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NO-ONE DOUBTS THAT LAUREN JACKSON RULES BASKETBALL IN AUSTRALIA. AT 21, SHE IS ALREADY ESTABLISHED AS ONE OF THE WORLD GAME'S RAREST TALENTS. BUT HAS SHE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO DELIVER ON THE PROMISES THAT OTHERS MAKE OF HER - OF YET BIGGER THINGS TO COME? BETTER BELIEVE IT.

WORDS IAN COCKERILL PHOTOGRAPHY SAGE

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"SHE'S SO GOOD SHE COULD BE THE GREATEST SPORTSWOMAN IN THE WORLD. SHE'S THAT EXTRAORDINARY." - TOM MAHER

IT'S A SUNDAY in late November and the 500 people arranged limply along the bleachers at the Penrith Sports Stadium are feeling the heat. The 2pm sun over Sydney's west has sent the outside temperature to 40 degrees. Inside, under halogen lights, it's nearer 50 degrees and every program is in use as a fan.

Worshippers? Well, no... and yes. They're basketball diehards here to watch the in-form Sydney Flames take on reigning WNBL champions Canberra. More particularly, they're here to see the Capitals' Lauren Jackson, a player her respected coach, Tom Maher, believes could be not just the best female basketballer, but the best sportswoman on the planet. At $8 a ticket that's got to represent good value, even before you throw in the free sauna.

Just why Maher is so gushing is apparent from the moment Jackson emerges in trademark black eyeliner (her "warpaint", someone once observed) for the hardly-necessary warm-up. At 195cm, she's six centimetres taller than any other player on court, with a body to match. She mightn't like the bodysuits worn in the league - she's always tugging at the legs, sucking her stomach in - but she looks every bit an athlete. Belying her height, she moves with fluency and power, all the while dribbling, passing and shooting as though born with ball in hand. Which, it happens, is not far from the truth.

Shorn of many of its best players by cashed-up European clubs, and boasting only two other players over 190cm, the WNBL is truly the little league for a player of Jackson's stature. Why, three months earlier, our most recognised player in America's WNBA was stepping out before 11,000 chanting fans at Seattle's (air-conditioned) Key Arena.

It doesn't stop her putting on a show today. Despite the enervating heat, she dominates from the tip-off, hitting nine of Canberra's first 13 points. There's the swivel and baseline drive that leaves her opponent grasping as she banks in the two. There's the three-pointers that make her such a perimeter threat. There's the court sense to pass quickly when double-teamed to give team-mates an open shot. There's the rebounding power highlighted by three consecutive boards off her own missed shots, and the blocks that force Flames forward Jessica Gray to re-think her ambitions after having successive shots swatted out of court.

There's another quality too, what Carrie Graf - the coach who's worked with her at Canberra, Seattle and in the Australian team calls "the bitch" in her. It surfaces when the scores tighten in the final quarter and team-mate Lucille Bailie gets called for an illegal block on pesky Flames guard Rebecca Mackinnon. The 168cm Mackinnon had earned Jackson's ire earlier when she got more of her neck than the ball in an unequal rebounding contest. Now, as Bailie remonstrated with the referee, Jackson elected to walk over to calm her team-mate, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she strode through Mackinnon on the way. Mackinnon righted herself and smiled knowingly. Jackson had made her point.

In the end, she makes 29 of them, to go with 16 rebounds and five blocks in the Capitals' 79-67 win. It reinforces why, when coaches usually hose down hyperbolic talk of young athletes being superstars, Jackson is an exception.

Consider this: though only 21, Jackson - Loz or Lozza to anyone who knows her - is now in her seventh WNBL season, having already been the most influential player in three championship teams and picked up two league MVPs. In two seasons with the Seattle Storm, the last as the WNBAs youngest captain, she's twice earned selection for the competition's showpiece event, the All-Star game. After more than 100 games for the Opals, she's starred at two world championships, most recently in China in September where she averaged 23 points to finish tournament top scorer and gain selection in the World All-Star 5. And you must remember the Sydney Olympics, where she led the Australians in scoring and rebounding on their way to silver. Yes, she's still a kid. But she's a kid with a veteran's portfolio.

