NOTHING OUT THERE LIKE PARIS.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE

It isn't supposed to work like this.

Not in women's basketball anyway.

Six-foot-4, 250-pound women aren't supposed to have fancy footwork and slick post moves.

Freshmen aren't supposed to be realistically discussing an early entry into the WNBA draft or setting NCAA records. And they certainly aren't supposed to be mentioned in the same breath as Shaquille O'Neal.

No, the women's game is based on teamwork, fundamentals and strategy. Stars emerge, but rarely warrant more than a double team or box-and-one on defense.

But last season, a player named Courtney Paris came along and changed all that.

In one season, Paris didn't just change the fortunes of the Oklahoma women's basketball program, she changed the fortunes of the women's game.

Not by playing above the rim. Not by playing like a guy. Not by breaking a bunch of records or becoming the first freshman to be honored as a unanimous first-team All-American.

No, she just flat-out changed the game.

Her first step on the court last fall probably advanced the women's game 10 years.

She made opposing coaches stay up late dreaming up defenses to contain her. She made her coach, Sherri Coale, work overtime drawing up ways of getting her the ball with four defenders on her. She even made the producers ESPN scramble to find more ways of getting her on the air.

``I think she's different from anyone we've ever seen. She brings elements we've never seen before. She's powerful but graceful. She's got amazing instincts around the basket. I don't know that there's a limit to the things she can do,'' Coale said. ``Trust me. I think about what she can become over the next two years once or twice every day because it's my responsibility to make sure she becomes that.''

Tuesday night, Paris and the Sooners came to L.A. -- where we've seen our fair share of dominant centers -- and acted a lot like a certain former Laker.

She finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting in No.3 Oklahoma's 77-68 victory over No. 21 UCLA, despite being plagued by foul trouble and playing just 28 minutes.

All in all, a rather routine game for a player who is in the middle of a 32-game double-double streak.

But what's become routine for Paris, is something the women's game has never seen before.

``I think the thing that surprises me the most is her consistency,'' Coale said. ``Game after game, double-teams, triple-teams, on the road in hostile environments, she still gets it done.''

DePaul coach Doug Bruno was even more effusive after a loss to the Sooners on Nov. 12.

``I'll say it, I believe she is one of the great players in the history of the women's game. Courtney just keeps getting better and better,'' Bruno said. ``USA basketball has to find a replacement for Lisa Leslie, and I think Courtney really has a chance to be that replacement.''

As good as Leslie is, that's not the player Paris draws the most comparisons to.

The only player that regularly puts numbers like Paris is Shaquille O'Neal. Not surprisingly, O'Neal was her favorite player growing up.

Despite growing up in Northern California, she was a true purple-and- gold fan. She watched all the Lakers' games on DirecTV from her home in Piedmont, studying O'Neal's moves.

``I just like the way he dominates games,'' said Paris, the daughter of former 49ers' offensive lineman Bubba Paris. ``He's my favorite player to watch.''

And like O'Neal, Paris' mere presence on a team has the ability to turn a good team into a championship contender.

Oklahoma was 17-11 the season before Paris and her twin sister Ashley arrived. The Sooners were a good program that was regularly ranked in the top 25. Almost immediately, Paris turned them into a national championship contenders and the players into celebrities around town.

``I get recognized a lot,'' she admitted. ``But there's not exactly a lot of people that look like me in Oklahoma.''

There's not a lot of people that play like her either.

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Oklahoma center Courtney Paris roots on her teammates from the bench during the Sooners' game Tuesday against UCLA.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer