Put yourself in her size 13 shoes and try finding a pair that doesn't look like it's tailor made for your grandmother.

Canberra Capitals stars Tolo and Lauren Scherf face an eternal struggle at shopping malls and they have heard every tall joke there is - perhaps to be expected when you stand at 196 centimetres and tower over most people on and off the court.

Then of course there are the stares.

As they make their way through airports en route to Adelaide where they will face the Lightning at the Adelaide Arena on Friday night, even the most unwitting punter will have an idea of who they are.

There will be no media scrum or flashing cameras, and even if you don't recognise the Capitals logo emblazoned on their clothing it's clear to see these are some of the country's premier basketballers.

The inevitable question will follow, and Tolo laughs she has finally nailed a witty response.

"‘Wow you’re tall, do you play basketball?’ Sometimes I get a bit cheeky and go ‘nah I’m a jockey’," Tolo said.

"Growing up as a tall girl? It’s tough. Everyone at school makes jokes like ‘how’s the weather up there?’ It hurts sometimes and it gets pretty frustrating, but I guess that’s also what makes me tough.

"Every day walking out in the community you’ll have someone say ‘wow, you’re tall! How tall are you?’ I’m actually glad I am a basketballer because you get that question a lot."

But the hardest thing? That would easily be shopping.

Tolo grew up in Mackay in far north Queensland, the granddaughter of two "super tall" grandfathers, and the daughter of 6'4" dad Mick and 5'10" mum Rosie.

Shopping was easy up there - the heat meant singlets and shorts usually did the trick. They aren't so effective when it comes to beating Canberra's cold winters.

"You don’t get a lot of selection like you do when you’re a normal sized person," Tolo said.

"With shoes you’ll often tend to get the grandma shoes in big sizes, but being a basketballer has helped that as well. We’re all friends and all of us tall bigs help each other out with websites and shops we know of that do sell longer stuff.

"I can’t go into a normal shop and buy women’s shoes, I have to buy them online. Or when I go to the States I tend to buy them all at once. I once bought 10 pairs to bring back to Australia."

Tolo made a triumphant return to the court against Bendigo last week after a comeback so inspiring it brought coach Paul Goriss to tears.

Now he is banking on Scherf - who has already come on in leaps and bounds this season - reaping the rewards of having an Opals star to share the court with.

"It’s huge. There’s less pressure on Lauren to have to be out there for 30 plus minutes, being the lone soldier in around the basket and becoming the focal point. There’s less pressure on her on both ends of the floor," Goriss said.

"You saw against Bendigo how many more open looks we got for Kia [Nurse], Leilani[Mitchell] and Kelly [Wilson], just by having Tolo in and around the basket, just because she demands people around her.

"Tolo will only continue to get better and better with more game time."

The best thing about it for the two Canberra centres? They actually have someone their own height to practice against.

It sure beats having to match up with Abby Cubillo or Leilani Mitchell.

WNBL ROUND 10

Friday: Adelaide Lightning v Canberra Capitals at Adelaide Arena, 7pm.

Sunday: Canberra Capitals v Perth Lynx at National Convention Centre, 3pm.