So forget the usual conventions. Maher does. As Opals coach when Jackson debuted at 16, as the man calling the shots at the Sydney Olympics, as the only Australian to be a head coach in the WNBA, Maher deserves a hearing.

"I've had the chance to work with some champions, but Lauren's not quite like that," says Maher. "She's so good she could be the greatest sportswoman in the world. She's that extraordinary."

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SHE IS NO LESS THAN THE ONCE-IN-A-CENTURY WILDCARD THAT BASKETBALL PEOPLE BELIEVE CAN DELIVER THE ULTIMATE, AN OLYMPIC GOLD.

Graf agrees. Australia's most astute young coach, Graf hasn't been far from Jackson's side these past four years. She was an assistant to Maher at the 1998 Worlds and 2000 Olympics, coached Canberra from 1999 to 2002 and, last WNBA season, switched assistant coach jobs from Phoenix to Seattle as Storm coach Lin Dunn sought to make her star player feel more at home.

"The Opals can win Olympic gold, and the difference is Lauren Jackson," insists Graf, a contender for the top job at Seattle now Dunn has gone. "We've had Gaze, Longley, Smyth, Palubinskas, Maher, Timms, Cheesman ... potentially, we've never had anything like Lauren before. I tell people to go see this girl play while she's still in the country."

Pressure? You bet. But then the Albury?raised Jackson is accustomed to pressure every time she steps on court. For Canberra she is the go?to woman, the factor who'll decide whether the Capitals make a fourth grand final in a row. For Seattle she is the franchise player who, with the addition of dynamic guard Sue Bird last season, is expected to eventually bring the under-performing team a WNBA championship. And for Australia she is no less than the once-in-a-century wildcard basketball people believe can deliver the ultimate, an Olympic gold, whether in Athens or Beijing or whichever city hosts the 2012 Games. Appetites were whetted with silver in Sydney and, with the support of emerging talents like Penny Taylor, Hollie Grima and Laura Summerton, no-one wants to contemplate sliding back into mediocrity.

From Canberra to Seattle, Sydney to Athens, Jackson carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Let's hope it doesn't crush her.

JACKSON PARKS her black Chrysler PT Cruiser at the Lyneham shopping centre in Canberra before entering Tilley's Devine Cafe Gallery - the "after dark" home of the Capitals - and tossing a pile of letters on the table. Mail soon builds up when you are a globetrotting athlete.

As she orders a mug of cappuccino at the bar, her broad shoulders free to the air, it occurs that if anyone looks physically capable of shouldering a heavy burden, it's this woman. Almost this height as a beanpole 15-year-old, she has since added 30kg of flesh and muscle. She recalls slumping in front of the television and ordering in Indian takeaway in the dog days after the Sydney Olympics. She was horrified by the weight she put on. WNBA scouts were delighted.

Cappuccino safely in hand - a hand scored by opponents' nails Jackson manoeuvres her legs under the table and listens to a recounting of Maher's and Graf's eulogies. Dropping her eyes, she says she's read something similar before.

"But they've never said it to my face." There is a pause as she weighs the words. "They both push me to limits I didn't think I could get to. They make me want to win for them."

In their own way, Maher and Graf have undoubtedly contributed to Jackson's current state of mind. She is, she says, "really happy." Being named captain of Seattle was "pretty awesome." Finishing top scorer at the Worlds was awesome, too. She smiles and then, feeling the need to explain, says, "Basketball puts a smile on my face." Never more so than when she has to fill out those immigration cards.

"I love calling it my job. It's just such a beautiful job to have." And she's not just talking about the estimated $200,000 she earns each year.

