By Tully Bevilaqua, November 04, 2006 First of all a big welcome and good luck to Jackie Stiles, who will make her debut for the Canberra Capitals tonight against Townsville Fire after jetsetting her way from America to Canberra in the past 48 hours. There's no rest for this gun shooter and she will add another dimension to the team as we look to continue our undefeated start to the season. It's really exciting to have Jackie in town, especially for me as we were teammates at Portland Fire back in 2001 and 2002. She arrived with about three big bags yesterday, and if I remember Jackie correctly, at least one of them will be full of make-up. She used to always look good for a game and would fix her hair a certain way before running out with the team. But it wasn't how she looked, but what she did on the court that helped her build a reputation that still stands in America today. While Jackie had limited years in the WNBA because of injury - I think at last count it was 13 operations - she made a massive impact in that time because of her shooting. She also broke all kinds of records at different levels of basketball in the United States, including the all-time leading scorer in college basketball. Jackie was so determined and dedicated to the sport that after breaking her right arm and being forced to wear a cast, she started shooting with her left hand. She was also renowned for doing 1000 shots a day. Nobody asked her to, the coach didn't tell her to, she just shot 1000 baskets a day as part of her own personal training - she lived and breathed basketball during those years. After Portland Fire went defunct after the 2002 season I went to Seattle to play in the WNBA and Jackie was picked up by the LA Sparks. That was the last time I saw her, until yesterday, because after that she struggled with injury and I didn't come up against her in the league again. No doubt she's pretty nervous about joining the Capitals, not only because it's a new country and a new team but she's trying to get back on the court again and so she'll be nervous as to how she's going to be able to perform. I remember how daunting it can be coming to a new country and new team. My first year in the WNBA was in 1998 with the Cleveland Rockers, I didn't know anyone in the team or America for that matter. I got there when there was one week left of training camp, so all the other players had been together a while and got to know each other and then all of a sudden I come in. That was probably one of the worst feelings, walking in at training and everyone staring at you wondering who the new kid on the block is and whose position is she going to take, so it is quite nerve-racking. But obviously I know Jackie and she knows Graffy to a certain extent, so hopefully that will ease her in a bit better. Jackie will line up with us tonight and we won't be expecting too much from her as she's just stepped off a huge plane trip - maybe a sneaky 30 points. Just kidding, although she's totally capable of scoring up around 30. It will be great to get back to Tuggeranong tonight, where the atmosphere is always fantastic, and it should be a tough, exciting game. Tully Bevilaqua plays point guard for WNBL side the Canberra Capitals.