Meadowdale graduate wraps up college career

  • Mike Allende<br>For the Enterprise
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 11:28am

SEATTLE — Kristen O’Neill admits her career as a Washington women’s basketball player hasn’t gone exactly as planned.

When O’Neill signed with the Huskies after a stellar career at Meadowdale High School, she figured she would continue the Husky tradition of national rankings and deep postseason runs. She expected by her senior year to be a starter on one of the nation’s top teams and a prospect to play professionally.

And though things haven’t turned out that way, typical of O’Neill, she’s taken it all in stride.

“It’s been a very challenging five years, the most challenging of my life,” said O’Neill, who wrapped up the final phase of her Husky career this week at the NCAA Tournament. “I’ve learned so much about myself, so many lessons. I didn’t expect the experience to be this way. I wanted to be a national contender. I wanted to pick up where the (2001) Elite Eight team left off. That hasn’t happened. But I’m still feeling really good about my five years.”

O’Neill came to Washington after an outstanding prep career at Meadowdale, where as a senior she earned All-America honors. She was the subject of a fierce recruiting battle between the Huskies and Notre Dame, and though she grew up a UW fan and her older sister, Kellie, played for Washington, it was no given that she would end up in purple and gold.

“At first, I was thinking everywhere but Washington, because it felt like the obvious choice,” O’Neill said. “There was always talk about following my sister, and I was tempted to go out of the state and have a new experience. But when I got down to it and ranked my priorities, I knew that Washington was my best choice.”

O’Neill was part of a solid recruiting class that included Arlington guard Kayla Burt, a summer-league teammate of O’Neill’s.

“It was never a given that we would end up at the same place,” Burt said, “but it was nice that it worked out the way it did.”

O’Neill quickly broke into the starting lineup for Washington and ended her freshman season second in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage and was named to the conference’s All-Freshman team as the Huskies made the Women’s NIT. But O’Neill also spent the season trying to develop an identity separate from that of her sister.

“It was unique, and I understood that,” O’Neill said. “But people who know us know that we are completely different people and different players. It was special to play with her, but people would expect me to be just like Kellie, and we are really different. At times it was frustrating.”

O’Neill had another solid season as a sophomore, but after the season she came down with mononucleosis, which sidelined her for six months. Just as she regained her health, O’Neill suffered a stress fracture in her foot. A regular stress fracture might keep a player out a few weeks. O’Neill’s ended up sidelining her for the season.

“Our doctors told me they’d never seen a stress fracture go as long as that,” Washington coach June Daugherty said. “It was just a terribly challenging year for her.”

“In a way, sitting out with mono prepared me to sit out the season with the fracture,” O’Neill said. “At first, I didn’t think too much of it, but the second day of practice, I knew something was seriously wrong. I had pain running all the way up my legs. But I still figured I’d be back in a month. More than anything, it fueled the passion I had.”

After redshirting that season, O’Neill came back last year and started all 30 games, leading Washington in scoring in conference play. But the young Huskies failed to make the postseason, and O’Neill, Burt and fellow senior Nicole Castro came back this year intent on leading Washington back to the NCAA Tournament. Even that hasn’t turned out as planned. Burt’s second heart-related incident forced her to retire midway through the year, Castro has seen limited action and O’Neill has found herself out of the starting lineup most of the year. But while O’Neill would like to start, no one will hear her complain.

“She will put her teammates ahead of her any day,” Burt said. “She’s really the leader of this team.”

O’Neill still harbors hopes of playing professionally, either in the WNBA or internationally. If that doesn’t happen, as always, she will take it in stride.

“I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason,” O’Neill said. “If I hadn’t been hurt, I wouldn’t have been able to experience this season, which has been so great. I think I’m a better player because of all that has happened, and I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t regret anything that has happened.”

Mike Allende writes for The Herald in Everett.

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