11-17-25 - Duck Season Basketball - Emerald Media Group
DUCK SEASON CHANGING THE GUARD
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Duck Season, the Emerald’s sports magazine. is published by Emerald Media Group Inc., the independent nonprofit news company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.
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NATE BITTLE REACHES FOR THE STARS
Oregon’s fifth year center can boost the team’s success.
BY MAX KOEBEL Senior Sports Writer
A big man who can shoot from deep is something every basketball team dreams of having, and that is exactly what the Ducks have in fifth-year senior Nate Bittle. Hailing from Central Point, Ore., Bittle made his debut at Matthew Knight Arena in 2021 and has had a towering presence on the court ever since. Whether it’s defending in the paint and at the rim, rebounding off the glass, or shooting it from deep, Bittle has proven he can step up in any situation.
Bittle’s overall numbers have grown each season he has played. As a freshman, he had just 15 field goals. The next season, Bittle took a tremendous step forward, scoring 72 field goals with 21 three-pointers. Bittle missed the majority of the following year due to injury, but when he returned, he played like he had never left.
Bittle finished last season with 185 field goals, 36 three-pointers, 265 rebounds, 67 assists, 75 blocks and 27 steals. His best performance was in the regular season finale against Washington. He shot 13 for 20, 3 for 4 from three and grabbed 12 rebounds, where Oregon won 80-73 in overtime.
“Ultimately, it’s what I’ve gotta do to help the team win,” Bittle said. “I know there’s gonna be games where I don’t got it going and other guys are gonna have it going and being able to make plays for them.”
Bittle’s success on the court is driven by his selflessness and team mentality. His primary focus is always what he can do to create success for his teammates and contribute to a team win.
Another strong performance from him came in Oregon’s mid-February road trip to Iowa where it edged out an 80-78 victory. Bittle was always finding his way into the paint for offensive rebounds and put backs, defensive stops on the glass, and several easy field goals. If the defense was denying him access to the paint, he was able to find an open teammate or use his height to shoot a three over his defender.
Standing at 7 feet, the team will always need him to take advantage of his size, especially on defense near the basket.
“(I’m) always being a defensive presence in the paint,” Bittle said. “Whether it’s guys driving, attacking and trying to get to the rim or bigs trying to get to work in the post, I know there’s always something for me to do in the game.”
Oregon’s season has just tipped off and the Ducks are looking to make another run for March Madness with the hopes of finally getting past the Round of 32. Bittle will look to stand even taller than before to boost his team and make a name for himself in the NBA Draft.
“Whether it’s in the paint or blocking a shot, I think we just get set up in those right moments, right position, right time to go make those plays. The hours we put in, the work we put in translates and we’re able to make those plays,” Bittle said.
Ore., on Oct. 24, 2025. (Paul
( ABOVE) University of Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) looks to drive through three Utah defenders. Oregon men’s basketball defeated University of Utah Utes 73-53 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene,
Leachman /Emerald)
KATIE FISO LEADS DEEP GUARD GROUP FOR OREGON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
A
nine-guard roster has the Ducks prepared to face life after dominant center Phillipina Kyei's graduation.
BY OWEN MURRAY Associate Sports Editor
It was Oct. 15, and Katie Fiso drove her team down the floor. Elisa Mevius pulled her group into a huddle after Ehis Etute finished the program’s 15th preseason practice with an and-1 layup. Phillipina Kyei was standing on the sideline in street clothes.
It wasn't always that way. Last year, the 6-foot-8 22-year-old would’ve been in the paint, and Oregon wouldn’t have been playing the high-tempo offense and five-out defense that its new roster allows for. Last year, she would’ve been waiting in the paint to deny the game-winning layup.
Not anymore.
In the new era, head coach Kelly Graves and Oregon will rely on small ball, fueled by a deep group of guards. All nine players eligible to return to Matthew Knight Arena did so, and Fiso (a sophomore) leads a starting five and group of nine guards that she and Graves say is ready to play faster on both ends of the floor.
