4. Jackie Stiles, Portland Fire

Opening statement: I'm very excited to be chosen by Portland. It's definitely a dream come true to be playing in the WNBA.

Q: Were you really not sure if you would be picked, as you said before?

Stiles: Well, you never know what's going to happen on draft day, and I was just hoping and praying somebody would take me and my dreams would become reality and I would get the opportunity to play in the WNBA.

Q: How has your life changed in the past few weeks?

Stiles: My life has changed dramatically the last couple of weeks. It's been very hectic, but also a lot of fun, and I've got to have a lot of great opportunities. You still never know on draft day, but, I've definitely, in the last couple of weeks, had to pinch myself, say, "Is this really happening to me?" It's just a credit to so many special people I've been surrounded by during my career.

Q: Were you focused on becoming a WNBA player at the beginning of the season?

Stiles: My main focus at the start of the season was basically to have the best senior year possible for Southwest Missouri State. I really didn't take into consideration the draft that much. I just wanted to help my team win basketball games. Once our season run was over, that's when I really started looking into where I might be going, or if I would go anywhere, so that's when I really started focusing on the next step.

Q: Has what you accomplished this season started to sink in?

Stiles: Actually, I haven't had a lot of time to reflect back on the season, because my life has been a whirlwind for the last couple of weeks. It was an honor and a privilege to play at Southwest Missouri State and it was the best decision of my life. We were living a dream by making the Final Four in St. Louis. Of course, we wish we would have played better in our final game. I wish I would have played better in my final game as a Lady Bear too, but you can't dwell on the past and you've got to move forward. So, I just had an incredible experience, all-around, playing at Southwest Missouri State.

Q: You seemed to take things very hard when you lost in the Final Four.

Stiles: It was definitely very devastating. For one, we felt like we could have played a lot better than we did. We didn't perform to our potential. And two, it's just the realization that that's the last game of your career. You don't want something so good to end. I had so many memorable moments playing at SMS. So, it was just a lot of mixed emotions at the time, when you find out that's your last game as a Lady Bear.