By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com

Mike Neighbors' first encounter with Chantel Osahor was a fortunate accident. The coach was in a gym to watch another player. As assistant with Washington at the time, Neighbors was quickly taken with Osahor's game.

“I saw her do what Chantel does,” said Neighbors, now the Huskies' head coach.

A deft passer with an instinctive feel for the game, the more Neighbors watched Osahor, the more impressed he was with the post player's game.

“Wow, look at this kid,” he thought to himself.

Looking back on that day, his first chance to watch the player who would later join the Huskies' program, Neighbors smiled. There was an excitement in his voice.

When he first watched Osahor, she didn't play like someone he wanted to coach. Instead, “she's one of those kids that, the more you watch her, the more you just go, 'I'd love to play with her.'”

If tasked with selecting a team for a pick-up game, Osahor would be Neighbors' first pick.

“She's a point guard playing the post,” said Neighbors, talking about the 6-foot-2 post's unique ability to approach the game from the outside in.

However, when Neighbors first found Osahor, Washington's system kept posts in the paint. Then former coach Kevin McGuff told Neighbors the Huskies were switching to a dribble-drive offense.

“I've got the kid,” Neighbors said.

Osahor wasn't on any of Washington's recruiting lists, but Neighbors knew she would be a perfect fit in the system the Huskies wanted to run.

“I would always say, 'don't forget about that kid down there in Phoenix. I really like her,'” Neighbors said.

In each recruiting meeting, Neighbors would tell McGuff, “You've got to see this kid play.”

With Neighbors working to get Osahor to Washington, the post was doing her research on the university.

The fit ended up being the right one for both the program and player. Now a junior, Osahor is off to strong start for the 4-0 Huskies, averaging 9.5 points and 11 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game.

“I'm playing with confidence,” Osahor said. “That's the biggest thing. I've had it since the summer and it hasn't gone away yet.”

Osahor's confidence is the byproduct of having “trust in myself.” She knows what she can do on the floor, understands how to makes plays that create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates.

“If you have trust in yourself, you're going to have that confidence,” she said.

A proven passer, Osahor is No. 2 on the team in assists. And, while she knows how to find open teammates, she rarely turns the ball over.

“I've always had it, to be honest,” Osahor said. “I take a lot of pride in my passing, because I know I'm really good at it. It's just something that's always been a part of my game.”

Growing up, Osahor quickly picked up a feel for basketball. As she got older, it was something that was fun. She never really thought about playing in college.

“To be honest, until four or five years ago, I didn't even know what college ball was,” she said. “I wasn't really watching it.”

Then she realized that, through basketball, “I have an opportunity.”

Now, playing in a program with versatile teammates, Osahor's ability to pass and hit the outside shot, in addition to playing in the paint, makes her a pivotal part of Washington's early season success.

“It's been fun,” she said. “We're enjoying it, but we can't just think we're going to win by 20 every game. Fresno (State) was a tough deal, but we have great communication with each other. We all can do so many different things in so many different ways.”

Despite being a junior, Osahor is young for her age after skipping a grade growing up. That hasn't slowed her down on the basketball floor.

“You don't have to be a basketball coach to know she understands the game,” Neighbors said.

Three years into her college career, Neighbors still sees her game the same way he did during that first chance encounter. The only difference now is the trust and understanding the coach and player have developed during their time together.

“The trust that's been developed and the confidence I have in her and she has in us allows her to be very, very efficient for us,” Neighbors said.

For Osahor to continue her strong start, the key will be confidence.

“I've just got to keep playing with confidence. I know what I can do. I've been having a tough time making easy shots. I've got to work on that, but I know they're going to come to me at some point.”

As she continues to refine her game, she knows she can always make and impact with her passing and commitment to pulling down rebounds in the paint. 

“For the best players in the game, if something isn't working for them, they can do something else,” Osahor said. “I'm a post player. I've got to get boards. I'm pretty good at it. That will always happen, even if the points don't come.”