Women's Hoops Year in Review

May 7, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- With one month passed since the close of the 2007-08 women's college basketball season and one month before the new class of freshman arrive on campus, what better time to review the past year in Oklahoma basketball?

The Sooners capped their 34th season with a 22-9 record, a third-place finish in the Big 12 and its 10th straight postseason appearance -- ninth in the NCAA tournament. Sherri Coale earned her 250th win as the Sooners' head coach and Courtney Paris was named a consensus All-American for the third straight season, becoming the first OU player to do so.

Season Highlight Reel |

The Year in Pictures | Schedule & Results

Before looking ahead to Ashley and Courtney Paris and Carolyn Winchester as seniors, Whitney Hand and Jasmine Hartman joining the team as freshmen and thinking about another packed schedule with national powerhouses Tennessee and Connecticut in the mix next year, view the following to revisit another successful season.

Milestones and Achievements

1,000TH GAME IN SOONER HISTORY
Oklahoma started its women's basketball program for the 1974-75 season and is approaching its 1,000th game. OU's final game of 2007-08 was its 999th, making the 2008-09 season opener the program's 1,000th.OU's all-time record is 578-421 (.579).

BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Courtney Paris was named the Big 12 Player of the Year for a second consecutive season and Defensive Player of the Year for a third time in as many years.

In 2007-08, Paris dominated with averages of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. She led the conference in rebounding and was second in scoring.

Nationally, Paris was the only player to rank in the top 50 in more than three of the eight major statistical categories -- she ranked in the top 26 of four.

59 WEEKS...AND COUNTING
With Oklahoma's finish at No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches and Associated Press polls, the Sooners have appeared in both for 59 straight polls (including preseason polls).

OU's matched its record for consecutive Top 25 poll appearances with 59 in the AP (from week 11 of the 1999-2000 season to week 11 of the 2002-03 season) and is just shy of the 60 in the Coaches (from week 11 of the 1999-2000 season to week 13 of the 2002-03 season).

Both stints including 26 consecutive weeks being ranked in the Top 10.

COALE'S 250TH VICTORY
Sherri Coale earned her 250th victory in her 12th year as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners defeated Texas A&M, 68-56, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, for the milestone win. Coale's is OU's and the Big 12's all-time leader in coaching victories and winning percentage.

PARIS PASSES 2,000
With her sixth point against Oklahoma State, Sunday, Feb. 23, Courtney Paris reached 2,000 career points quicker than any player in Big 12 or Oklahoma history. Paris was playing her 94th game. Paris finished the game with 18 points to boost her career total to 2,012.

THIRD CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASON
Oklahoma captured its third consecutive 20-win season and 13th in the program's history with is victory against Oklahoma State on Feb. 23.

PARIS' 32ND BIG 12 RECORD
If passing 2,000 career points faster than any other player in Big 12 history wasn't enough, Courtney Paris literally grabbed her second Big 12 record in the game against Oklahoma State (Feb. 23). Paris grabbed a career high 11 offensive boards to overtake Baylor's Sophia Young (489, 2003-06) as the Big 12 career offensive rebounds leader.

KAY YOW CANCER FUND AUCTION
Oklahoma fans raised $8,041 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through an online auction on SoonerSports.com. Bids were made on several items used in the Sooners' "Pack the Place Pink Night" against Georgia to promote the WBCA's "Think Pink" Week.

• 12 Pink Warm-up T-shirts raised $2,591, or $216 per shirt.
• The official game ball raised $2,550.
• Coach Coale's signed Jimmy Choo's stiletto heels raised $2,600.

EARNING SOLE POSSESSION
Oklahoma's Sherri Coale leads Iowa State's Bill Fennelly for most regular-season Big 12 Conference coaching victories with 121. Coale, Fennelly and former Texas head coach Jody Conradt had equal 110-66 records entering OU's Big 12 opener against Iowa State, which the Sooners won 67-64. Oklahoma went 11-5 in the Big 12 this season while Iowa State was 7-9.

