How Oklahoma Coach Porter Moser Lured Russian Big Man to Norman

Kirill Elatontsev has already played professional basketball overseas, and now he is a depth piece for the Sooners.

Oklahoma center Kirill Elatontsev competes against MVSU. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Porter Moser has coached for more than 30 years, but the Sooners’ midseason addition of Kirill Elatontsev is a first for him.

Oklahoma officially added Elatontsev — 6-11 center from Krasnoyarsk, Russia — to the team on Sunday. Elatontsev, who is 23 years old, made his OU debut on Monday, finishing with six points in the Sooners’ 93-69 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Elatontsev has already played professional basketball. Most recently, he played in the VTB United League, which is widely viewed as Russia’s premier professional club basketball league. In the 2024-25 season, Elatontsev averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and took home “Best Young Player” honors for the second year in a row.

Oklahoma center Kirill Elatontsev plays defense against MVSU. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The thought of adding a professional player from overseas in the middle of a season is one that never would have crossed Moser’s mind when he began coaching in 1990.

“I’ve never had it,” Moser said after Monday’s win. “Really unique.”

Moser’s pursuit of Elatontsev began by happenstance. The coach was scrolling X (formerly Twitter) when he saw a post from longtime college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman that said Elatontsev had been cleared to play one NCAA season.

Russian big man Kirill Elatontsev has been cleared by the NCAA and has one year of eligibility in college, source told @TheFieldOf68.

Kirill Elatontsev, 23, is a versatile 6-11 center who has been playing for Lukomotiv Kuban in the VTB United League - and been named league’s…

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 9, 2025

“It started with that tweet,” Moser said. “Then we did our due diligence, watched him and started recruiting him, did that whole process.”

In his OU debut, Elatontsev made two of the three field goals that he attempted. The Russian center also logged four rebounds and an assist, and he was plus-19 during his 18 minutes on the court.

More than anything, Elatontsev will add depth to OU’s frontcourt. Big men Derrion Reid, Tae Davis and Mohamed Wague are all averaging more than 20 minutes per game, while Kuol Atak and Kai Rogers have played notable bench roles.

“Just to get game speed, game minutes, it was invaluable tonight,” Moser said of Elatontsev. “It just gives us depth at that center spot."

Moser also said after the game that Elatontsev speaks fluent English. The coach also noted Elatontsev’s basketball IQ as a trait that will make OU better as it prepares for conference play.

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“He can pick stuff up, and that's gonna help him, too,” Moser said.

Xzayvier Brown, a junior guard who transferred to OU ahead of the 2025-26 season, believes Elatontsev’s addition will make the team more versatile, thanks to the big man’s size and professional experience.

“Super skilled, he’s very smart,” Brown said. “We’re just trying to help him, and he’s also giving us his insight on things he experienced in the past. We’ve been having a fun time, especially the last couple days. It’s super cool.”

A handful of other former professional players have explored playing college basketball lately.

On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Wednesday that 21-year-old James Nnaji — the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — committed to Baylor and will have four years of eligibility. Tipton reported a couple days later that Trentyn Flowers, who has played eight career NBA games, was drawing interest from several college basketball programs.

Moser admitted that the recent trend of former pro players entering the college ranks is a complex issue. But the coach also knows that he and his staff must be malleable as the sport continues to evolve.

“Whether I like it or not is a different story — it’s allowed,” Moser said. “It’s like when NIL hit. The people who just jumped in and evolved faster got a leg up on the other places that took them a while to get going with it.

“Do we need guidelines, guardrails on a lot of things? Yes. But right now, if he’s cleared, he’s cleared.”