Paris Dishes on Life After 75

COLORADO SPRINGS -- With 75 collegiate records left broken in the wake of her freshman season, 2006 USA Women's U20 National Team Trials participant Courtney Paris is looking to add to her USA Basketball gold medal collectionshe currently has fourand to her list of friends. If selected as a team member, Paris would represent the U.S. in August at the 2006 FIBA Americas U20 Championships in Mexico City, Mexico. The Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year says trials is about meeting new people and playing great basketball.

Sports are a family affair for the 6-3 center, who graduated from Piedmont High School (Calif.) as the 2005 USA Today National Player of the Year. Her father was an All-Pro for the San Francisco 49ers and is a regular guest on Cold Pizza; her brother Wayne played football at New Mexico State; her brother David, who is currently trying to transfer, was a 6-8 forward at Cal; her brother Austin is a wide receiver at St. Mary's (Calif.); her uncle, Leonard Gray played NBA basketball for the Seattle Sonics; and her twin sister, Ashley, also a trials participant, is her teammate at women's hoops power University of Oklahoma.

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Recently, usabasketball.com sat down with Paris to discuss life after 75 broken records and four gold medals.

What would making this team mean to you?
Every year you come out, you want to be a part of it. Having that opportunity the last two years has been really special. It's another year and another great opportunity to play with some great players and meet new people, and hopefully I make it.

Are you expecting to meet many new people?
A lot of the people I played with the last two years didn't come back this year, so that was different. I think the best thing about USA Basketball is the friends you meet, and so that was really different knowing that all those girls weren't coming back. But now a whole new group of people are coming in, so I'm excited to get to know them too.

Do you keep in touch with the people you meet through USA Basketball?
That's the cool thing about it, they end up being some of your good friends.

Who was the last USA Basketball friend you talked to?
Probably Crystal Langhorne.

Of all the records you broke in your freshman season at Oklahoma, which means the most to you?
They all mean somethingI don't want to be like no, they don't mean anything. I don't know. I guess it's kinda cool to be the first player ever to get 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season. I pride myself on consistency, and it takes consistency every game to do that.

How do you set your goals for next year after such an amazing freshman season?
I think it's hard to think how am I going to top last year?' But I just like to think of it as continuing my career and adding on to my career...Just keep going, instead of I need to do this again next year.' It's too hard to think of it in that way, expecting too much of yourself.

What part of your game are you planning to improve?
Yeah, definitely. I mean just being more versatile. Maybe like a 15-foot game, but there's a lot of stuff I need to work on.

What is the strongest part of your game?
The low post.

What is the weakest part of your game?
The high post.

What is your favorite TV show?
Law and Order SVU.

What is your favorite movie?
Home Alone and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Who is your favorite comedian?
Bernie Mac.

What's in your CD player right now?
John Legend.

What is the last book you read?
Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season."

What is your pet peeve?
When people bite their tongue between their teeth when they smile.

If you could have dinner with three people from past or present who would they be?
Kia Vaughn, DeWanna Bonner and my twin sister Ashley. They're neat people. We'd talk about life.

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Image and text courtesy of usabasketball.com

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