Including Big 12 Tournament wins, Coale also leads in conference-only victories with 138. Coale also leads in overall winning percentage .636 (138-79) to Conradt's .625.

ASHLEY AND COURTNEY HIT THE CENTURY MARK
Though Oklahoma has no seniors, it isn't necessarily lacking in playing experience. Both Ashley and Courtney Paris will play their 100th collegiate game Tuesday when the Sooners meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Courtney has started all but one, after requesting to sit on senior night as a freshman, and has scored in double figures in all of them.

Celebrating Super Fans

NATIONAL ATTENDANCE LEADER
Thnaks to the team's loyal fans, Oklahoma was a national leader in home attendance once again in 2008.

After 13 home games, OU's per game attendance average was 10,254, No. 3 in the nation for average home game attendance. The top two teams -- Tennessee and Connecticut -- have larger home seating capacities than OU's arena.

Amazing Attendance
The Sooners have built one of the largest fan followings in the nation. Here's a quick look at the attendance records set recently by the program:

2002 - NCAA Championship Game Record Attendance (29,619)
2007 - Big 12 Championship Game Record Attendance (12,413)
2008 - Oklahoma state record for women's basketball attendance (13,611)
2008 - Program record No. 3 national attendance ranking (10,254)
2008 - Lloyd Noble Center three consecutive sellouts to finish season
2008 - Averaged 42 percent increase for opponent during road games

Record Season Tickets Sold
The OU Athletics Ticket Office sold 6,596 season ticket packages. The number breaks the record of 6,465 season tickets bought last season.

The Sooner fan base is one of the nation's fastest growing. The Oklahoma women's basketball team ranked No. 4 in attendance last season, averaging 10,437 fans. That was an increase of 37 percent from the 2005-06 season when Lloyd Noble Center games averaged 7,630, which was an increase of 35 percent over the previous season.

The Circus Comes to Town
When Connecticut visited Norman, Okla., to play the Sooners during the 1999-2000 season, a then-record crowd of 10,713 attended the game at the Lloyd Noble Center. OU head coach Sherri Coale likened the experience to "the circus coming to town."

It seems that Oklahoma now has its own three rings. A visit by the Sooners in 2007-08 boosts its opponent's attendance by 42 percent over its season average. This is up from 41 percent during the 2006-07 season.

Bedlam Sets Attendance Record
The Bedlam rematch between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on Feb. 23 set a Lloyd Noble Center women's basketball attendance record of 12,205. The game, which sold out 30 days in advance, was the second consecutive game in Norman to set an attendance record.

The January edition in Stillwater attracted a state record crowd of 13,611.

Three Consecutive Home Sellouts End Season
With the 12,202 in attendance for OU's home finale against Texas on March 2, the final three Sooner women's basketball home games sold out -- a program record for consecutive sellouts at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Player Personalities

WHY BE LIKE MIKE WHEN YOU CAN BE LIKE COURTNEY?
Basketball players grow up dreaming of being "like Mike," in reference to Michael Jordan. However, at least one Mike was trying to be like Courtney Paris. Kansas State's Michael Beasley was so consistent in collecting double-doubles and brash in breaking Big 12 freshman records that comparisons to his performances were often drawn to one other very dominant post player -- a female counterpart..

In 2007-08, Beasley won the league's men's player of the week honor three times and rookie of the week honor eight more. In 2005-06, Paris was named player of the week three times and the top rookie on nine occasions. Both earned national freshman of the year honors.

D--ROB: MOST VALUABLE FRESHMAN
Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson was the only freshman on a Top 25 program to lead her team in assists and steals.

Robinson broke out in OU's win against Illinois, scoring eight of her 14 points during a 16-3 run in the second half, lifting the Sooners to a 70-57 lead with 3:36 remaining. Robinson also had back-to-back steals for layups in the stretch. The Sooners won, 77-67, as Robinson recorded a career high seven steals.