Her pay packet reflects dizzying progress over the past decade. By her own reckoning, she wasn't even the best player in Albury when she was 11. At 14, following a commanding showing at the national titles, she was selected for the Australian under-20 team. At 15 she topped 190cm and by 16 she was leading the under-20s to world championship silver and playing for the Opals. At 17, used explosively off the bench, she was helping the Opals to world championship bronze. Before turning 18 she'd inspired the teenagers of the AIS to the WNBL title, earning the league MVP in the process. At 19 she scored 24 points and collected 13 rebounds in the gold medal game at the Sydney Olympics. And now, at 21, she's recognised from Japan to Portugal as one of the top five players on the planet. She's certainly it when it comes to women's basketball in this country, taking over where Michele Timms left off. But whereas the diminutive Timms was revered as much for her courage against the odds as her play, Jackson leaves people gasping at the breathtaking range of her talents.

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Make no mistake, Jackson is intent upon being the best in her chosen field. The story has been told and re?told how as a 12?year?old she was sat down by her parents after a petulant performance at a Country Cup carnival and told she didn't have to play if she didn't want to. She certainly didn't have to play to win their affection. After that she went to her room, sat at her computer and typed out an affirmation along the lines of "from this day on, nothing will stand in my way. . ."

"I definitely want to leave my mark on basketball," she agrees. "It's the only thing I was ever any good at. I'm certainly not gifted at anything else."

In her haste to leave a mark, Jackson admits to impatience. "I'm the most laidback person you'll ever meet off the court," she says. When it comes to basketball, however, she desperately wants all the pieces to fall into place now. She leans forward, her body suddenly tense, coffee forgotten. The urgency is palpable.

"It's about achieving everything I've ever dreamed about," she continues. "I want to win gold medals. I want to be the best player in the world." She corrects herself. "I want to be head and shoulders above every other player."

Maher's words echo. But Jackson isn't finished.

"There's this line in (the movie) McHale's Navy where Tim Curry - he's my favourite actor - is described as the second-best bad guy in the world. After the Worlds, someone said to me that I was the second-best player in the world. Second best? If you're not the best, you're not the best.

"But I'm only 21. I've got time. Then I think that's only justifying why I'm not the best now I'm going to work so hard to get there."

I believe her.

IF YOU WANT to understand why basketball people drool over what Jackson might yet become, the best person to ask is her mother. An outstanding player for Australia herself, Maree Jackson competed in two world championships. From her perspective, it's simple. There are any number of 183-to-188cm players who have Lauren's athleticism, skills and moves. What her daughter has is an extra 7-12cm "without losing anything."

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"SHE'S LEARNING WHAT'S NEEDED EVERY DAY. HOW TO CRACK SOMEONE IN THE RIBS WITHOUT BEING SEEN. HOW TO HOLD HER BODY SHE'S A FIGHTER, SHE'S MENTALLY TOUGH. IT'S INNATE - SHE'S GOT BITCH IN HER." - CARRIE GRAF

A comparison? The best might be from the men's game, where coaches were left scratching their heads when 19-year-old Earvin "Magic" Johnson - a 202cm, 115kg guard for goodness sake! - was drafted into the NBA.

"Lauren just never had an awkward or gangly phase," says Maree, who first put a basketball in her daughter's hands when she was two. "She had the co-ordination and rhythm of an athlete by the time she was three or four."

Physical tools are one thing. What about attitude? This is where Jackson's genes really delivered. She had her father's height and athleticism. But it's her mother's pugnacity that's really helped give her an aura on court.

"Her mum was an assassin," says Maher, meaning it as a compliment. Maree laughs, without disputing it. Jackson says simply that, "The way I play is very aggressive. I like it when it gets rough."

Veteran Melbourne WNBL reporter Stephen Howell, of The Age, recalls first hearing about this Albury kid with great lineage. "She was tall, she was athletic, she had the skills and she was a mongrel. That was the clincher. She can be a drama queen at times, but she's very tough."