Fiso, who missed significant time during the 2024-25 season due to personal matters, returns as a leader – she’s been the subject of praise in every media availability so far (including immediately after practice on Oct. 15) and averaged 10 points, 7.5 assists and 3 steals through Oregon’s first two games.
Mevius, who scored 15 and 10 points in the Ducks’ first two games, missed the stretch run last year with a hand injury. However, she suffered a knee injury at the end of Oregon’s non-conference game against the University of Montana on Nov. 8 that the team announced was season-ending.
Mevius led the Ducks in steals in her first year at Oregon, with 1.6 per game, and shot 44.2% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc while averaging 6.6 points per game.
Ari Long, who put up 2.5 points per game and 1.4 rebounds in a bench role last year, is another part of the group that has focused on
pace throughout the offseason. Sofia Bell (3.8 ppg, 30.3% FG in 2024-25) should elevate from starting 11 games last year to a consistent starting role, and while Sammie Wagner missed some of preseason with a wrist injury, she’ll return after putting up 2.5 points per game last year.
The losses include Deja Kelly (last year’s star portal add) and veterans Nani Falatea and Peyton Scott (the latter of whom returns on the Ducks’ coaching staff). The additions – transfers sophomore Avary Cain (6 foot 1 from UCLA) and senior Astera Tuhina (5 foot 9 from Washington sity), and freshmen Sara (Clackamas, Oregon) and Janiyah Williams (Ed mond, Oklahoma) make up a deep group that Graves be lieves benefits the aggressive, up-tempo style that Oregon’s new brand of play will require.
Cain (11 points off the bench against Montana) and Tuhina (9 assists in 31 minutes against Mon tana and the University of West Geor gia) allow the Ducks to rotate early and often. Williams went 5-5 (including 4-4 from 3-point range) against the Seattle University Redhawks in preseason, and while Barhoum was held out early, she tossed up five 3-point shots and made two against West Georgia to draw praise from Graves.
Oregon doesn’t have Kyei anymore, who re mains the fifth-best all-time rebounder in Ore gon women’s basketball history. This year, she’s moved on – she’s just training in Eugene before heading to play in the Women’s Chinese Bas ketball Association. Oregon has moved on, too, and the answer is just a little bit shorter.
(RIGHT) Katie Fiso (2) jumps up for a layup. The University of Oregon Ducks Women's Basketball team defeated the University of Nevada Wolf Pack 76-58 in a home game at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Nov. 6, 2024.
(Rowan Campbell/Emerald)
KATIE FISO LOOKS IN SOPHOMORE SEASON TO TAKE CONTROL
Fiso will have key role in the 2025 season.
BY ROWAN SHEA Sports Reporter
With the Oregon women’s basketball season kicking off Oct. 30, highly-touted 2024 high school recruit Katie Fiso is looking to make her return to the court after dealing with family matters last season that took her away from the team.
Reflecting on last season’s events, Fiso has said that they have “given her more motivation going into the season.”
“It’s helped me create this drive in me,” Fiso said at media day on Oct. 23. “It’s bigger than basketball, and for me, I do it for my dad.”
Fiso is one of nine returning Ducks from last season and is a standout player in the eyes of head coach Kelly Graves. With the new challenges facing the Ducks this season, the physical size of the team being the most pressing, Fiso is going to be tasked with stepping up for the team and leading the offense this season. Graves believes that she has the skills to do so.
“I think she looks great,” Graves said after practice on Oct. 15. “You see her; she’s the heart and soul out there.”
The sophomore’s intuition on the court is a key area of her game as well. “I love how she’s playing in transition,” Graves said.
“She’s got a good sense of when to take it herself or when to create for somebody else.”
The Oregon point guard is going to have a larger role than in her freshman year, stemming both from what she has shown in the offseason and because the Ducks are a physically smaller team. Graves is going to be sending out three to four guards instead of the two that he ran last year.
Through her 25 games last season, Fiso averaged just under 10 minutes a
game, scoring 3.1 points per game and shooting just under 38% from the field.
Against Vanderbilt, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, she shot 66% from the field, played 19 minutes, scored eight points and had an assist.
