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 exactly 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 contacted me, I kind of knew that this was my place and really excited 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 season 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 sec- ond 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.