WNBA Draftee Determined To Pay Back Oklahoma

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MELISSA BLOCK, host:

From NPR News, it's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block. Before we say goodbye for good to the college basketball season, a word about an athlete who tried to put her money where her promise is. Oklahoma University's Courtney Paris was drafted yesterday by the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. The 6'4" center stood out in the NCAA tournament for her skills, but also because of that promise we mentioned.

Paris vowed to repay Oklahoma for all four years of her scholarship if the Sooners failed to win their first national championship. Well, they didn't win, and Paris was ready to pay. My co-host, Michele Norris, spoke with Courtney Paris about that promise and her future.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

So you're heading west. Congratulations.

Ms. COURTNEY PARIS (Basketball Player): Thank you. I'm really excited about that. Back to, you know, my hometown, so I'm excited.

NORRIS: Now, let me get this straight. You offered to pay up, but the school wouldn't take your money.

Ms. PARIS: Of course they wouldn't accept it because they're just great people and, you know, like I've said before, I've had so many Oklahoma fans say, you've done so much for us. But, still, at the same time, I still want to do something to kind of pay the university and the community back for all they've done for me.

And I've actually come up with a few different options that I'm going to have in the works when I get back to Oklahoma to kind of talk to them about, maybe some things we can do in the community, start a fund or something like that. So I'm excited about that.

NORRIS: So you're determined to pay them back one way or the other.

Ms. PARIS: Certainly, and I always think you should. I think whenever you're given something great, you should try to find a way to pay it forward and that's what I want to do for the state of Oklahoma.

NORRIS: Now, about this challenge, why did you decide to throw down this challenge? And what did your team think about it?

Ms. PARIS: Well, it was senior night and, you know, I just believe in my team. I thought we could do something special, and I wanted them to know that. And I wanted them to know that I would be accountable for that and that they could trust in me. And the scholarship payback was just, you know, a way of letting our fans know that I appreciate everything they've done for me.

And I've met up with them so many times, and they're always, like, thank you for this, thank you for that. And it was my opportunity to say, no, thank you. And I'm the one that owes you people. And it's been a great couple years. And I wanted to do something special. And I feel like, you know, we didn't win a national championship, but I still have a chance to do that.

NORRIS: So you have a twin sister, Ashley, who also played for Oklahoma. Why didn't you decide to make the scholarship payback a double dare? Or did she say, no thanks, I'm keeping my money?

Ms. PARIS: I don't know. You know, a lot of people have made a huge thing about it, and it is a huge thing, but at the time, you know, to my teammates and to our fans it really wasn't that, you know, big of a deal. And it was a great thing. And everyone believed in what we were doing. And I still believe in the season we had. And, you know, so it wasn't like as huge as, you know, maybe the rest of the world took it.

NORRIS: How much money is a four-year scholarship worth?

Ms. PARIS: I have no idea. But a lot of people have thrown $64,000 around. But you know, that's - if anything, I regret saying it because it's been more about the money and less about what it's really meant to be about, and that's about believing in what you're doing, and who you're doing it with and, also, paying back what you've been given.

NORRIS: Now, will the twin towers be separated in this case? Are you and your sister, Ashley, heading in different directions?

Ms. PARIS: Yeah, we're headed in a different direction. I'm going to Sacramento, and she's going to Los Angeles.

NORRIS: Well, same state.

Ms. PARIS: Hey, I can't get rid of her.

(Soundbite of laughter)

NORRIS: Well, Courtney, all the best to you. Congratulations on a wonderful season. And all the best to you in this next chapter of your career.

Ms. PARIS: All right. Well, thank you, I appreciate it.

NORRIS: That's Courtney Paris. She played for the Oklahoma women's basketball team. She was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs, who were speaking with her about her pledge to pay the school back for her scholarship if her team failed to win the NCAA championship, an offer Oklahoma refused.

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