St. Mary’s High School’s 6-foot-2 rising senior post Chantel Osahor is among the elite post prospects in Arizona's 2013 class and is also among the top overall prospects in the state.
This weekend, after giving careful consideration to a number of college programs, Osahor removed herself from the recruiting board - giving a verbal pledge to the PAC-12's University of Washington and head coach Kevin McGuff and his women's basketball staff.
Osahor competes for the talented Arizona Warriors aau/club program, and is the fifth member of the team to commit this off-season to a division-I program. In fact, each of the five individuals that have committed from head coach Curtis Ekmark's program have verballed to high-major division-I programs - an amazing honor. Ekmark is also the head coach of St. Mary's HS where Osahor plays her high school basketball.
In her junior season, Osahor was the top post presence for a team that finished with a perfect 30-0 overall record. The Knights won the Division-I state championship for the second year in a row, and also an amazing national championship after also winning this year’s Nike Tournament of Champions.
While many other talented girls prospects on the team have received tremendous honors and college recruitment, the Knight’s perfect season could not have been possible without the strong, unselfish play of Osahor.
While superb head coach Curtis Ekmark and his coaching staff did not keep individual player statistics this high school season, Osahor was among the team-leaders in scoring, rebounds, assists and blocks this season. Among the most unselfish post prospects in the country, Osahor was the driving force for the Knights each night out. She held down the paint defensively for the team, blocking shots and also rebounding the basketball and outletting it to the guards, which would ignite the Knight’s amazing fast break.
Osahor also has a great attitude on and off the floor and she is an excellent teammate with an infectious smile – a lost attribute among players today.
Osahor will return next high school season as a senior and team up with the gifted twin duo of 5-foot-9 rising senior guards Danielle (Michigan commit) and Dominique Williams (UCLA commit), and also 5-foot-7 rising senior Chloe Johnson, as the Knights prepare to defend their Division-I state title and look to win their third consecutive state championship.
Congratulations to Chantel and the Arizona Warriors club program on another major accomplishment for one of Arizona's top girl's basketball talents.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Osahor keeps the defense very honest with her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter with range. A left-hander, Osahor does not leave her feet much on her shot, but she has a good shooting stroke which she is able to get off very easily – opening up the floor for the Knight’s guards to penetrate and finish, or allowing other post players to get off inside. Osahor’s best attribute is her ability to pass the basketball which she does with nice court vision. She sees the floor like a guard and loves to pass the basketball to the open player on the floor, as does everyone of the Knights players – making the team unbeatable last season. She advances the basketball up the floor to the guard and is also able to handle the basketball herself in the open floor and lead the fast break – something Coach Ekmark preaches to his players. Osahor is very skilled for her size and is a nice overall talent. She is at her best in the post, where she is able to use good footwork and a variety of low post moves to score inside. A nice overall talent.
