Erin Bolen * News-Leader * October 5, 2008 Jackie Stiles is all grown up. The former Missouri State women's basketball star turns 30 in December, and she has finally come to terms with the fact her basketball career is over. It wasn't an easy decision. After leading the Lady Bears to the Final Four in 2001, Stiles earned Rookie of the Year honors with the WNBA's Portland Fire before a variety of injuries forced her off the court. She retired from professional basketball in 2007 after two failed comeback attempts in other leagues. The News-Leader caught up with Stiles, who now lives in Wichita, Kan., while she was in Springfield on Wednesday to speak at the Women's Intersports Network awards reception.

Q: What are you doing these days?

A: "Right now, I have my company, J. Stiles Total Training, where I do personal training, basketball lessons and I do motivational speaking and a little broadcasting. I'm getting ready to launch a new Web site, JackieStilesBasketball.com, where you can see everything that I do. I hope to have it done in the next couple of weeks, but you can go there now and register your e-mail address." Q: Who do you broadcast for? A: "I've done a couple things with Wichita State. I was going to do a couple things in Springfield with Mediacom, but it ended up falling through because I couldn't do all of the games because of my camp schedule." Q: Have you started to play basketball again? A: "No. I've essentially retired. I already had 13 surgeries. My mind wants to do it, and I still have the drive, but my body just isn't there. I'm too competitive to not be the player I used to be. "You realize as you get older, you only have one body. It was starting to affect my quality of life, so I had to walk away. I know I gave it everything I had. I don't have regrets, but it's hard not to end it on your own terms."

Q: Can you even play pickup basketball?

A: "I can't. I could maybe one day, but the next day, I'd pay the price. I can't do anything high-impact. I can't run, jump or even jog, really. I need left knee surgery, but I'm trying to put it off as long as I can. That's really what the root of all it is. I can't do anything with impact. I could probably play half-court a little bit, but I just don't. I just can't. "I do do a lot of demonstrating as far as ball-handing and shooting at my camps, though, so there is that."

Q: How much do you follow the Lady Bears program these days? How many games do you get to with your little sister Roxy on the team?

A: "I have a hard time listening. It makes me too nervous listening and not being able to see it. But I try to get up there as much as possible. I know that she only has two years left, and I'm just so proud of what she's been able to accomplish."

Q: Where are you the bigger legend -- in Claflin, Kan., or in Springfield?

A: "Probably Springfield. I'm always so excited to go back there because I'm flooded with so many memories. I tell people it's the best four years of my life, and one of the things that made it so special was the community and fans. They drove you to be the best you could be because you wanted to give them something to cheer about. I wanted to do everything I could to bring joy to them."

Q: What do you think about the new JQH Arena?

A: "I haven't seen the final product, but from what I've seen, it looks amazing. It's going to be a pretty exciting opportunity. I'm jealous that Roxy gets to play there. But I'm so glad they didn't tear down Hammons Student Center because I have so many wonderful memories there."

Q: Would you have liked to have played at JQH?

A: "I definitely would have loved the opportunity to play there, but I can't complain that I got to play at HSC. Just the way it was built, it got so loud in there. I would have loved to try JQH, as well. It's a beautiful arena."

Q: What do you think will be the most different part of the experience?

A: "The biggest adjustment will be the depth perception, just getting used to it. But as long as you get to practice in the building, you adjust to it with practice time. Maybe I'll get to shoot some baskets in it. I know I'll at least get to live through my sister."

Q: What will it take to bring the Lady Bears program back to the level it was in the early 1990s and when you were a player?

A: "I just think Nyla will do a tremendous job. She's been successful at every level she's been at. I think it's going to be about getting talent and getting the talent buying into Nyla's system, everybody working hard and deciding that for themselves. "We made a lot of sacrifices as players and worked very hard, but every bit of it was worth it. I wouldn't trade the moments I had at Missouri State for anything in the world, and you don't recognize how special it is until it's over. I want to tell these players to take advantage of every opportunity because it goes by so fast."

Q: What do you think about Bill Rowe retiring?

A: "I was shocked, honestly. You think he's going to be there forever. I can't imagine him not being there anymore. He's been such a tremendous part of MSU athletics. It'll be sad to see him go."

Q: What do you think MSU should be looking for in a new athletic director?

A: "You just have to have someone that's going to be very supportive of all the athletic programs, to have good financial backing because it takes money to compete. "I guess they kind of consider us a mid-major, but we've typically been able to compete with the best teams in the country, and you have to have the financial support in terms of travel and in terms of facilities to be able to do that. I hope whoever it is keeps the funds rolling into athletics and they keep supporting all sports."

Q: Cheryl Burnett has been mentioned in the local rumor mill as a potential candidate for the athletic director position. Do you think she would be a good candidate?

A: "I think, basically, she can be good at whatever she chooses to do in the next phase of her life and career. There is not a harder worker. She works so hard and is so dedicated to whatever it is she's doing. She's very smart, so she could be successful at whatever she chooses because she's going to outwork everyone."

Q: How has the relationship changed between you two since you were a player?

A: "It's a lot different. It even changed throughout my career. My freshman and sophomore years, she really got on me, then finally in my junior and senior years I finally understood the process she had taken me through. That's why I wanted to play for her. "I love her intensity, and she's a disciplined coach who drives a disciplined program. I've played for disciplined and undisciplined coaches, and I'd take a disciplined one any day. They just take you to higher levels that you don't even dream you can achieve. I appreciated that so much playing for her. "Once I got to my junior and senior years, we just basically knew how each other worked. It's just so much more laid-back now that we're both adults in the working world. I've learned so much from her on and off the court."

Q: Any regrets from your basketball career or things that you would do differently in hindsight?

A: "No, honestly, because I tell people that college basketball was the best four years of my life, but the WNBA was my dream job. I mean, my ultimate dream was to be an Olympian, and I fell short of that, but even that would have fallen short of what I experienced at Missouri State. I experienced so many wonderful things in college. I got to experience one healthy year in the pros, and it didn't even compare. "But maybe I would have done some of the little things differently. When I was young, I didn't get enough sleep. My diet wasn't the greatest. I didn't always stretch before games. I probably should have listened to my body more. But I have a real high pain tolerance, and I got in trouble because by the time I'd say something was hurting, it usually meant a surgery. But my work ethic kept taking me to a higher and higher level, then all of a sudden, everything crashed down all at once. "Nothing was a freak accident. It was all overuse. It's kind of like when an old car starts to break down, everything goes. With me, it was one thing after another, and all from wear and tear."

Q: What are your goals for the future?

A: "Basically, I remember back to all the people that have helped me get where I was. Now, I have the opportunity to do that for others. I remember the impact players and coaches had on me. I want to be able to help young athletes reach their dreams. "I'm trying to figure out what I want to be the rest of my life. I always wanted to be a professional basketball player. I told my teacher in second grade that I was going to be a pro basketball player. And I got to do that, but I had to retire so young. Now, I have to figure out what I want to be in the next phase of my life, starting to find my career. I do know that I love basketball, and I want to continue to be a part of it."