Looking at this game, and the development of Fiso, the ceiling is high for both her and the Ducks this season. In practice, the guards are learning to work with each other, what strengths each player has, when to get open and where on the court. “I feel like a lot of our guards are doing a good job of drawing and kicking,” Fiso said, also at media day.
With a lineup focused on guards, Oregon is playing a lot faster, but it’s not a huge leap for Fiso, whose embraced the pace of play.
“I feel like that’s my style of play, I love being fast paced. I feel like I create a lot better for my teammates in that aspect of the game,” Fiso said after practice on Oct. 15.
Fiso, across her first two games, has dropped 10 points, 7.5 assists and has shot 45% from the field. What isn’t on the stat sheet is her ability to read the court, make quick passes and she has done a great job of setting her teammates up for strong scoring chances.
(Katie Poluyansky/Emerald)
(LEFT) Oregon Ducks guard Katie Fiso (2) grabs a rebound during a game against Western Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 30, 2025.
After an offseason that saw the departure of many key contributors, where do the Ducks stand heading into a new season?
BY JACK LAZARUS Sports Editor
Oregon men's basketball head coach Dana Altman has never gone into a season knowing anything is perfect, especially with the current landscape surrounding NIL and the payment of college athletes.
During the past few offseasons, Altman has contended with some of the largest spenders in the sport at the top of the Big Ten. The likes of Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue prioritize men’s basketball in terms of funding allocation, which places those programs a step ahead of Oregon in recruiting – both out of high school and the transfer portal.
That’s why the 2025-26 roster might not turn so many heads in preseason; it’s not the highest profile names, but the ones that fit best amongst the current crop. Altman, yet again, needed to solve a Rubik’s Cube, as the great Jon Rothstein likes to say.
Consider it solved, as the Ducks appear to be primed for the new season with a plethora of new faces on display.
In an Oct. 24 exhibition against the Utah Utes, Oregon demonstrated the roster it built this summer in a dominant 73-53 win.
“A lot of good things to build from, good start,” Altman said.
The Ducks’ offense mirrors the system from last season pretty directly. It’s still Nate Bittle at the center, at times out on the perimeter or otherwise in the low post, surrounded by two ball dominant guards and wings that can both get to the basket and shoot.
The differences lie in the slight deviations among their play styles along with the sheer depth that the Ducks possess this season.
With a player like Bittle, Oregon likely won’t have to contend with a team that’s taller than it; therein making Bittle much more effective in the interior.
Once the defense inevitably decides to start crashing on those low post plays, Bittle can dish out to any of the four capable shooters on the floor at any given time.
Bittle is looking to build on his 14.2 points, 7.6 rebound and 2.1 block averages from the 2024-25 season, which led to his selection on the All-Big Ten First Team and
Big Ten All-Defense First Team.
Through the first two games, Bittle averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks; picking up right where he left off.
Simply put, the Ducks’ first option in most scenarios is to move the ball inside-out in order to create this team’s best shots.
The return of Jackson Shelstad also adds in an interesting fold. Shelstad, entering his junior year, was expected to be sidlined for the first month of the season with a broken right hand. Shelstad averaged 13.7 points and 2.7 assists on 45% shooting and just under 38% from three in 2024-25.
Dana Altman Oregon Men's basketball head coach “ “
A lot of good things to build from, good start.
His absence as a shoot-first guard, but also the team’s primary ballhandler, forced Oregon into holding the ball for longer periods of time in the season opener against Hawaii. His surprise return against Rice in the second game didn’t add much scoring, but Shelstad’s impact on the offense was felt.
Against Hawaii, newcomer Wei Lin had to run the offense, and his inexperience led to 21 turnovers for Oregon. With Shelstad, against Rice, Oregon cleaned up the turnovers and the secondary shooters were able to free up from playmaking duties.
“(Lin) can make some shots for (Shelstad), Wei’s a great shooter, and Jackson can make some shots for him,” Altman said about the potential rotation between the two. “A lot of it will be dictated defensively and how well those guys can get after some people.”