Of her 378 points scored this season, 90 (24 percent) have come by way of the fast break, including 10 of her 18 against Arizona State, six of 12 at Michigan State, eight of 20 versus South Carolina, six of 16 against Baylor and six of 12 versus Georgia and Kansas State.

COALE MOST FUN TO WATCH
OU head coach Sherri Coale was recently voted by members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as the "Most Fun to Watch" head coach in the nation.

ASHLEY PARIS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Ashley Paris, a journalism major, was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6 First Team this week. To qualify, canididates must have a 3.20 cumulative GPA or better and at least one year of academic residency.

FIRST-TIME FLIER
OU freshman Jenny Vining made her first trip by airplane when the Sooners traveled to Chapel Hill to face Maryland in the State Farm Tipoff Classic.

After some tense moments at takeoff, Vining relaxed and enjoyed the flight. The trip back to Norman was much easier on the Marshall, Ark., native.

Vining's parents, Andrew and Gina, also made it to Chapel Hill for OU's season opener. However, mom and dad drove a 26-hour round trip.

BURNING LOTS OF RUBBER
With the speed and quickness OU freshmen Danielle Robinson and Carlee Roethlisberger flaunt, one can expect that they wear out shoes on a regular basis. Both actually have quite a collection as each owns over 50 sneakers -- and that number doesn't include dress shoes.

Trends

TOUGH START, TOUGH FINISH
Oklahoma opened the season with the toughest schedule in the nation as its first three games -- Maryland, Tennessee and Arizona State -- featured Top 25 ranked opponents.

Starting with Texas A&M, the seven-game end to the Sooners' regular season featured five opponents -- Texas A&M twice, Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State -- ranked in the Top 20 of both the media and coaches' polls. Only one opponent in those final seven games, Texas Tech, did not receive an NCAA Tournament bid.

PARISES WONDERFUL IN FEBRUARY
In eight February games the duo of Ashley and Courtney Paris averaged 35.3 points and 24.1 rebounds.

Ashley Paris contributed 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. She shot 54.9 percent from the field and had three of her 10 career double-doubles in the month.

Courtney Paris averaged 22.5 points and 14.8 rebounds while shooting 61.5 percent.

3-POINT WOES
Perimeter shooting had been a staple of Sherri Coale-coached Sooner teams until the law of averages caught up this season.

After recording 132 consecutive games making at least one 3-pointer, Oklahoma shot 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in its third game of the season, a win against Arizona State. This season, the Sooners have posted 18 games at .300 or below in 3-point field goal shooting, including two 0-fors and a dismal 1-for-15 game against Baylor on Feb. 17.

The Sooners shot 28.3 (113-399) percent from 3-point range in 2007-08, the team's second worst rate in its history behind a 27.3 season in 1992-93.

CHECK THE FREQUENCY
Oklahoma women's basketball appeared on television 27 times in 2007-08. The Sooners were watched on the ESPN family on networks seven times and on Fox Sports Net on five occasions.

POINTS IN THE PARIS
Coined by Nancy Lieberman after witnessing OU's dominating inside game against Georgia, Oklahoma opponents can forget about outscoring the Sooners in the paint thanks to the Paris twins.

OU outscores opponents in the paint by an average of 41 to 22. Courtney supplies 15 per game (37 percent) in the paint while Ashley contributes seven points (18 percent) in the paint per game. Together the sisters average 22 points in the paint -- as much as the entire opposing roster and half of OU's total.

CP3'S "D"
Lost in the marvel of Courtney Paris' double-double streak is her stellar defense. Paris has had an equally remarkable season defending the post as she had held her opposing matchup to an average of 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 35 percent field goal shooting.

Of those opposing players, only six have reached their respective season scoring averages and just four their rebounding average against Paris.

Against Paris and the Sooners, Maryland's Crystal Langhorne, Tennessee's Nicky Anosike and Georgia's Tasha Humphrey made just 5-of-29 (17 percent) field goal attempts.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR STEVENSON
Nyeshia Stevenson may not be starting, but she is one of the Sooners most important contributors.

