Moments after a devastating Final Four loss, Oklahoma's Courtney Paris told a sideline reporter she'll make good on her promise to pay back her scholarship -- valued at $64,000 -- since her Sooners women's basketball team lost last night to Louisville 61-59.Plenty is being said about the the guarantee, but by all accounts, it is Oklahoma that owes Courtney after an incredible career in which she became the first four-time All-American in the history of women's college basketball.
Paris didn't have to make the guarantee, and certainly no one would blame her if she backed out. She'll most likely go on to play in the WNBA, but that doesn't come with the guarantee of the type of cash an NBA contract guarantees.
So I guess what I'm getting at is -- it would sure be nice (and make things a whole lot more interesting) if some of these one-and-done guys on the men's side would make similar guarantees.
Let Courtney Paris off hook for OU loss [NewsOK.com]
Paris 'makes good' on $64K promise [ESPN.com]
Here's the thing that bothers me about this, and I feel like the it's the point everyone is missing.
Paris' guarantee belittles all the other great things she did in college. On the floor, she was First-team All-American four years in a row -- and one of the greatest female NCAA players ever. Just because she failed to lead the Sooners to a title shouldn't make anyone else think less of her -- especially herself.
Plus, the guarantee sort of cheapens the great education and other perks of colleges she was exposed to. Collegiate athletics aren't 100 percent about what happens on the field or court, and I think that a few years down the road, Paris' eyes will be opened to that.