A large contingent of local talent – along with “Lady Shaq” – will be coming to Denver for the NCAA Women’s Tournament this weekend.
Oklahoma’s 6-foot-4 freshman Courtney Paris, the most talked-about newcomer in women’s college basketball this season, is the best player on the highest-seeded team playing at the Pepsi Center.
“I think we have a chance to go far,” Paris said. “We have to stay together, stay tough.”
The Sooners, a No. 2 seed, open against No. 15 seed Pepperdine on Saturday morning, and a victory pits OU against the winner of seventh-seeded Brigham Young (25-5), led by former Colorado Springs Doherty High School standout Ambrosia Anderson, and 10th-seeded Iowa (17-11), which includes freshman guard Kristi Smith, a former Horizon High School star.
Anderson, a senior forward, never has met Paris, but she had an immediate reaction after viewing highlight clips on the ESPN “Selection Show.”
“I told our bigs to get her game film,” Anderson said of her advice to the Cougars’ 6-3 trio of centers: Dani Kubik, Lauren Riley and Cassie King. “I didn’t realize that she’s a freshman. Wow! She’s good.”
Local fans haven’t seen Paris in person because Colorado played the Sooners in Norman, falling 84-61 as Paris scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.
The other matchups feature reserve guard Cissy Pierce, a Heritage High School alumna from Littleton, and third-seeded Stanford (23-7) against 14th-seeded Southeast Missouri State (20-8), and sixth-seeded Florida State (19-9) vs. 11th-seeded Louisiana Tech (26-4) and reserve junior forward Amber Metoyer, a transfer from Colorado and a former Fairview High standout.
Anderson has met Pierce, the sophomore swing player averaging 13.9 minutes and 3.5 points for the Cardinal. The pair played together on the Hoopsters, a traveling Colorado club team.
“I’ll probably see her at the hotel or at practice and we’ll rehash the last couple years,” Anderson said.
Pierce’s teammate, Stanford sophomore guard Candice Wiggins, is one of the most talented players in the Denver bracket. She averages 21.2 points and 3.6 assists and is one of 12 finalists for the Wade Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best player.
For Anderson and the Cougars, it is a return to the Pepsi Center, where they advanced to the Mountain West Conference championship game last weekend before losing to Utah, 84-60.
“Gosh, I’m glad we’re in it, and grateful that we still have an opportunity to play,” said Anderson, the MWC co-player of the year. “Hopefully, the fans there are familiar with us from being there last week and will be excited to cheer on a team that they know.
“And the altitude might get to some of these teams coming in. Plus, we like the Pepsi Center. We shoot well there.”
Paris, meanwhile, has a chance to make history. She is three rebounds shy of becoming the first woman in NCAA play to produce 700 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a season. She is the daughter of former San Francisco 49ers all-pro offensive tackle William “Bubba” Paris, and her identical twin sister, Ashley, is a 6-2 forward for Oklahoma.
The Sooners are a legitimate national title contender but fell to a No. 2 seed, with North Carolina (29-1), Duke (26-3), Louisiana State (27-3) and Ohio State (28-2) getting the No. 1 spots, the latter a controversial nod over Tennessee. The second-seeded Volunteers were placed in the same bracket as the Tar Heels, who finished the season ranked No. 1.
The remaining No. 2 seeds are Maryland (28-4) and Connecticut (29-4), led by former Highlands Ranch High standout Ann Strother, who could meet the former ThunderRidge High sister duo of Abby and Emily Waner if her Huskies and the Waners’ Blue Devils reach the regional title game in Bridgeport, Conn., as expected.
Staff writer Joseph Sanchez contributed to this report.