Maher had heard the same reports before Jackson arrived for her first Opals training session as a 16-year-old. "She comes in all girly-girly, looking at all these players who are her heroes," he says. "Then you throw the ball up and she's a player, she's going for it. She gets that white-line fever."

That fever hasn't always worked to her advantage. Always possessed of a waspish tongue on court, Jackson was targeted in her first season in WNBA as the word went out that you could get inside her head by mixing a few sly blows with trash talk. The word was good. By season's end she led the league in technical fouls, otherwise known as dummy spits.

She's a quick learner, though. Last season, with Graf's help and the extra responsibility of captaincy, she reined in her temper and was rewarded with just one tech foul for the campaign. It's just one aspect of what Graf sees as her WNBA finishing school. "Day in, day out, she's going up against 6'9" girls or 6'2" girls who weigh 100kg," says Graf. "They bump her, they grind her, they smash her in the ribs. She's learning about what's needed every day. How to crack someone in the ribs without being seen. How to hold her body. She's a fighter, she's mentally tough. It's innate - she's got bitch in her."

GRAF'S ASSESSMENT would surprise the children of the Ainslie School choir who have joined Jackson for the launch of the annual Smith Family Toy Appeal at the Canberra Centre shopping mall. It's a Tuesday morning and after a sweet medley of carols before proud parents and shoppers the children have surrounded the smiling basketballer to be photographed for the local newspaper.

Shots done, the MC takes his cue to introduce "the very tall, the very talented Lauren Jackson." Taking her position on stage, Jackson is then "interviewed" about her support for the charity, her softly spoken replies still managing to convey her sincerity.

Thirty minutes later, in Tilley's welcoming surrounds, she admits her shyness means such public appearances are about as much fun as Lisa Leslie's elbows (see panel). She really must do a refresher course on public speaking. In the meantime, as a high-profile sporting celebrity in an international game, she's trying her best to deal with all the stuff that goes with the territory. The media scrutiny. The promotional work. The flying (she's a whiteknuckle flyer). The enticements to spend more time overseas. The sometimes-inexplicable behaviour of misguided fans. Indeed, if Jackson is feeling the pressure of expectation, it isn't because of any qualms about her capabilities on court.

"I can get overwhelmed fairly easily," she confides. "I need a lot of down-time."

Anticipating her discomfort, Maher sat Jackson down a few years back to warn her about the differing agendas of people who, he felt, to feel that they've touched something special."

"It call be very burdensome. Lauren isn't worldly, she's not wise beyond her years. She's a genius at basketball, but otherwise she's like any other fun-loving 21-year-old. She's a friendly, happy kid - the sort of player you like to sit next to on the bus."

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"MONEY ISN'T THE BIGGEST ISSUE FOR ME. AT THE MOMENT I DON'T WANT TO GO OVER SEAS ALL YEAR ROUND."

To date, an important part of the happiness equation for Jackson is to spend at least half the year in Canberra, when so many of her Opals team-mates ricochet between the WNBA and Europe. Home since she made the three?hour drive from Albury to the AIS at 16, Canberra is Jackson's haven, a familiar place among her best friends, close to her family and her garden. The city is just as enthusiastic. Pick up the current Celebrate Canberra magazine at the Canberra Visitor's Information Centre and there on the cover, pictured abseiling off the side of a building with Parliament Hill in the background, is Jackson.

"It's for my sanity," says Jackson of her time in Canberra. "I love it here and I like being among my friends in the league."

There's no questioning Jackson's attachment to family and friends. How many people do you know with the word "Mum" tattooed on their hip? It's why her parents spent a month in Seattle in her first season in America, and why Maree returned for a fortnight last season. "They're beautiful people," she says of her parents. "I'd take them everywhere if I had the money."

