When to Expect Okorie, Young Back for Stanford

Stanford head coach Kyle Smith provided an update on when to expect two big players to return to the court

Dec 7, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) dribbles upcourt against UNLV Runnin' Rebels guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (0) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Early into Stanford’s 2025-26 basketball season, the Cardinal have dealt with a few injury struggles that have held them back from their potential. All season, promising sophomore Donavin Young has been sidelined to a lower extremity injury.

They have also been without star freshman Ebuka Okorie, who was out in back-to-back games against San Jose State and UT Arlington due to lower extremity ailment as well.

Young had been injured for around a month before the season, and had been listed as day to day since the start of the year. However, Young has now been injured for three months, listed as day to day for about a month and a half, and fans are starting to question when he'll be making his return to the court at Maples.

In a promising freshman season where he started 16 of the 19 games he appeared in, he played well in his minutes, and looked like a sure rotation piece and even a potential starter heading into this year. Now the question is turning into whether he will even play this season.

Ebuka Okorie, while not injured for nearly as long, has now been out for four days, missing two games. The freshman star, also listed as day to day, seems like he may be out a little longer than originally anticipated.

When Kyle Smith hopes to have Okorie and Young back

Head coach Kyle Smith spoke on the topic, making it seem as if there is a solid understanding of when the two will return. “[Ebuka Okorie] and Donavin Young, I think they are both closer. I think if things go well we will have them in the near future. I think after Christmas we should be having those guys back.”

Stanford plays Colorado on Saturday, December 20, before taking on CSU Northridge the following Saturday, December 27. If Smith’s expectations on return dates are true, Stanford will be without both players for Saturday’s matchup in Phoenix against Colorado, but could see Okorie return and Young debut as early as the CSU Northridge game.

While Young has yet to play this season, Okorie has played most of Stanford's games, showing a clear change with and without the star on the court.

Coach Smith agreed. “It’s tough in the sense that we are just not as good. We know that we are just not as dynamic. We are not playing off his paint touches and his penetration all the time, and he’s so lightning quick.”

While that was true, he also acknowledged that they were still able to do well without the freshman phenom. “We still got a lot of good transition, throwing over the top. And we were able to get defensive rebounds.”

Stanford is currently 2-0 in the absence of Okorie at the tail end of their non-conference schedule.

Stanford will likely have to play Colorado without their star, which will make for a very interesting matchup. A win could be massive to improve their non-conference resume, while a loss could put the Cardinal in a hole too deep to dig out of.