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Despite all her greatness, Jackie Stiles is not widely known outside of the Midwest.
That fact is what prompted one Springfield native to tell the Jackie Stiles story through a documentary.
On March 1st, 2001 Jackie Stiles became Women’s College Basketball’s all-time leading scorer, 21 years later Stiles is still under the spotlight, this time as the main character in her own movie.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine someone would do a movie about my life. It’s kind of hard to put into words what this entire thing means to me,” Stiles said.
The Jackie Stiles Story documentary premiered Tuesday, but the idea began over 20 years ago with Kickapoo grad turned actor, director, and producer Brent Huff.
“I live in Los Angeles now, so my parents kept telling me about this player Jackie Stiles, and so in 2001 I came back to see Jackie play and I walked into the Hammons Student Center and Jackie Stiles put on a show.” Huff added, “I’ve never seen a girl play like that before and I said, ‘One day I’m going to make a movie about Jackie Stiles.’”
Huff stayed true to his word. The documentary highlights Stiles upbringing in Kansas, before her historic tenure in Springfield.
“She was just amazing to watch, not only just on offense but on defense,” said Lady Bear fan Mark Librach.
The movie also shows her professional career, including injuries.
“We all have our stories, and we all go through adversity at different times in our lives and so much of how you handle that adversity is what your life is going to be. You just have to turn that adversity into a positive,” the Lady Bear legend said.
Which is exactly what this movie is, showcasing what makes Stiles so great.
“This is pure integrity and character, and I hope it’s uplifting to young athletes and young people who just want to be successful in life,” Huff said.
“If it can help just one person be more and do better and truly believe that anything is possible then it was well worth my time. I hope it just inspires people to live out their dreams,” said Stiles.
Huff says he is still working with different companies to determine where fans can see the film moving forward.