In their absence, there's always friends like Capitals team manager and former Opals team-mate Shelley Sandie, and Canberra/Opals team-mate and a fellow WNBA player Kristen Veal. Jackson's idea of a good night is to have such friends over for a glass of white and a gossip. The evening after we first met she played Monopoly with Veal - for seven hours. On Sundays she likes to tend to her basil and sunflowers and dabble with her Japanese garden. Dennis Rodman she ain't.

"I hardly ever go out," she confirms. "Apart from the fact that I'm Lauren Jackson - not that that means much - there's the thing about a 6'5" woman walking into a club. It's always like, 'Oh my God, she's huge!' When that happens every single time it can wear you down."

It's the same in Seattle, where she lives in an apartment on Queen Anne Hill overlooking the city regularly voted America's most liveable. Apart from her tendency to shop until her credit card glows, she prefers to stay in and write poetry or "dreamy" fiction, or phone her mum. The extension of such priorities is that Jackson is still playing in the WNBL when most of her Opals team-mates are chasing euros and experience in Europe.

"Money isn't the biggest issue for me. I'm only going to be playing about another ten years and I really want to enjoy it. At the moment I don't want to go overseas all year round."

The people running the game here are very grateful for that. It's not just that they can boast one of the marquee names in the world game. When the Capitals met the table-topping Townsville Fire last month, the Queensland club shifted from its usual 800-seat stadium to the 5000-seat Entertainment Centre. A league record regular season crowd of 4110 duly showed up. That's pulling power.

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While the WNBL might not offer Jackson the best competition, it does provide one distinct advantage. With 32 regular season games crammed into 11 weeks, the WNBA is punishing on a player's body. Especially on a tall, young player's body. After her first season in America Jackson needed surgery on her right shoulder. Her second ended with excruciating shin splints.

"Going from the WNBA to Europe at the moment would hurt her," contends Graf. "Going from WNBA to WNBL, where the league is shorter and not as physical, will allow her to develop her body so that she's ready for the next phase."

Maree agrees. Jackson's not convinced, but she's busy pumping weights nonetheless.

FOR ALL JACKSON might achieve in the WNBA and the WNBL it's her contribution to the Opals that will ultimately determine whether she is etched into our memory as a sportswoman for the ages.

There are two matters to consider. The first is her successful transition from wunderkind to team leader. The adjustment has been forced upon her by the post-Sydney generational handover which included two of her biggest supports, Sandie and Timms. The departure of Sandie was an especially "huge shock" - "I felt a bit empty. But I guess that's the price you pay for having friends who are a lot older."

By the end of the World Championships Jackson showed signs of having accepted her new, upgraded role. Prepared in part by a season as Storm captain, she was beginning to assert herself more in the changeroom. Opals coach Jan Stirling is in no doubt - she expects Jackson to be leader on and off the Court by Athens.

Stirling herself is the other consideration. With Maher and Graf moving on after Sydney, Jackson suddenly, found herself answering to a new boss. A four-time championship coach with Adelaide, Stirling played alongside Maree at the 1975 Worlds, but didn't immediately gel with her daughter. The situation came to a head after the opening game at the World Champion ships. As reported in Sydney's The Telegraph, assistant coaches Karen Dalton and Phil Brown - Jackson's first WNBL coach at the AIS - interceded to heal a "rift" between the coach and her star player. Reports from inside the Australian camp suggested that Stirling was intent upon changing elements of Jackson's game and didn't allow for the fact that she was hobbled by shin splints. Jackson prefers not to discuss the subject. For her part, Stirling casts it as Jackson "adjusting" to a remodelled team and a new coach introducing a few ideas of her own.

"It was a settling-in period for Lauren," says Stirling. "A head coach has to make some hard calls and Lauren definitely had to accept a little bit of change. We both have respect for each other and there's certainly no issue there at all now."

If there's to be gold in Athens, we can only, hope so.

CAN SHE CARRY the load? If she can carry, the weight of her own expectations and not get too flustered by peripheral factors, you'd be brave to suggest she can't. Because, as the sweltering 500 at Penrith can attest, Lauren Jackson is legit. SM