Originally published Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Storm signs Kristen O'Neill

Former Washington star Kristen O'Neill was signed to a seven-day contract by the Storm.

Seattle Times staff reporter

Kristen O'Neill does the blue-collar work.

The Storm signed former Washington standout Kristen O'Neill to a seven-day contract Tuesday, the first day team could sign free agents to seven-day deals.

O'Neill, a 6-foot-1 versatile guard, was invited to Storm training camp and cut before the season. She played in two exhibition games, averaging 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds.

Undrafted out of college in 2006, O'Neill played in Spain and Ireland. She ranks fifth all-time in three-point field goals at Washington and was a noted defender and floor leader despite dealing with multiple injuries.

Storm coach Brian Agler said he was looking for "blue-collar" players, meaning those who will do the dirty work. O'Neill has been a practice player for Seattle since being cut and displayed those attributes along with dedication by staying long after practice for extra offensive work.

"We'll start with the seven-day because we want to be sure," said Agler, who is also the team's director of player personnel. "The things that we've told Kristen is to keep working, you're not hurting yourself.

"She sees this as a way to stay in shape and get better and she puts a lot of time into it. You come in late, look down the floor and there's one person still shooting. You know what kind of commitment she has toward the game and we all respect that out of her, there's no question."

O'Neill, who can back up any perimeter position, can be signed to two 7-day contracts before the Storm has to either sign her through the remainder of the season or let her go. She can return to the practice squad.

Notes

• Forward Swin Cash will have to wait another week for the official announcement regarding the final three spots on the U.S. Olympic team. Scheduling conflicts caused the selection committee to cancel a meeting to decide the final players by Tuesday's self-imposed deadline.

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