Q & A with Sooner Abi Olajuwon.

[stever]

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=300&ATCLID=311477

good stuff...check out the video of Courtney on the right hand side! ;)

[carolann]

That, imo, is an enjoyable Q&A. I think I like Abi.

Thanks. During the summer, I don't think to check team sites very often.

[swok34]

I met Abi Friday nite at a Fastbreak Club social.

she is the nicest person I believe I've met....as a freshman. Most of the time, the freshmen come in, kinda quiet, not sure/used to the new attention..
(Courtney and Ashley are the exception)..but Abi was going around introducing herself to everyone.

She mentioned that she liked the "slowness" of Norman..as opposed to the "fastness" of LA.

And, I can see why she would be mistaken for Courtney. I saw her from the back the first time and thought she was Courtney. She is the same size as Courtney.

Also met Jenna Plumley (5'-4 :confused: :D, with heels, maybe). and Rose Hammond. Jenna is staying on campus for July, while Rose and Abi are both going home. The other two new players will be here for July.

In regards to Abi and religion, I'm curious about how she will handle Ramadan as an athlete, but wasn't certain it was the "polite" thing to ask. She speaks freely about her religion, so I don't think it would offend her one bit.

OU also has new roster bios for the new players......I was curious what number Abi would use. Her father was #34, which she's been using, but that belongs to Erin Higgins......

Three peas in a pod: ;)
Courtney Paris #3
Abi #4
Ashley Paris#5

[OUHomer4life]

Great article....she seems like a very down to earth girl and I can't wait to see her play for my sooners!!

[YCN]

Out on the wider internet, there is a group or clique or whatever that put down Abi every chance they get: she's selfish, she's a primadonna, she's spoiled, she's not a team player.

I never bought into that at all, and I'm not at all clear where it came from. She's been a friend of Ashley and Courtney for quite some time, she was teammates with Amanda on the undefeated YDF team for USA Basketball, all these different aspects I've observed don't at all match with this pervasive negativity that many have expressed toward her.

If I had any explanation for it, I'd guess most of it is jealousy. For instance, Abi (and ironically Amanda) were if not the top recruiting targets of LSU, they were at the least two of the top three. The fact that another top player, a McDonald's AA, a really dominant player in the paint, has left the west coast to go to "cow country" I think really has some people in arms.

I don't get it, I've liked her for at least two years now. Seeing her words and the way she carries herself in an interview, with candidness and honesty, only tells me that my intuition was all I needed to know.

And besides, I know Coach Coale well enough to understand that she's too careful about the welfare of her own team to take an unnecessary chance on a potential troublemaker in her recruiting. She pursued Abi with vigor, and I think all my answers are exactly what I expected would be true.

BTW, swok, you say that she's the size of Courtney. Of course, she doesn't have the bulk of Courtney, but I actually believe that she really is 6-4 rather than 6-3. I spoke to a scout about that, and he was the one that told me that she's taller than advertized. I think your observation just about settles that issue for me as well.

I'm really excited for the coming season, this is our big chance to really jump up and make a national mark again, before we likely take a bit of a slide for 2007-08. You don't lose six veteran seniors without having some impact. But the future is incredibly bright, and I'm as happy as can be out our future prospects. We have some (not one or two) truly program-changing prospects that have expressed serious interest in our program, and I think the law of averages combined with Sherri's impressive closer abilities means that we are in for a real treat for a lot of years to come.

Stay tuned for what could be a blockbuster news event sometimes in the next month or two. There's a situation that I've been monitoring, and I like our chances. If what I think may happen comes to fruition, we will officially reach dynasty status in women's basketball.

But it's still very much in the air. We have a lot to offer, but in these situations, so does just about everyone else. I'm on pins and needles right now.

[Jennifer]

YCN, are you referring to Gilbreath?

I haven't read the article about Abi yet, but every time I read something new, I'm more and more excited that I'm soon to be a Norman resident (less than 3 weeks to go).

[YCN]

YCN, are you referring to Gilbreath?

I haven't read the article about Abi yet, but every time I read something new, I'm more and more excited that I'm soon to be a Norman resident (less than 3 weeks to go).Stefanie, and then her sister Briana, are certainly part of the equation, but not all of it. Not at all.

I'll leave it there. I have to remember that we only have a chance at those two, but I trust Sherri implicitly to have a super backup plan in place if they choose to go elsewhere. That stuff happens. Sherri knows that all too well.

Just remember, last year we didn't have a scholarship available for Alison, because (I truly believe) we told Abi we'd wait. We may see that situation again this year.

[YCN]

Oh, and Jennifer...

I wish you great success in your new career in Norman. Norman is one of the nicest towns anyone could visit, and to be a resident there will bring profound change to your life. I don't know what it is, but there is magic afoot in that town, a mystery that roams free, all the time.

You will feel at home in no time. Make time for those around you, because they will become (at least some of them) your lifelong friends.

