Lynx trade for Washington standout Chantel Osahor

Like just about every WNBA coach, Cheryl Reeve watched her share of Washington women's basketball this season. It didn't take long to see that guard Kelsey Plum wasn't the only reason for the Huskies' 29-6 record and trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

There was also post player Chantel Osahor, whose rugged rebounding, surprisingly good three-point shooting and adept passing out of the post helped make the Washington offense go.

And so the Lynx traded for her.

Knowing the Chicago Sky had interest, the Lynx sent Keisha Hampton to the Sky in exchange for Osahor, drafted with the 21st pick Thursday. Osahor will open camp April 23 competing with Temi Fagbenli to be a backup post on a Lynx team with championship aspirations.

"She is strong in the post,'' Reeve said of the 6-2 Osahor, who led the nation in rebounding (15.8 per game) and double-doubles (30). She had 10 or more rebounds in 31 games, had 20 or more eight times and had a Pac-12 record 30 in a game against Washington State.

But there is more to her game.

"She is deceptively quick,'' Reeve said. "He has an extremely high basketball IQ, which is appealing to us. And she's a tremendous passer out of the post. We have such great cutters, we felt it was such a good fit.''

Osahor, who averaged 15.8 points per game and shot 37.3 percent on three-pointers as a senior, was one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award as the national player of the year.

"That shouldn't be understated,'' Reeve said of Osahor's three-point range. "You have to go guard her.''

With the trade the Lynx drafted a combo guard to groom in Baylor's Alexis Jones, then traded for Osahor, who will help provide spirited competition for a spot on the roster as a backup big.

Fagbenle did not play last season while finishing her graduate degree at USC. Born to a Nigerian family living in Baltimore, the family moved to Great Britain, where she grew up. At 6-5, she is an intriguing prospect who impressed the Lynx in a recent workout. She started her college career at Harvard, graduated in three years, then transferred to USC for her final year of eligibility.

Hampton, originally drafted by Seattle with the 22nd pick in 2012, was signed by the Lynx as an unrestricted free agent before last season. She appeared in 27 games, averaging 2.6 points and 6.8 minutes per game.

Osahor, Washington's second-leading scorer last season (behind Plum, of course), was second on the team with 140 assists. She became the second player in school history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.