ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope yesterday confirmed that the $3million basketball centre of excellence and purpose-built stadium planned for Canberra would feature a ''magnificent'' sculpture honouring WNBL champions the Canberra Capitals.
Details of the new facilities and sculpture are still being negotiated with Basketball Canberra. The stadium will be for the Capitals and more broadly for basketball in Canberra.
The University of Canberra has expressed an interest in establishing a sporting centre of excellence and is in talks with the Government.
However, the identity of the sporting personalities to be commemorated in bronze is not yet confirmed.
''I've long believed that Lauren Jackson is to women's basketball what Mal Meninga is to rugby league,'' Mr Stanhope said.
''I've always felt it would be fitting to acknowledge that Lauren Jackson is recognised by many as the greatest women's basketballer in the world, and a product of basketball in Canberra.
''A sculpture would be a fitting commemoration of her stature.''
Equally, he believed Capitals coach Carrie Graf deserved recognition and would like to see Graf and Jackson in a sculpture together representing coaching and management standing side by side.
''I am enthralled by Carrie Graf as a coach,'' he said.
''And I've had it in my mind the two great Caps personalities I believe deserve to be recognised into perpetuity are Carrie Graf and Lauren Jackson.''
Before any decisions are made, Mr Stanhope intends to consult with the community, Capitals' fans and the team about who ought to be depicted. Once created, the basketballer or coach cast in bronze will join rugby league greats Laurie Daly, who has been honoured with a statue, and Mal Meninga, who would also soon have one.
Mr Stanhope said it was too early to say whether a local artist would be engaged to make the sculpture and it was also not yet certain where the new facility would be located.
Graf said, ''I definitely don't think that if a statue was going up that it should be me, it should be a player.''
Fortunately, her pick was the same as Mr Stanhope's.
''Lauren Jackson is the obvious choice for me.
''She played for six years, she one of the most well known women's sport stars in Australia and the world, she's an icon.''
Graf confirmed there had been talks between the Government and Capitals about new facilities, and restated the need for new facilities.
''I think the AIS is great and the AIS athletes that have played basketball are great,'' she said.
''[However] we need a venue where we can train and play elite sport and be shown off.
''They take time to build and time to plan but I think the Capitals have proved themselves.''
Mr Stanhope hoped the new facilities and sculpture would be completed over the next year or two.