The Oklahoma Women’s Basketball program has been on the rise led by their head coach Jennie Baranczyk, but let’s travel back to the mid/late 2000s.
To 18 we go, and that is Courtney Paris being named to the AP All-American team in 2006 and 2007.
Paris was awarded AP Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 2007. She was the first sophomore in history to win the AP Player of the Year award.
Paris is the daughter of former NFL player William “Bubba” Paris. Paris also played with her twin sister Ashley at the University of Oklahoma.
Paris committed to Oklahoma over Uconn, Texas, UCLA, Cal, and Syracuse after competing in the 2005 WBCA High School All-America game.
In her college debut against the Milwaukee Panthers on Nov. 11, 2005, she dropped 24 points on 80 percent shooting, grabbing 10 boards, and blocking three shots. Paris averaged about 22 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks while shooting over 60 percent from the field.
Paris and the Sooners became the 2006 conference regular season and tournament champions.
The Sooners made a Sweet 16 appearance but were eliminated by the Stanford Cardinal. Despite the loss, Paris finished the game with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
In the 2006-07 season, Paris averaged her career best as a Sooner with 23.5 points per game and about 16 rebounds. She also captured 43 points in a win against the New Mexico Lobos, marking a career-high.
Paris and the Sooners claimed the 2007 Big 12 regular season and tournament championships for the second season in a row. Paris averaged 20 points in the 2007 Big 12 tournament.
A second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance was secured. Unfortunately, the Sooners were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels, and again Paris filled the stat sheet with 31 points and 20 rebounds on 75 percent shooting.
Paris averaged about 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks in the 2007-08 season.
Her 2007-08 season high in points was 30 and she did that twice. The first one was against the Colorado Buffaloes and the second game was against the Missouri Tigers.
Oklahoma made it to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time in Paris’s career. They were bounced out by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in round 32.
The 2008-09 season being the final one of Paris’s college career, she averaged around 20 points, close to 14 boards, and three blocks. Her season high was 27 points against the Kansas Jayhawks in the conference tournament.
The Sooners claimed the third conference regular season title of Paris’s college career.
The Sooners made a Final Four appearance as they took on the Louisville Cardinals, but Louisville squeezed it out 61-5, and sadly it would be the final game of Paris’s college career. She scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Four days later, Paris was drafted seventh overall by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2009 draft and then about a decade later became a WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm in 2018.
By: Joey Ross