After shooting 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc all last season, Stevenson finished eighth in the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage at 34 percent (28-of-82) and made at least two 3s in 10 games this season.

Stevenson broke out with a 4-for-4 3-point effort to spark the Sooners in a victory against Mississippi State.

The Little Rock, Ark., native averages 6.7 points per game, sixth best on the team and most by a reserve. After starting the season opener, she has been OU's leading off-the-bench scorer in 21 of the her 29 games as a reserve. Against Kansas, Stevenson led OU in scoring for the first time in her career with 15 points. She had a Big 12 high of 16 against Colorado.

Record Breaker

100 GAMES, 97 DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Courtney Paris has collected 97 double-doubles in 100 career games. She has an active streak of 92 consecutive games with a double-double. The streak began with a 22-point, 24-rebound effort versus UCLA on Dec. 5, 2007, and was 845 days old when OU played Notre Dame on March 25, 2008.

Double-Double Superlatives
Talk about Courtney Paris' double-double success somtimes gets stale, especially when she has had just three games in her career without one, the last being over 800 days ago. Consider this:

The Double Double-Double: Paris has played nine career games in which she has reached 20 points and 20 rebounds.

Double-Double Animal Style: Paris has 28 career games in which she has reached a double-double and recorded five or more blocks. The last was against Notre Dame (March 25) when she recorded 24 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks.

NUMBER '3' IS NO. 3
Courtney Paris, who has scored 2,141 points in 100 games as a Sooner, scored 26 points against Notre Dame (March 25) to move into the No. 3 slot on OU's career scoring list. Paris passed LaNeisha Caufield (1999-2002), who amassed a career total of 2,125.

Phylesha Whaley (1997-2000), who played 116 games, is the OU career scoring leader with 2,187 points. Molly McGuire (1980-83) is second with 2,147 in 115 games.

Should Paris finish her career with her current scoring average of 21.4 points, she will destroy the previous record of 18.9 held by Whaley.

BLOCK PARTY
Courtney Paris passed LaNae Jones (1993-96) as OU's blocks leader versus North Texas (Nov. 26). Paris entered the contest two blocks from Jones' record of 243 and counted five in the game to move past to 246.

Paris, who has OU's single-season record with 119 blocks as a freshman (and is No. 2 on the single-season list with 111 blocks as a sophomore) currently has 338 career blocks. She and Jones are the only two Sooners ever to record 100 blocks.

Paris passed Texas Tech's Cisti Greenwalt's (121 games, 2002-05) Big 12 career record of 300 blocks against Texas A&M on Feb. 12.

With a rate of 3.3 blocks per game and over one season left in her career, Paris should break 400 career blocks by the time she leaves the college game.

TCU's Sandra Irvin (2002-05) has the NCAA record for career blocks with 480 in 127 games (3.78 per game).

A PERFECT `10'
Courtney Paris' 10 points against South Carolina (Dec. 30) was a personal low, meaning she has never scored outside of double figures in her career. Only two other NCAA Division I players - LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002) and Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04) - have finished their careers scoring in double figures in every game.

The most double-figure scoring games was accomplished by Sophia Young of Baylor (2003-06), who scored 10 or more points in 130 of her 139 career games.

Paris' 10 points were 10.5 percent of OU's total 95 against South Carolina, marking her lowest percent contribution since her career began. However, Paris did manage to grasp 24 rebounds, two from her personal best and the second most in a single game by a Division I player this season.

Paris' second lowest percentage contribution came one game before against Central Arkansas, when she provided 14 of the team's program record 121. Paris played only 22 minutes in the game.

Most Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
125 LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002, 125 games)

Most Double-Figure Scoring Games
130 Sophia Young, Baylor (2003-06, 139 games)

Scored in Double Figures Every Game of Career
130* Denise Curry, UCLA (1977-81)
125 LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (1998-2002)
114 Chandi Jones, Houston (2000-04)
*Pre-NCAA Record

SOONER TIMELINE:
A YEAR IN REVIEW

• Nov. 11, 2007: Oklahoma fights back from a 42-24 halftime deficit to No. 4 Maryland, but the Terrapins prevail 76-66 at the State Farm Tipoff Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C.

