Three Players Oregon Women's Basketball Can't Afford to Lose to the Transfer Portal

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks’ 2025-26 season came to an end in Texas with a second-round defeat to the Longhorns. Even though the 100-58 loss marked the end of the Ducks’ season, it could be just the beginning of a new era of women’s hoops in Eugene.

Oregon coach Kelly Graves, guard Katie Fiso and guard Ari Long all spoke about the season after the defeat. Their comments revealed that there is a lot to look forward to in the future – but Oregon needs to retain talent in order to take the next step.

Three Players the Ducks Can't Afford to Lose

1. Sophomore Guard Katie Fiso

oregon ducks transfer portal march madness ncaa tournament kelly graves katie fiso ehis etute big ten recruiting longhorns — Oregon’s Katie Fiso, right, brings the ball down court ahead of Ohio State’s Elsa Lemmilä during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Feb. 8, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach Graves didn’t lose any players to the transfer portal in 2025. That’s close to unprecedented for a Power Four program in the transfer portal era. Doing it two offseasons in a row would be unheard of.

Fiso is arguably the No. 1 player on the Ducks that opposing teams hope to poach. She took a huge second-year jump, leading the team in scoring and assists. She also ranked in the top 10 in assists per game nationally.

The second-year guard became the engine of the offense. Without Fiso’s 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the first round against Virginia Tech, the Ducks wouldn't have made it to the second round.

Following the loss to Texas, Fiso teased what’s next when speaking about her season.

“What an amazing experience this is to share it with these people that I care about,” Fiso said. “It’s a blessing, and I’m super thankful for the future to come, so stay tuned.”

2. Sophomore Forward Ehis Etute

Fiso wasn’t the only sophomore to have a huge offseason of development. Forward Ehis Etute ended the season with six consecutive double-doubles, five of which came in the postseason.

While losing Fiso would mean losing the heartbeat of the team, losing Etute would mean losing the team’s motor. Etute led the team in rebounding and blocks, while ranking behind Fiso in points per game.

If Graves keeps both Fiso and Etute, the duo could take additional leaps between years two and three. Potential All-Big Ten honors could be on deck for Oregon’s stars, and their returns alone could put the program in a position to contend for one of the top seeds in the Big Ten.

3. Junior Guard Ari Long

Another member of the starting lineup and supporting cast who the program won’t want to lose is Long. Of course, players like Avary Cain and Janiyah Williams could be candidates for increased roles next season and starter Sofia Bell’s expected return provides the team with stability.

But Long is a player who’s proven to step up in the clutch and is indispensable on defense. She drained three straight 3-pointers in the final minutes of a comeback win over a ranked USC Trojans team. Long was additionally the team leader in steals per game, and top-five in rebounding, assists and steals. Perhaps just as key is Long’s leadership, as she will enter her senior season and third year with the Ducks.

Long’s response to the NCAA Tournament loss was a mature one. Signs point to her return to Eugene, with Long still smiling as she talked about getting back to work in the offseason.

“We’re going to take this time now to just get back in the lab and get better and come back even stronger, so I’m really excited,” Long said. “I think we’ll be able to gel in the offseason, especially since we were able to gel a lot more this year.”

Long added, “I think we’re going to be dangerous next year.”