Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Redmond ready to turn page on basketball career
Paige Redmond recently completed a fantastic college basketball career at the University of Central Missouri, where she was a threetime All-American and the leading scorer for a team that won a national championship.
So, now what?
A college male with such glowing credentials would likely have already signed with an agent in anticipation of being selected in the NBA draft or in playing in one of the many professional leagues overseas. With the exception of the WNBA, opportunities are far less for women, a fact Redmond considered when she decided to hang up her sneakers and prepare for life after basketball.
“If there were more opportunities then, yes, I would definitely think about playing (professionally),” said Redmond, who finished her career as the fourth all-time leading scorer at Central Missouri. “But I didn’t hire an agent, and I’ve never wanted to play far away, like overseas. I’m happy with what I’m doing now.”
The former Springdale Har-Ber standout remains today at Central Missouri, where she graduated with a degree in Public Relations. Redmond plans to pursue a master’s degree in Sports Management and continue with the women’s basketball program as a graduate assistant.
“The term we use with Paige is she is a self-made player,” Central Missouri coach Dave Slifer said. “She put the work in to become an elite player through her legendary early morning individual shooting routine and her drive to keep herself in pristine physical condition.”
Redmond is among a handful of players from Northwest Arkansas who’ve helped make the Jennies a top program in Division II. The apex came in 2018 when Central Missouri went 30-3 and won the national championship with a 6652 victory over Ashland (Ohio) University. Redmond led all scorers with 22 points in the game and was selected the Most Valuable Player in the tournament after UCM stopped Ashland’s 73-game winning streak.
“Winning the national championship was like the best thing ever,” said Redmond, who started 115 of 125 games she played in during four years at Central Missouri. “We were pretty much the underdogs all the way in the tournament. Nobody expected us to win that last game, but we did, which made it really cool.”
Redmond arrived at Central Missouri in 2015 along with Sydney Crockett, a former Fayetteville standout who is now the social media coordinator for sports at Northern Arizona University. Crockett was also a key member of the Jennies’ championship team that included Payton Taylor (Bentonville), Emilie Jobst (Rogers Heritage) and Madison Sandor (Rogers High) from Northwest Arkansas high schools. Kim Crown (Greenland) played this year as a college transfer at Central Missouri and Madisyn Pense (Farmington) will join the Jennies as a freshman next season.
“There’s a lot of good players in Arkansas,” Redmond said. “I knew the girls on our team from (playing) summer basketball. We had a lot of fun at UCM and won a lot of games together.”
Redmond’s success is another example of a player who wasn’t highly recruited becoming highly successful on the college level. Very few top players in Arkansas get to play for the Razorbacks or even a DI school. Redmond understood that and accepted a scholarship offer from a small college in Warrensburg, Mo., where she achieved great individual success and won a national championship.
Redmond accomplished what most five-star recruits only dream about.
“My goal was to play Division I basketball, but it didn’t work out,” Redmond said. “I still had some offers and took some visits, and when I got to Central Missouri, I knew this was the place I needed to be. So, my advice to others in the same situation is to find the place where you fit in.”
Redmond did more than just fit in. So much more.
“Three time All-American, 2018 Elite 8 MVP, MIAA Player of the Year, three-time First Team All-MIAA are some of the highlights just off the top of my head,” Slifer said. “She came to UCM with minimal fanfare but is leaving as one of the most decorated players in the school’s history.”