• Nov. 15, 2007: CP3 vs. CP3 -- Candace Parker and Courtney Paris meet for the first time. The Sooners force No. 1 Tennessee down to the wire, leading until Alexis Hornbuckle sank two free throws with 26.7 seconds remaining.

• Nov. 22, 2007: Oklahoma earned its first win of the season in Cancun, Mexico, against No. 14 Arizona State as Ashley Paris stepped out of sister Courtney's shadow to score a then-career-high 21 points.

• Nov. 23, 2007: Courtney Paris' infamous double-double streak was finally stopped...but not by a player. A total of 36 scoring errors in OU's 88-73 win over Mississippi State are corrected based on game video one week later, reinstating the record.

• Dec. 5, 2007: Freshman Danielle Robinson emerges as one of the nation's premier rookies with a 14-point, seven-steal game in OU's 77-67 win at Illinois.

• Dec. 16, 2007: Down 11 at halftime, Amanda Thompson leads the Sooners' rally against Michigan State by recording her first double-double.

• Dec. 20, 2007: The Sooners set program records for halftime scoring margin and matched a program record for points allowed in a half (11) in its 121-48 rout of Central Arkansas.

• Jan. 9, 2008: The Sooners reeled off a 10th straight win in a 67-64 at Iowa State. Robinson scored 23 points and added seven rebounds.

• Jan. 12, 2008: The 13,611 in attendance at Gallagher-Iba Arena to watch Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play set a state record for attendance a women's college basketball game.

• Jan. 23, 2008: OU handed Texas Tech its worst loss since the Big 12 was formed, excluding a 49-point loss in an exhibition to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team.

• Jan. 27, 2008: Just as impressive as Thompson's 18 points were her two blocks on two straight possessions at the end of the game as OU held on to a win over Georgia, 65-57. Courtney Paris broke Sophia Young's Big 12 career rebounds record.

• Feb. 3, 2008: Courtney Paris nearly amassed a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks -- she had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks in the first half - as the Sooners dominated Texas, 74-58, in Austin.

• Feb. 7, 2008: Ashley Paris is named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6 First Team. She and sister Courtney will also represent OU on the All-Big 12 Academic Team.

• Feb. 9, 2008: Courtney Paris matched Cisti Greenwalt's Big 12 career blocks record at 300 during OU's 82-66 victory against Colorado.

• Feb. 12, 2008: On OU's "Pack the Place Pink Night", Sherri Coale earned her 250th win and Courtney Paris collected her 88th career double-double to pass Tim Duncan's NCAA men's record of 87.

• Feb. 20, 2008: Trailing by 10 to the Big 12 leader Kansas State, the Sooners outscore the Wildcats 40-27 in the second half for a 68-65 victory on the road.

• Feb. 23, 2008: Thompson provided a career high 23 points as Oklahoma enacted revenge on rival Oklahoma State in its 81-71 dogfight in front of a standing-room only Lloyd Noble Center.

• Feb. 27, 2008: A tale of two halves played in Lubbock. Texas Tech led OU 36-29 at the break but was held to 23 percent from the field in the second half as the Sooners triumphed 65-55.

• March 7, 2008: Courtney Paris is named the Big 12's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Danielle Robinson is named Freshman of the Year and is the lone freshman on the All-Defensive Team.

• March 11, 2008: Oklahoma is ousted from the Big 12 Tournament in a 70-64 overtime loss to Missouri.

• March 23, 2008: The Sooners win their third consecutive NCAA first round game against Illinois State.

• March 25, 2008: Charel Allen scores 35 for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish defeat Oklahoma 79-75 in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

• April 5, 2008: Courtney Paris is named to the Kodak/WBCA All-America team, becoming Oklahoma's first three-time consensus All-American.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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