EUGENE — The Oregon women’s basketball team is dealing with injuries to two key players to start the 2024-25 season.
Senior center Phillipina Kyei and senior transfer guard Deja Kelly are both sidelined with leg injuries, Oregon coach Kelly Graves said in his first preseason news conference Thursday morning.
“She can shoot and move around a little bit,” Graves said of the 6-foot-8 Kyei, who could be observed going through light, non-contact drills with the Ducks at practice on Thursday along with Kelly. “She hasn’t done any contact yet. I think we’re a ways away from that. … It’s not ideal, certainly with the competition we have right off the bat.”
While initially ruling both players out for the start of the season, Graves clarified Thursday afternoon that he misspoke: Only Kyei will be out for the opener and beyond, he said, while Kelly is expected to be ready to play for Oregon’s opener.
Kyei ranked third in the nation in rebounding last season at 11.9 per game, averaging 12.6 points as well for the Ducks. Kelly, one of Oregon’s top transfer acquisitions and a three-time all-ACC guard, averaged 16.3 points per game for North Carolina last season.
Oregon will also be missing freshman forward Ehis Etute for the first few games of the season, Graves said. Not because of injury, but due to international basketball commitments with her home country of Luxembourg at the EuroBasket Women 2025 tournament.
The Ducks open their season with an exhibition game against Warner Pacific on Nov. 1, followed by the team’s first regular-season contest against California Baptist on Nov. 4 at Matthew Knight Arena.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
