University of Oklahoma Athletics

Paris In Primetime: Fifth Installment

February 25, 2006 | Women's Basketball

By: Athletics Communications

Courtney Paris 

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma athletics media relations office launched a campaign promoting Oklahoma freshman center Courtney Paris for national player and national freshman of the year in early January. This installment of the 'Paris In Primetime' campaign is the fifth of the season.

The promotional effort is distributed nationally, in addition to being posted on SoonerSports.com prior to each of OU's nationally broadcasted TV games.

Below is the information that was disseminated on Feb. 25:

Nebraska at No. 9 Oklahoma
  ESPN2 Sunday, Feb. 26 2 p.m.  EST
Be sure  to watch Wooden and Naismith candidate Courtney Paris as the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners attempt to extend their winning streak to 13 games against Nebraska on ESPN2 Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.

What You Need To Know
Courtney Paris is ranked among the NCAA's top-10 players in scoring (21.3), rebounding (15.0), field goal percentage (.614) and blocks (3.04). No other candidate for the Wooden or Naismith is ranked in more than two categories. For further evidence of Paris' dominance, consider the fact that she also leads all Division I players in double-double (25), a stat that is not officially tracked by the NCAA.

A History Lesson
Courtney Paris is just 26 rebounds short of the NCAA single-season freshman rebounding record. 
The rookie phenom is on pace to eclipse that mark in the next two games. 
--
No one has entered  the NCAA single season rebounding record book in 20 seasons.  The last player was Darlene Beale of Howard in 1986-87 with 459 rebounds.  The Sooner center,  who has a current total of 419 rebounds, can enter the NCAA annals at 451.  At her current pace of 15 rebounds per game, she will need eight more games this season to break the NCAA record of 534 set by Wanda Ford of Drake in 1985.

Stacking Up Against the All-Time Greats
A look at the statistics of Courtney Paris through 28 games this season compared with the freshman seasons of some of the best post players in women's basketball history:

Courtney
Paris

Cheryl
Miller

Lisa
Leslie

Anne
Donovan

Rebecca
Lobo

Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil

School

Oklahoma

USC

USC

Old Dominion

UConn

Texas

Season

2005-06

1982-83

1990-91

1979-80

1991-92

1985-86

PPG

21.3

20.4

19.4

17.0

14.3

13.5

FG %

.614

.551

.478

.630

.494

.560

RPG

15.0

9.7

10.0

12.9

7.9

7.7

Blocks

85

79

78

227

46

23

Final Words
Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke
"She is the ultimate team player.  I think maybe 10-15 years from now she's going to be the one everybody looks back on and says she's the best player women's player in history."

Sunday: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska  | Courtney Paris Bio | Season Statistics

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