Courtney Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an
American basketball coach and former player. She is currently an assistant coach for the
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...
of the
WNBA. She last played as a
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
for the
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
of the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA). She is best known for her accomplishments during her college career at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
, where she holds career averages of 21.4 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. She holds the
NCAA record for most consecutive double-doubles at 112. During her senior season in 2009, Paris received considerable media attention when she announced that she would pay back her tuition to the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
if the Sooners did not win the
2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. She would lead Oklahoma to the Final Four before falling short to eventual national runner-up Louisville. Paris was selected with the number seven overall pick by the now-defunct
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena.
The Mona ...
in the
2009 WNBA Draft.
Early life
Paris was born in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...
.
Paris' twin sister
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris (born September 21, 1987) is an American basketball player. She is the twin sister of former WNBA center Courtney Paris, who last played for the Seattle Storm and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. She h ...
is also a basketball player. In addition to being a twin, Paris has four brothers: Wayne, David, Austin and Brandon. She has two half-brothers (Bubba's sons) William III and Christian. Her parents are Lynne Gray and former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
player
William "Bubba" Paris.
Paris transferred from
Modesto Christian High School to
Piedmont High School and then
Millennium High School in
Piedmont, California
Piedmont is a small city located in Alameda County, California, United States, completely surrounded by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it m ...
, at the start of the 2002–2003 year. Paris was named a
WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2005
WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored three points.
Paris chose Oklahoma over UConn, California, Texas, UCLA, and Syracuse.
College career
Paris is the only player in
NCAA history, male or female, to have 700 points, 500 rebounds, and 100 blocks in a season. In 2005–06, Paris set the women's NCAA record for
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
in a single season, with 539. She holds the NCAA record for most consecutive
double-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
s at 112 games, a streak which ended on February 2, 2009 against Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers; however, Oklahoma won the game, denying Summitt her 1000th career victory.
On February 8, 2009, Paris broke the record for most career NCAA Division I rebounds, formerly held by Wanda Ford of
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
.
In the Sooners' victory in the semifinals of the Oklahoma City Regional in the
2009 NCAA Tournament against
Pitt on March 29, she became the first player in U.S. college basketball history—regardless of sex, governing body, or division—with 2,500 points and 2,000 rebounds in her career.
Paris also became the first freshman named to the
Associated Press All-American team in 2006, and again made the team in 2007.
In April 2007, Paris was named the 2007 Associated Press Women's basketball player of the year. She is the first sophomore ever to win the AP Player of the year award.
She won All-American honors again her junior year, and as a senior she became the first four-time first-team
All-American in women's basketball history. She also won the
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, recognizing her as the nation's top senior women's basketball player.
At Oklahoma, Paris majored in journalism.
Paris had announced that if Oklahoma did not win the NCAA championship in 2009, her final year, she would repay her scholarship — worth about $64,000 in out-of-state tuition — to the university. She said that without a championship, "I don’t feel like I’ve earned it.”
On Sunday April 5, 2009, Oklahoma lost to the Louisville Cardinals 61–59. In a post-game interview with ESPN, Paris was asked if she would make do on her promise to repay her $64,000 basketball scholarship. She replied that she would but that it would take her some time. A week later, the university said that she did not have to repay her scholarship.
Oklahoma statistics
Source
USA Basketball
Paris was a member of the
USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Paris was the second leading scorer for the team, averaging 15.8 points per game.
Paris continued with the team as it became the U19 team, and competed in the 2005 U19 World Championships in
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
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, timezone1 = CET
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,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
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, ...
. The USA team won all eight games, winning the gold medal. Paris was the third leading scorer for the team, averaging 12.1 points per game and tied for the lead in rebounding with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Professional career
Paris was selected by the
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena.
The Mona ...
at No. 7 pick in the
2009 WNBA Draft and her sister was drafted to the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
.
On December 14, 2009 the WNBA held a dispersal draft for the Monarchs' players. Courtney was taken with the fourth pick by the
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...
. On May 12, 2010, Paris was waived by the Sky.
On February 8, 2011 she signed a free agent contract with the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
and on June 2, she was waived.
Paris signed with the
Tulsa Shock
The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; t ...
in 2012. She led the
WNBA in rebounding averaging 10.2 per game in 2014 and 9.3 per game in 2015.
On February 2, 2018, Paris signed a multi-year contract with the
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I women's basketball players with 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds
References
External links
USA Basketball profileOklahoma Sooners bioSan Francisco Chronicle: Girls Player of the Year: Courtney Paris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Courtney
1987 births
Living people
All-American college women's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Israel
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American women's basketball players
Atlanta Dream players
Basketball players from San Jose, California
Botaş SK players
Centers (basketball)
Dallas Wings players
Hatay Büyükşehir Belediyesi (women's basketball) players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi women's basketball players
Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball coaches
Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
People from Piedmont, California
Sacramento Monarchs players
Seattle Storm players
Shanxi Flame players
Sportspeople from Alameda County, California
Tulsa Shock players
American twins
Twin sportspeople