Paris Kea is in her first season on the North Carolina Central women's basketball coaching staff
Prior to joining the Eagles, Kea was at Wake Forest where she was the Assistant Director of Basketball Operations and video coordinator for three seasons.
In her first year at Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons recorded 17 wins which was the most since 2015-16 season. Wake Forest beat four NCAA Tournament teams that season including wins over two Elite Eight teams. Its 12 wins at home was the fourth-highest total in program history.
As a basketball player, Kea was stellar on the court. She stood out at both Vanderbilt and North Carolina before playing in the WNBA.
At UNC, Kea earned First Team All-ACC and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honors as a senior while helping the Tar Heels reach the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
The lone senior on the team, Kea averaged 17.3 points, 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game for the Tar Heels. Her performance was historical in a big-time victory over top-ranked Notre Dame where she became the fourth Division I player in the last 20 years to post a 30-point, 10-assist game against a ranked opponent.
As a junior, she averaged 19.4 points per game, which ranks 10th in North Carolina women’s basketball history and led the ACC with four games of 30 or more points. Additionally, she finished in the top five in the ACC in six statistical categories: minutes (37.4), scoring (19.4), assists (4.8), 3FG shooting (.405), steals (2.1) and 20-point games (14).
After her senior season at UNC, Kea was drafted 25th overall by the Indiana Fever in 2019 WNBA Draft. She played with the Fever and the New York Liberty before turning to coaching in 2022.
A Greensboro, N.C., native, Kea was a standout basketball player at Page High School, where she is the all-time scoring leader in women’s basketball program history. A three-time All-State selection by the Associated Press, Kea was a McDonald's All-America nominee after averaging 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior.
She was a member of the 2014 USA U18 National Team that posted a 5-0 record and won the 2014 FIBA Americas Championship gold medal.
