Oregon Ducks 25-26 Different look

[Floridaduck]

Introducing the 25-26 Oregon Ducks. This will be an entirely different team in both personnel and playing style. Likely to be a fast playing, high scoring team ala coach Graves preferred style.

Oregon made the NCAA Tournament in 2025 beating Vanderbilt and losing to home team Duke to finish 20-12.

Lost to graduation6) Deja Kelly, Peyton Scott, 6’8’ Phillipina Kyei, Alexis Whitfield, Nani Falatea, Salimatou Kourouma

Retained: (9)

Transfers out: (0)

Transfers in: (3)

Freshman: (2)

Retaining 9 players from the 24-25 roster is significant for 25-26. All now have a familiarity with each other and the coaching style. Most will be expected to have a major increase in minutes and production. Likely standouts among returners:

Point Guard: 5’11 inch Sophomore Katie Fiso – 4* top rated player out of Washington, 4 time state champion

Guard: 5’10” Senior Elisa Mevius.- German national, Olympic Gold Medal in the 3x3

Wing: 6'1" Junior Sofia Bell 4* top rated Oregon HS player 22-23. Returning starter

Forward: 6’3” Junior Sarah Rambus 4* out of Michigan

Forward: 6 ft Sophomore Ehis Etute from the Luxembourg national team

Forward: 6’4” Amina Muhammad 4* transfer out of Texas. Full year starter for the 23-24 Elite 8 Texas team. Second year with Oregon


These 6 returnees will likely be in the rotation along with 6 ft Junior Guard Ari Long and the following Transfers:

Forward: 6’2” Aussie Senior Mia Jacobs First Team Mountain West out of Fresno State 18.3 ppg, 10.0 rb, 38% from 3. Likely starter

Guard: 6’1” Sophomore Avary Cain 5* out of California. Transfer from UCLA

Point Guard: 5’9” Senior Astera Tuhina from Kosovo. Long time experienced starter for Washington State.

Off the Bench: 6'1" juniors: 4*Texan Sammie Wagner and Swede Fillipa Tilliander. Frosh include 4* Oklahoma PG Janiyah Williams and sharp-shooting G Sarah Barhoum, all time 3 point Oregon HS record holder.

Expect a deep rotation with those 10 players to implement the fast paced, position-less pressing defense that the coaching staff has implemented. Oregon’s success this year will depend on MUCH improved shooting, both overall and from 3 point range. The Ducks were near last in the Big Ten in both shooting pct categories in 24-25.

Fiso, Mevius, Bell, Jacobs, Cain, Tuhina, Barhoum. and Long are all capable 3 point shooters and a spread the floor, 4 out & 5 out offenses seems to be in the cards.

Hope this introduction is helpful for fans who may have Oregon on their upcoming schedule. I don't expect the Ducks to compete for the Big 10 title but they will be a tough out at home for anybody. I am expecting another 20 win season and a tourney berth.

 

[cancontent]

Sadly, Mevius is out for the season.

 

[Floridaduck]

Sadly, Mevius is out for the season.

Just awful. Missed the last part of last season too. Hand injury and surgery. Such a great kid and a heck of a player. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

We’ll have to see who replaces her in the starting lineup tomorrow night. Ari Long or Avary Cain IMO.

 

[Bone Dog]

The days of multiple “7’ footers” are gone I see. When Kelly had the huge teams they tended to be ponderous. It will be refreshing to see him go with a more uptempo style of play.

 

[Floridaduck]

Time for an update on my Ducks. After starting the season at 5-0 mostly at home against non-P4 competition a few things are coming into focus. Here are a few observations:
- This is Katie Fiso's team. Graves has given her the keys to the car for this year and the next two. She averages 27 minutes a game but that has increased to 30+ after the Mevius injury. She is averaging 12.5 pts with 8+ assists and a 67 fg%. A dynamic player.
-Mia Jacob is a 3 level scorer with a 17.2 scoring average with 50% FG and 36 3pt %. Big time player.
-Rambus and Muhammad are splitting the "big" duties and both have improved their finishing skills in the paint and added the 15 foot jumper.
-Holdover starter Sofia Bell is shooting 50% from 3 so far. Ari Long, a defensive specialist, fills out the starting lineup in place of Mevius. (Ducks lose a little there... Mevius was a special talent0
-The bench is very strong with veteran PG Astera Tuhina, 5 *Avary Cain, rebounding demon Ehis Etute and Freshman Janiyah Williams. Ducks lose very little when subbed in with the bench more productive thatn the starters a couple of times.
-The rotation will likely remain at 10 with a mix and match on the floor. Major emphasis on running and very active defense.

Outlook remains upper/mid in this very tough conference and a 20+ win season.

 

[ucbart]

I have 2 questions:

1. Was Oregon a "one hit wonder" with Sabrina, the Sabally's, and Ruthy Hebard?
2. Were they on the verge of something really special and Covid make that program take a giant step back?

Now, they're still a really good program, but you have to wonder where they'd be if they won that National Championship in 2020? Obviously something happened since that entire #1 recruiting class transferred out, but had they won that championship, would things be different in Eugene now?

 

[Floridaduck]

I agree that Sabrina-Hebert-Sabally-Boley-Cazorla (2019) was a perfect storm of talent that is unlikely to be repeated. 2020 was their year (with Moore replacing Cazorla) cut off by COVID cancellation.
The big 5* class came in as Covid closed everything down and their college experience was terrible as far as bonding and enjoyment.
Read Sydney Parrish account of what they went through … pretty eye opening.
As far as the future of Oregon Ducks I expect they will be a usually quality team, possibly ranked occasionally, likely tournament bound but with a Sweet Sixteen ceiling without a generational talent.
I’ll still enjoy the team and their ( return) style of play I would say the Sabrina years were an outlier.

 

[Floridaduck]

The days of multiple “7’ footers” are gone I see. When Kelly had the huge teams they tended to be ponderous. It will be refreshing to see him go with a more uptempo style of play.

I think you are confusing the Ducks with the Oregon State Beavers about “7 footers”. The Beav’s Scott Rueck was pretty famous for loading up that way. I think one year they had a 6’7”, a 6’8”, and a 6 ‘9” all around the same time.
The Ducks had 6’8” Philly Kyei for 4 years but otherwise no unless you are counting the 6’ 4” Sabally sisters.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think you are confusing the Ducks with the Oregon State Beavers about “7 footers”. The Beav’s Scott Rueck was pretty famous for loading up that way. I think one year they had a 6’7”, a 6’8”, and a 6 ‘9” all around the same time.
The Ducks had 6’8” Philly Kyei for 4 years but otherwise no unless you are counting the 6’ 4” Sabally sisters.

And Sedona Prince

 

[Floridaduck]

And 6’7” Kennedy Basham for a couple years. I stand corrected.

 

[Bone Dog]

I just figure they grow ‘em tall in the Pacific Northwest.

(And yes, I realize that some of ‘em come from elsewhere)