Lin’s best play so far came on a pick and roll with another new face against Utah. After using an Ege Demir screen to get to his favored right hand, Lin drove right into two defenders, rose up as if he was going to lay it up but then dished a no-look, behind the
head pass to the Turkish big man who finished with an easy dunk.
“When (Lin) started the (Utah) game and moved the ball, he really looked good,” Altman said. “You don’t want to take his aggressiveness away because he can score buckets, but his best quality is getting the ball moving, making plays and finding guys. Then I think shots will be a lot more open (for Lin).”
Unfortunately, Lin hasn’t been able to find his feet and is 0-12 on field goals in the young season and his minutes dwindled when Shelstad returned. Lin also adds a great deal of energy on the defensive end, particularly on-ball, which could be where Altman’s team excels the most.
Oregon has allowed just 122 points in its first two games. Oregon’s man-to-man system works into the personnel that the Ducks have at their disposal.
That also makes players like Devon Pryor, Kwame Evans Jr. and Takai Simpkins much more effective, as their ability to defend any position on the floor makes Oregon’s defense one to fear.
The amount of switching also didn’t seem to phase the big men, as guys like Bittle, Demir and Sean Stewart looked comfortable getting switched onto smaller players through the first couple games.
“I’ve enjoyed playing with (Sean) a lot, he’s a different kind of five,” Bittle said. “He can shoot the middie, he’s got a very quick first step. For him, it’s just being able to take a little bit more time and get his feet under him and get to his spots on the floor. Defensively, he can defend one through five.”
Stewart’s addition gives Oregon the ability to sub out Bittle or even Demir and not sacrifice any height or rim protection on defense. The Ducks used Stewart in both the four and five spots against Utah, which gave them a wide range of versatility in their man-to-man set up.
This squad followed the recent history of Altman’s teams where the future is part uncertain and part set in stone. The return of key players such as Shelstad, Evans and Bittle allows for a healthy amount of educated prediction, but the additions of talented players such as Simpkins, Lin and Stewart adds an essence of novelty to Oregon’s current roster.
(Fred
Paul Leachman/Emerald) (llustration by Abigail Rake/Emerald)
( LEFT ) From top left: Dana Altman, Devon Pryor (22), Dezdrick Lindsay (4); from bottom left: Takai Simpkins (5), Nate Bittle (32).
Hall,
BENCH BOSSES
A look at Oregon’s assistant coaches.
BY JOE KRASNOWSKI Senior Sports Writer
The right rotations at the right times, making the right pass and consistent shot selection are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a team’s success.
Coaching matters. A lot.
Both Oregon men’s head coach Dana Altman and women’s head coach Kelly Graves have finalized their staff for the 2025-26 season. Here’s a look at the assistant coaches, adding a helping hand in the teams’ successes.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
JODIE BERRY
Entering her 12th season with Graves’ program, Berry has seen both the highs and lows the last decade of Oregon hoops has had to offer. One of Graves’ most-trusted consultants, Berry also worked with Graves at Gonzaga for 11 seasons.
JERISE FREEMAN
Hired in June 2024, Freeman is an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator who holds nearly a decade of experience at the Power 5 level.
TRE SIMMONS
One of the more recognizable faces on the Ducks’ bench, Simmons is entering his third year with the Ducks in 25-26. A former 16 PPG scorer at the University of Washington, Simmons had a 14-year career overseas and has since settled in alongside Graves on the Oregon bench.
PEYTON SCOTT
Though not a coach, Scott serves as the Coordinator of Player Engagement and Operations, while being one of the more vocal people in the Ducks’ stratosphere. A two-year player at Oregon (one of which she missed the entirety of due to injury), Scott doubled as another coaching voice on the court.
“Peyton was like an extra coach on the bench for us during the season she missed,” Graves said to GoDucks. “She was such an asset to us despite not being on the floor with the way she communicated with the players and helped mentor them with her wealth of knowledge and experience. She’s so respected among our program, we can’t wait to see what she can do this year and moving forward.”
