm coming into a new place very friendly - a little like the Midwest," Stiles said. "This is big-city and a little bit small, too. "It's hard. I'm a rookie, and teams are denying me pretty tough. Our offense is great, and right now we have so many other scorers. It's just not that important how I'm doing." But in the four games since her unproductive half, Stiles led the Fire in scoring, averaging 22 points including a career-high 26 against Indiana. She averaged 3.7 rebounds and four assists. She was named the WNBA player of the week. As the WNBA nears the halfway point of the season, she is averaging a team-leading 16.2 points a game, which ranks sixth overall in the league. On June 22, she followed her season-low of four points with 24 points as the Fire (8-5) beat Charlotte 66-62. "I've said all along that Jackie is a rookie and she's not going to dominate every night," Fire coach Linda Hargrove said after the game. "But she has the capability to have a huge game on a lot of different nights. She's going to be a tremendous player in this league for a lot of years." Her own traveling party On a recent night, former SMS teammate Carly Deer and Stiles' brother came to Portland, making a trek of more than 2,000 miles. It's not an isolated occurrence. Fans wearing maroon SMS hats and T-shirts have been spotted at every Fire home game. Springfield nurses Joan Baker, Diane Tucker and Laura Wandel traveled West to catch Stiles. "We're just glad she could come out here where people obviously love her as much as we do," Baker said. "You can tell this style (of basketball) is real different for her. You can see it in her face; it's all rookie." The rookie gets the biggest cheers in Portland's Rose Garden, which is also home of the NBA's Trail Blazers. Young girls wear her No. 10 jersey and then wait for autographs after the games. The adoration is something to which Stiles is accustomed. She's also accustomed to the way she's consistently double-teamed. But she was not accustomed to her initial lack of scoring. "It's very hard. I haven't even done half of what I want to do," she said. "I'm not even close to where I want to be, and it's really hard for me. I'm going through some frustrating times right now. You know - adjusting and everything coming off your senior year and doing some of those things. But what helps is we're winning, and that's the most important thing." Upon hearing Stiles voice her frustration, teammate Kristin Folkl, a former star at St. Joseph's Academy in St. Louis, interrupts. "Can I toot her horn? Because of her ability as a shooter, they double on her and that gets us open," Folkl said. "You may not have gotten shots tonight. But because of who you are and what you can do, it opens everybody else up." "Midwest connection" Folkl and Stiles have become friends, and both are starters for the Fire. Folkl said they "had that Midwest connection" as the initial bond. Stiles said she hasn't had time to be very social or see the mountains surrounding Portland. "But it's nice to see people from home," she said. "It energizes me." And sometimes it's convenient. Stiles' orthodontist will make the trip from Springfield to see her play and tighten her braces - the gift she gave herself after she signed her WNBA contract. "Right after (the college) season I got braces. Now that I got a little money I decided that it's time," she said. "They don't hurt yet. I think the biggest adjustment is everything. It's all so new. "I'm more of an instinctive player, and right now I think I'm thinking more than I usually do. To be at my best I have to just play and read the defense. I'm much better if I'm touching the ball." TO THE TOP |