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Oklahoma basketball: Courtney Paris returns home in new role

By Chip Rouse

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 06: Courtney Paris #3 of the Tulsa Shock handles the ball against Jantel Lavender #42 of the Los Angeles Sparks in a WNBA game at Staples Center on September 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 06: Courtney Paris #3 of the Tulsa Shock handles the ball against Jantel Lavender #42 of the Los Angeles Sparks in a WNBA game at Staples Center on September 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Courtney Paris, one of the greatest women’s players in Oklahoma basketball history, is returning home to her alma mater and will be an assistant on coach Sherri Coale’s staff for the 2020-21 season.

Paris played for Coale at OU from the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 season and earned All-America status (as voted on by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association) all four years.

She averaged 19.9 points, 14.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 137 games for the Sooners and is the career women’s leader at Oklahoma with 2,729 points and 2.034 rebounds. She also owns 20 NCAA records, including double-doubles (double-digit points and rebounds in the same game) in 112 consecutive games and career rebounds.

In Paris’ four seasons playing at Oklahoma, the Sooners were 113-24 overall and 55-9 in the Big 12 Conference. During that time, OU won three regular-season conference titles and two Big 12 Tournament championships. She was joined on the OU roster all four seasons by her twin sister, Ashley.

A native of San Jose, California, Paris was a three-time Big 12 Player of the Year and was Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year twice (in 2007 and 2008). She was named AP National Player of the Year her sophomore season (2006-07) and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards all four of her collegiate seasons.

Paris was a first-round selection of the Sacramento Monarchs, the seventh player taken overall, in the 2009 WNBA Draft. She played 10 seasons in the WNBA with five different teams. She won the WNBA rebounding title twice (2014 and 2015) and was a member of 2018 Seattle Storm WNBA championship team.

Sherri Coale boasts two of women’s college basketball’s all-time greats on her coaching staff. Joining Paris a a new OU assistant is Jackie Stiles, who is third all-time in NCAA women’s basketball, scoring 3,393 points in her career at Missouri State.

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