<< Back to Home
<< Back to News

 After four years in the dark, a chance to step into the light
By Winsor Dobbin, Sydney Morning Herald, November 12, 2006

Guts and drive have given former teenage sensation Jackie Stiles a second shot at the big time, writes Winsor Dobbin.

Five years ago, Jackie Stiles was the hottest name in women's basketball. That was then. This is now - and life is very different for Stiles, whose career has been plagued by injuries.

Now playing for the Canberra Capitals in the WNBL, the American is grateful for a second chance.

So much has changed for the one-time teenage phenomenon. At Missouri State University, the shooting guard set record after record, becoming the only NCAA Division I women's player to score more than 1000 points in a season.

That same year she averaged 46.4 points per game, and won the Wade Trophy, awarded to the best woman basketball player in the college ranks.

Stiles is the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and led the Lady Bears to the 2001 final four.

Later that year, after a stellar season with the Portland Fire, Stiles beat Australian star Lauren Jackson for the WNBA rookie-of-the-year award and was named on the WNBA All-Star team, landing endorsement deals with large companies.

The Fire folded in 2002 and Stiles was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks, but did not play again - until 10 days ago, when she made a tentative return to the court against the Townsville Fire, playing only seven minutes, reuniting with Tully Bevilaqua, her backcourt teammate in Portland.

In between, Stiles, 27, has had surgery 13 times after setbacks that would have destroyed a lesser athlete. Since 2002 shoulder, wrist and ankle problems - all on her right, shooting side - have been constant companions, although she had some success as a competitive cyclist.

Stiles was coaching some young basketballers in the US when she realised she was pain-free for the first time in years.

Now she hopes to eventually make it back to the WNBA and live up to her potential, which would mean her turning back the clock to days when she was known for her spinning jump shots, driving lay-ups and relentless three-pointers.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be back on court playing professionally," she says.

"I'd put all my eggs in the basketball basket, but then I accepted it was over. I'd decided to give up and move on."

After four years of struggle, during most of which she was unable to run or jump, Stiles announced her retirement. Then her body let her know it was ready for another shot.

"It was like a miracle," she says. "It was like I had to give it up fully to get it back. I'm really blessed to be given this second chance."

Small steps. One at a time. "I'm just going to have fun," she says.

"I'm not even close to the WNBA player I was, but I wouldn't be making this comeback if I didn't think I could get there.

"I'm a very competitive person and I've got a two-year plan to get back to the top - but I've got to work through it slowly. I know I'm rusty. It'll take a while and I'll have to play differently, but I'm too competitive not to give it my best."

Injuries have robbed Stiles of her quickness, leaving her to rely mostly on her outside shooting.

"I've been through a lot of pain and suffering, and I was depressed a lot," she says. "It has been hard. In four years all I'd been able to do was ride a bike, so it feels so good to be back on the court.

"I just can't stop smiling. I'm enjoying every minute. It feels so great to be back out there."

Playing in Australia is a huge step into the unknown for Stiles.

"I've never been in the position of going into something underprepared," she says. "I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a totally new situation for me."

Capitals coach Carrie Graf, the most successful WNBL coach, says it will be tough for Stiles to make it back to the top, but not impossible.

"She is a phenomenal athlete," Graf says. "It is a matter of her managing her injuries and being a different player to the one she was.

"She can't train the same way she used to and needs to make adjustments, but she has a shot.

"This a great chance for her to see if she can be a basketballer again."

Stiles has always been a great shooter - something Graf says the great players never lose.

Graf believes the presence of Stiles can only help the WNBL's profile.

"Every American sports fan knows who Jackie Stiles is," she says. "If she can use the league as a springboard back to the WNBA, then others will want to follow in her footsteps."

UNDER THE SURGEON'S KNIFE

* Since the fateful date of September 11, 2001, when she had wrist surgery in New York, Jackie Stiles has gone under the surgeon's knife 12 more times.

She's suffered through:

* Three operations to her right shoulder to repair her rotator cuff.

* Five operations on her right ankle.

* Three operations on her right wrist.

* Two operations on her right Achilles tendon, and augmented soft-tissue mobilisation, which involves controlled bruising to regenerate muscles and tendons.

TO THE TOP