Paris banner in rafters
Oklahoma honored four-time All-American Courtney Paris on Friday by having her No. 3 jersey retired during halftime of OU’s season opener against Belmont.
NORMAN — Courtney Paris didn’t want to be like other centers.
As a kid in Northern California, she was told she should pick a No.55 or No.00 jersey, numbers typically worn by centers and forwards.
But Paris refused to conform to those stereotypes. She might’ve had the body of a post player, but in her mind, she was still a point guard. So she picked No. 3. “The point guard for my brother’s team had No. 3,” she said. “I felt like I was out of position, like I still should be a point guard, so I picked No. 3.”
Friday night, a crimson and white No. 3 banner ascended to the rafters of the Lloyd Noble Center to honor the player that revolutionized the position and led the Oklahoma women’s basketball team through one of its most successful eras.
“My years at Oklahoma were my favorite,” said Paris, who was the 2007 National Player of the Year. “To be able to have my number hung up there, it just means so much to me and my family.”
On a trip to Norman earlier this year, Paris got a call from her former head coach. Sherri Coale wanted to talk to her in her office.
“It’s been 10 years since I’ve been in this office, but I still feel like i’m getting in trouble for something,” Paris said with a laugh, remembering the meeting.
Instead, Coale told Paris they wanted to honor her jersey.
Because she’s is in the middle of her eighth season playing professional basketball in Turkey, scheduling the ceremony was a little tough. She flew in earlier in this week and leaves Saturday.
“I’m just used it to,” she said of playing in Turkey. “It’s kind of become second nature. It’s my second home now.”
While at Oklahoma, Paris became the first-ever fourtime AP All-American, and she helped the Sooners to the 2009 Final Four.
Even though she’s been gone from Norman for nearly 10 years, Paris’ numbers are still the Sooners’ gold standard.
She’s OU’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, and holds 20 NCAA, 57 Big 12 and 69 OU records.
“Certainly while she was playing at OU, she changed the way we were as a program, but much more broadly than that, she changed women’s basketball,” said Leah Rush, a former OU forward who played with Paris from 2005-07. “She gave people a different perspective of what a center could be and what that could look like. She was transformative here and so it’s well-deserved.”