MEN’S BASKETBALL
TONY STUBBLEFIELD
The most notable assistant within Altman’s program, Stubblefield, has been a coach for over three decades at many stops. With multiple stints as Altman’s righthand man, separated by a three-year stint as head coach at DePaul University, Stubblefield also has a massive hand in player development and recruiting.
MIKE MENNENGA
A long-time voice on the Ducks’ bench, Mennenga has coached at Oregon for 12 seasons. Per GoDucks, his primary role is "player development and player recruitment, assisting with game preparation and in-game adjustments.”
BRIAN FISH
Fish has worked with Altman on four different coaching staffs, including two stints apiece at both Creighton and Oregon.
YASIR ROSEMOND
A new addition to Altman’s staff, Rosemond played two years at Oregon and previously coached at Indiana University.
( RIGHT ) Oregon Ducks basketball coach Jerise Freeman calls the team together before the start of the game. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Western Oregon Wolves 113-36 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 30, 2025. (Katie Poluyansky/Emerald)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL THRIVES WITH INTERNATIONAL TALENT
International athletes find a second home in Eugene, and are shaping Oregon women’s basketball through a shared love of the game.
BY RACHEL MCCONAGHIE Sports Writer
According to NCAA data based on FIBA statistics, the number of international women competing in Division I basketball climbed to 731 in 2022. This is an increase of nearly 350% from just 212 a decade earlier.
When the Oregon women’s basketball team hits the floor this season, the lineup will reflect just how international the program has become. Five players – each from a different country – are helping redefine the Ducks’ identity.
Those players include Astera Tuhina (Kosovo), Mia Jacobs (Australia), Elisa Mevius (Germany), Filippa Tilliander (Sweden) and Ehis Etute (Luxembourg). Together, the Ducks are proving that the game truly knows no borders.
After spending her previous seasons competing against Oregon at Washington State University, senior guard Tuhina knew exact ly what kind of program she wanted to join when she entered the transfer portal.
“Oregon has always been a team, a great team,” Tuhina said at Oregon’s 2025 media day on Oct. 23. “I've always, always followed. We’ve been in the same conference for my previous team, and always looked up to the coaching staff as well. I loved their energy. So, as soon as I entered the portal, as soon as they con tacted me, I kind of knew that this was my place and really ex cited to be here and just looking forward to next season.”
Tuhina was the youngest player to compete for the Kosovo national team when she represented her home country at the 2021 FIBA European Championship for small states in Cyprus.
Australian senior guard Mia Jacobs has made an immediate impact after arriving from Fresno State University, drawing praise for her consistency and energy.
Jacobs said she especially enjoys that she has found a play style that reminds her of home after playing her freshman sea son at La Salle University and the last two seasons at Fresno State.
“It’s really similar to the Australian style of play, which is kind of why I lent more to here when I transferred,” Jacobs said. “It’s just a step up from where Fresno was at. So just a higher pace, bigger bodies, but being able to run the floor, stretch the floor, shoot, drive (and) kind of create for each other is like the style of play that I’m used to – it feels like home and is normal for me.”
Mevius will be contributing from the sidelines in 2025, though, after she suffered a season-ending knee injury against the University of Montana in Oregon’s second game of its season. Oregon’s guard depth gives it a chance to recover, but she had started both of Oregon’s matchups before the injury.
Swedish junior forward Filippa Tilliander, now one of the team’s veterans, has focused on improving her strength and stamina heading into her junior season. Ranked as the No. 5 collegiate prospect in
Sweden in the class of 2023, Tilliander has continued to build on the potential that first brought her to the program.
Luxembourgish sophomore forward Ehis Etute continues her development in her second season with the Ducks, adjusting to the speed and style of the college game.
“Ehis is a double-double machine,” Kelly Graves said to GoDucks. “She has been playing against pros over in Europe, so I think her adjustment to the college game will be pretty smooth.”
With five players from five different countries across the world, the Ducks reflect a rising level of competitiveness nationwide.
( BELOW ) Oregon Ducks guard Astera Tuhina is defended by three Western Oregon players as she drives to the hoop. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Western Oregon Wolves 113-36 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 30, 2025. (Antonio Rodarte Garcia/Emerald)
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