Kristen O’Neill is quietly becoming Washington’s most reliable player.

Lately, the sophomore guard has been providing the Huskies with whatever they need, whenever they need it.

When sophomore starter Kayla Burt was forced to retire from basketball because of a rare heart condition earlier this month, O’Neill’s number 33 was called to fill that hole in the lineup. O’Neill’s impact was almost immediately felt by Husky opponents.

Trailing by a point against Arizona on Jan. 11, Washington (15-3, 7-2) was lifted to a 60-59 win off O’Neill’s rebound and lay-up with less than two seconds remaining.

“Kristen, tip-in of the year, that was awesome,” said Head Coach June Daugherty after the contest. “She had a big game, they all did. She was our leading scorer of the game with 17. Nine rebounds—nothing bigger than the last one.”

After a dismal rebounding performance in a 77-63 loss to Pac 10-leading Stanford three weeks ago, Washington spent the following week focused on nothing but rebounding drills. In last Thursday’s game against Oregon, O’Neill led all players with 12 offensive boards.

“After our last game we needed to pick it up on the boards,” said O’Neill. “I was trying to do everything I could to help my team out in that area. Go in there and be physical. It’s all about who wants it more.”

Last Thursday also marked the return of O’Neill’s older sister Kellie Dalan who had been sidelined with a stress fracture in her right foot since December.

“(Kellie Dalan’s) little sister was kind of hogging the boards there,” said Daugherty. “Kristen had an unbelievable game. You look at the stats and how many times did she seal off the backside board and come up big and get us in our running game. She gave a lot of problems to Oregon with her pressure on the basketball.”

Last Saturday, O’Neill continued her rebounding onslaught leading all players again with 10 boards in an 82-56 Husky win against Oregon State.

“I think my biggest thing right now is going out there and playing really as hard as I can and not worrying about making mistakes,” said O’Neill. “I think earlier on in the season I was playing hard, but I was a little too focused on that and I think it showed.”

Since O’Neill arrived on the Seattle campus, Daugherty has known that she is valuable to her squad.

“Kristen is a tremendous defender, a great playmaker, and has an awesome overall floor game,” said the coach in her seventh year at Washington.

Last year, O’Neill was named to the Pac-10 All Freshman team and finished second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.44). As rotations in the lineup occurred during the off-season, however, Burt was moved into the starting role. The two players have equaled each other’s accomplishments for years.

In high school, Burt played for Arlington in the Wesco’s North Division while O’Neill played for Meadowdale in its South Division. Before college, the pair were also on the same select team, Yakima Elite AAU, playing the elite prep girls around the country. As seniors, they were named the Everett Herald’s co-Players of the Year.

As recruits, both players were sought after by the nation’s top programs. Burt selected Washington over Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, and UC-Santa Barbara. O’Neill chose to play with her sister despite interest from Stanford, Notre Dame, Oregon, Arizona State and Texas.

While Burt assumes her new role as student coach with the Huskies, O’Neill is quickly making an impact as a regular starter once again—providing her teammates the lift they need to capture their second conference title in three years.