More from The Q&A: Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris just finished her rookie season in the WNBA.
Even though she’s finished her season, she’s staying busy. The former Oklahoma Sooner superstar has made several appearances in Tulsa as the city works to land a WNBA team. She is also preparing to head overseas to play this fall and winter with a professional team in Israel.
All the while, though, she’s motivated by a rookie season that was a struggle. Sacramento finished 12-22, the worst record in the WNBA, and went through a coaching change mid-way through the year. Paris had her own struggles early, though she grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the Monarchs’ season finale.
Jenni Carlson: Let’s talk about your rookie season. I wrote about you right before Sacramento played Seattle on national TV. You were struggling to get off the bench, but that game seemed like a turning point.
Courtney Paris: For me, it was all about just being patient. That was the hardest thing, especially when you want to be out on the court. Your team’s not doing well. You’re struggling. It’s hard to wait for things to change. That was just a personal growth point for me. I went up to another level. The crazy thing is, a couple games after that, we changed coaches and now I had to learn a new system. That brought on its own stresses.
JC: With the coaching change being in your rookie year, did you almost get to the end and feel like, “Man, I’m just getting the hang of this”?
CP: I think everybody feels that way. We won our last game, and the second half of the season, we almost played well enough to make the playoffs. If we would’ve done that in the first half, we’d still be playing. But I’m just going to use the second half of the season into this overseas season. I’m just really excited about the opportunity to play basketball, see the world and make money doing it.
JC: Oh, yeah, the paychecks.
CP: It’s not a bad job.
JC: Did you make any fun purchases with that WNBA money?
CP: I have not. In college, (twin sister, Ashley, and I) scrapped together and were able to buy a home and a car. Now, you’re paying those mortgage payments and car notes, and it’s not as hard as it was in college. I’ve just been able to save, so that’s the cool part.
JC: Most people your age aren’t able to save much, so well done.
CP: You know, I’m not much of a shopper. The only time I ever buy anything is when I absolutely need it or I feel like I will never be able to get this again. Otherwise, I don’t buy it. Ashley’s kind of the exact opposite.
JC: I know you won one of the WNBA’s Community Assist Awards. What did that mean to you?
CP: A lot. I’m one of those people that even when everything isn’t going as well as it could be … there’s something you can do. Like in college, if you’re having a bad shooting night, at least you can rebound. This season was a struggle as far as the way our team finished. But I feel like you can always impact something or somebody. For me, being able to do work through my foundation … it was like, basketball’s not going the way I want, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a responsibility to the community.
JC: You mention your foundation. How did the Courtney Paris Pay It Forward Foundation come to be?
CP: It might even tie in a little with the whole guarantee thing back in college. (Laughs.) I just feel like I’ve had so many opportunities in my life, and I’ve been able to do so many great things, but I wouldn’t have been able to do them without help from other people. I just want to pay that back to the community. I want to help the community, help people the way I was helped. You can’t always go back and help the same people that helped you, but you can help the next little kid.
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