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WNBA rookie of the year returns to Springfield
By Jennifer Byrd, The Southwest Standard, November 28, 2001 After leading the SMS Lady Bears to the Final Four last season, being the fourth overall WNBA draft pick and being named WNBA Rookie-of-the-Year, Jackie Stiles is trying to live the life of a “normal student.” “A lot of the time I feel people kind of staring at me, whispering about me. Sometimes people treat me differently, but I feel like I’m an everyday person,” Stiles said. Adjusting to life without the daily routine of basketball practice and participating in games has also been difficult for Stiles. “It’s been very tough. I’ve really gone through withdrawal, I guess. To be honest, it’s been really hard for me to watch the games. [I] just don’t feel right sitting in the stands, [I] just remember being out there,” Stiles said. Stiles misses the regularity of team workouts as well. She is now doing all of her workouts on her own. “I definitely miss it so much because my experience here was just tremendous, with the incredible support, just every aspect of being a Lady Bear,” Stiles said. The Final Four banner was unveiled at the Lady Bears’ first home game on Nov. 16 against St. Louis University. Stiles, as well as all the members of the 2000-2001 team except one, were at the banner presentation. “There was just a tremendous feeling for me to be back at Hammons Student Center and have all the Lady Bears’ fans there and hear them cheering; it brought back so many memories on that court,” Stiles said. “A lot of emotions were running.” Stiles is now looking forward to her future and her next WNBA season. Her team, the Portland Fire finished 11-21 with Stiles starting all 32 games and averaging 14.9 points a game. “I’m very excited because I was disappointed in the way we finished [last year]. I kind of have a sour taste in my mouth. I can’t wait to, hopefully, get out there and redeem myself and have a better season,” Stiles said. The short transition period between the college and professional seasons led to some exhaustion. “I’m a lot more excited for this [upcoming season] than the first one, because I came off that college season and I was pretty exhausted,” Stiles said. “I was a little scared making that transition, not knowing what to expect.” Stiles said the biggest difference between college and professional basketball is the physical nature of the game and the travel. “It’s the wear and tear and all the demands outside of basketball and juggling all those different things while trying to perform on the court,” Stiles said. During the off-season, Stiles is not exactly sure what she would like to do once she graduates besides running her own camps. She has thought about coaching or possibly being a personal trainer. The future looks bright for Stiles, and she always has the memories of last year’s run at the national championship. “I don’t know if anything could match making it to the Final Four our senior year and being such underdogs,” Stiles said. “It was truly living a dream.” TO THE TOP |