OU's Paris twins not foreign to Ishee

~ Years ago, the Southeast coach unwittingly befriended the mother of two 8-year-olds.

AUSTIN, Texas -- John Ishee made his mark as a recruiter at several Division I programs before becoming Southeast Missouri State's head coach this year.

But Ishee jokingly regrets he didn't do a very good job recruiting at one of his stops as an assistant coach.

Ishee spent one season as an assistant at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., where he became acquainted with a woman named Lynne Harris.

"She worked in the school's foundation office as a fundraiser," Ishee recalled Friday. "We used to drink coffee together in the mornings. She was one of the nicest ladies I've ever met."

What Ishee did not know then was that Harris had twin daughters who were about 8 years old at the time. Those girls, Courtney and Ashley Paris, turned out to be rather talented basketball players.

They stand a good chance of giving Ishee and his team headaches today when 14th-seeded Southeast (24-7) and third-seeded Oklahoma (26-4) square off in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Courtney Paris, a 6-foot-4 sophomore center, averages 23.6 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, figures that rank third and second nationally. She was a consensus first-team All-American as a freshman and is likely to repeat that honor this season.

Ashley Paris, a 6-3 sophomore, is not as dominant as her sister but still is a solid contributor off the bench for the Sooners. She averages 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

"She (Lynne) never told me about those rascals," Ishee said, laughing. "I guess I didn't do a very good job recruiting. I should have known about those girls."

Outstanding athleticism runs in the Paris family. Their father is former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro offensive lineman Bubba Paris.

"They're great people," Ishee said of the Paris family. "And obviously the twins are great players."

Shortage of rooms

Hotel rooms have been hard to come by in Austin because of the South by Southwest music festival, which attracts 10,000 participants.

The University of Texas, the host for the eight team Austin Subregional, had to secure 265 hotel rooms. Those quickly disappeared.

Oklahoma was forced to put its band and cheerleaders in a San Antonio hotel, according to the Austin American-Statesman. LSU fans scrambled for hotels in the Austin suburbs.

"Our ticket office was getting a lot of calls from disappointed and angry fans," Oklahoma athletic department spokesman Chris Freet told the newspaper.

Oklahoma purchased 700 ticket packages, the most ever for the Sooners' early-round NCAA games. LSU sold 275, while the other six teams, including Southeast, purchased 100, the minimum required by the NCAA.

Southeast's team and travel party is staying at the Holiday Inn Town Lake. It's a short drive from the Erwin Center, where the regional games are played.

Other matchups

The winner of today's game will play the winner of sixth-seeded Marquette vs. 11th-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette. Those squads tip off at 1:30 p.m. today. The second-round game is Monday. Southeast, Oklahoma, Marquette and Louisiana-Lafayette are part of the Dayton Regional.

Today's other two games at the Erwin Center are part of the Fresno Regional. Sixth-seeded Xavier plays 11th-seeded West Virginia and third-seeded LSU faces 14th-seeded North Carolina-Asheville.

More famous bloodlines

In addition to the Paris twins being the daughters of a former NFL All-Pro lineman, another Oklahoma player has a father well known for his athletic accomplishments.

Abi Olajuwon, a 6-3 freshman reserve center who averages 2.1 points and 3.8 minutes per game, is the daughter of former NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon.

Coach-broadcaster reunion

Van Chancellor, the ESPN2 color commentator for the Southeast vs. Oklahoma game, was Ishee's high school coach in Mississippi about 30 years ago.

Chancellor, who went on to a successful college coaching career, joined the Redhawks for a team photo following their 50-minute practice session at the Erwin Center on Friday.

"We've stayed in touch over the years, but it was still great to see him," Ishee said.