I'm truly excited for you, and a little bit jealous. Half my family lives there, but they are used to people stopping on the street to chat, or coming out of nowhere to help, or just plain being nice for no other reason than it feels a lot better to be nice than bad.

I wish I lived in a community like that right now. I'm a creature of the middle southern plains, we aren't big city folk. Around here, people cross to the sidewalk across the street two blocks before your paths would cross, or if you do pass, and say hello, four times out of five the other person won't even give you the courtesy of a cordial greeting. That is the hardest part for me, being treated like a serial killer in a community with a very low crime rate.

It begets the population of west coasters and big city folk, who naturally assume that anyone too nice is looking to boost your wallet, or worse. I just look at it as one of the disbenefits of my current career.

That doesn't mean I don't stop disliking it intensely. I grieve for people so afraid of life that they can't even begin to live it.

[sybarite]

I assume you are talking about Vicki Baugh, 6-4 guard out of Sacramento?

[MsProudSooner]

6-4 guard

A 6'4" guard???? I'd read her name, but I didn't realize she was a 6'4" guard!

[Gator]

...the population of west coasters and big city folk, who naturally assume that anyone too nice is looking to boost your wallet, or worse. Don't give up on the big city! When I was transferred to NYC I was on MY guard all of the time. Leaving the office there was a street vendor selling plants and I would stop and get a small one almost every evening - cheap decorating for a new apartment! The 4th time I stopped, picked out my plant, and realized the smallest I had was a $50 bill. I apologized and said I would get it tomorrow. He said: No - take it - pay me tomorrow! I explained to him that he was a New Yorker and wasn't supposed to treat people like that - it would ruin the city's image! We laughed and the next evening when I stopped to pay him, he gave me a rose.

[sybarite]

She is a wing or a guard. Supposedly, she has the attributes of a guard, but she does not shoot the three very often. She now has a goal of become a three-point shooter.

From what I've read, she might be somewhat like Parker or Augustus, a guard who likes to drive to the basket.

[swok34]

BTW, swok, you say that she's the size of Courtney. Of course, she doesn't have the bulk of Courtney, but I actually believe that she really is 6-4 rather than 6-3.

Actually, she does look to have the bulk of Courtney. I couldn't tell them apart from the back.

I'm waiting to see if a particular kid takes an extended offer ;)

[binchy]

As a Sooner fan, it's threads like this that make my frustration level shoot through the roof---I yearn for OU wbb.

Bring on the '06-'07 season!

Viva la Sherri Coale!

[#1OUWBBFAN]

Actually, she does look to have the bulk of Courtney. I couldn't tell them apart from the back.



I saw Abi last November at the Baseline Bash and I thought then that she was larger than Courtney. She hadn't shrunk any when we saw her at the Fast Break Club's Second Annual Ice Cream Social last Friday night (a little plug here. Jennifer, since you are moving back to Norman, you need to become a FBC member). I really wanted to ask how much she weighed, but how rude would that have been. I would guess 220-230 lbs. (what do you think swok?). The McDonald's program has her at 200 lbs but, No Way! I'll just have to weight (: until the official stats come out. And swok is 100% right about her being a very articulate and pleasant young lady to visit with.

[stever]

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=300&ATCLID=311977

SoonerSports.com presents the second of a two-part interview with Oklahoma freshman basketball player Abi Olajuwon. The McDonald's All-American will bring talented depth to the women's basketball front court, which already includes All-American Courtney Paris, All-Big 12er Leah Rush, Ashley Paris and Krista Sanchez.

[OUHomer4life]

As a Sooner fan, it's threads like this that make my frustration level shoot through the roof---I yearn for OU wbb.

Bring on the '06-'07 season!

Viva la Sherri Coale!


Same here!! When we lost to Stanford I cried for like 3 days not only because we lost, but that I would have to wait until Fall to see my girls again.

[swok34]

#1OU...I don't think OU (or other programs ??) publish the weights for the womens bb team. I think she's as big as Courtney..weightwise as well.
and if she's anything like CP, they don't mind talking about their weight and size.

[sybarite]

Program heights and weights belong in the realm of mythology. Courtney is listed as an inch taller than Abi, but one report said that Abi was actually taller. I think Courtney was bigger than Abi at this time last year. Courtney has lost some weight and probably weighs less than Abi now.

[swok34]

Program heights and weights belong in the realm of mythology. Courtney is listed as an inch taller than Abi, but one report said that Abi was actually taller. I think Courtney was bigger than Abi at this time last year. Courtney has lost some weight and probably weighs less than Abi now.

Actually, I think Courtney has buffed up and may weigh more now than she would have in March. They always look really different in workout clothes and uniforms than they do in street clothes, so it was kinda hard to tell with either of them.

I think they are the same size, though I think CP probably holds a "worked out with weights longer than you" advantage.