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Monarchs bring Courtney Paris back to Northern California

April 9, 2009 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Sacramento Monarchs News Release


SACRAMENTO, CALIF., April 9, 2009 - The Sacramento Monarchs today selected Courtney Paris from the University of Oklahoma with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2009 WNBA Draft, which took place at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J.

"I'm so excited to have the opportunity to play with the Sacramento Monarchs," said Paris. "My first WNBA game I went to was a Sacramento Monarchs game and I've played many games on the ARCO Arena floor from my high school days. I'm thrilled to be returning to Northern California."

Daughter of San Francisco 49ers three-time Super Bowl champion Bubba Paris, Courtney Paris is the first four-time All-American recognized by the Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In 2008-09, the 6'4" center led the Sooners to the NCAA Final Four while averaging 15.9 points and 13.6 rebounds. The San Jose native set 20 NCAA records in her career and became the first college basketball player in history, regardless of gender or division, to record 2,500 points and 2,000 rebounds in a career.

"We're excited to add Paris to the Monarchs; she's the greatest rebounder in women's college basketball history," said Monarchs General Manager John Whisenant. "She set many NCAA records, including becoming the all-time leader in double-doubles, which demonstrates great consistency in rebounding and scoring."

In the second round, the Monarchs selected Whitney Boddie from Auburn University with the 20th overall pick of the 2009 WNBA Draft. The 5'9" guard from Florence, Ala., was named a 2009 honorable mention Associated Press All-American and finished her career as Auburn's all-time assist leader with 603 career assists. Considered one of the best point guards in the country, she finished the season averaging 11.2 points and 7.9 assists and leading the nation in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Sacramento also selected Morgan Warburton from the University of Utah 33rd overall in the third round of the 2009 WNBA Draft. A 5'11" guard from Price, Utah, Warburton received honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The 2009 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-MWC player ended her career with 1,886 career points, which ranks fourth all-time at Utah. Additionally, Warburton ranked in the top 30 in the country this season with 18.5 points per game while her 90.4 free-throw percentage ranked third in the nation.

The Monarchs open their 13th WNBA season at ARCO Arena as they take on the Seattle Storm, on Saturday, June 6, at 1 p.m., PDT.

Sacramento Monarchs single-game tickets are on sale today! Fans will have the opportunity to watch the team battle its Western Conference rivals more often at ARCO Arena this season, as the Monarchs will play each Western Conference team twice at home in 2009. In addition, the 34-game schedule features the Monarchs playing 11 weekend home games including four Friday, five Saturday and two Sunday games. Fans interested in purchasing Monarchs tickets can call 916-419-WNBA or visit SacramentoMonarchs.com today.



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 9, 2009


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