TULSA, Okla. – Head Coach Cophie Anderson is excited to announce the addition of P'hariz (Pare-iss) Watkins as Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development to her coaching staff.

"I'm incredibly honored and thankful to join the women's basketball staff at Oral Roberts University," said Watkins. "I want to express my deepest gratitude to President Dr. William M. Wilson, Director of Athletics Tim Johnson, and Head Coach Cophie Anderson for entrusting me with this opportunity. ORU's commitment to excellence—both on the court and in the spirit—resonates deeply with my personal calling and values. I'm excited to contribute to a program that champions faith, character, and championship standards. The time is now at ORU, let's get to work!"

"I'm fully committed to developing our student-athletes in every aspect—spiritually, mentally, and competitively. My heart is to pour into their lives through the pillars of Faith, Family, and Fearless Championship Pedigree. My goal is to help develop not just better players, but stronger people—equipped to lead, empowered to serve, and prepared to shine for God's glory."

Watkins will join the Golden Eagles coaching staff after spending last season as an Assistant Coach at Northwestern State (NSU). He helped lead NSU to a 12-8 record in the Southland Conference and advance to the WNIT, their postseason appearance marked their first since 2015-16.

Watkins previously worked at Tennessee for two years while pursuing his second master's degree. He served as a graduate assistant with the Lady Vol Basketball program for the 2023-24 season after spending the previous academic year working with Tennessee Athletics as a member of the 2022-23 FellowVOLS fellowship program.

Watkins has worked with USA Basketball, where he served in the youth event operations department and as a basketball operations assistant coordinator for the HBCU All-Star Weekend. He was also a basketball operations manager for the first-ever 2023 NCAA Women's College Basketball Academy. 

Watkins played basketball collegiately for Heidelberg College in Ohio and Adrian College in Michigan, appearing in 86 total games, logging 1,401 minutes, 573 points, 220 rebounds and 129 assists.

Off the court, Watkins served as the co-chairman for Adrian College's Graduate Studies Advisory Committee and served in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In addition to his student-athlete responsibilities, he handled duties as the social media coordinator for his team.

Watkins double majored in communications and sport management while minoring in media technology at Heidelberg. He went on to earn his master's degree in sport management from Adrian in December 2022 before beginning work on his second master's degree in (ALEC) agricultural leadership, education and communication at Tennessee.

For the latest information on ORU women's basketball, follow @ORUWBB on Instagram and X or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.