The Oregon women’s basketball team is having a good season. While they aren’t blowing the competition out of the water — they have an overall record of 15-7 and a conference record of 3-6 — the Ducks have seen members of this team stepping up and tak- ing full advantage of the chances they have been given.

“We got homegrown talent that came up in the program,” head coach Kelly Graves said. “They had smaller roles last year, and they’ve stepped up.”

Sophomore forward Ehis Etute has been one of those players who has stepped up for Oregon. Etute started her Ducks career last season after coming over from Luxembourg. She was an All-Star twice for the FIBA (the world governing body for basket- ball) U18 Women’s European Championship Division B, and she won the MVP in that same division in 2023.

The native of Dudelange, Luxembourg, was a good pickup for the Ducks in her first season. She played 22 total games, 21 of which she came off the bench. Etute averaged 9.7 minutes per game and stuck to only shooting from the field and the free-throw line.

Where she showed a lot of promise was on the defensive side of the ball, as well as her rebounding ability. Etute in her first year had 34 offensive rebounds paired with her 37 defensive rebounds and 12 steals.

This year, she has blown past her freshman year numbers.

Etute is a great physical player. She plays tough under the basket, driving into the paint and pushing defenders
out of the way to get the layup. The 6-foot forward does a great job of boxing out opponents so she can set herself up for the rebound.

“Oh my goodness. That was a bullying move by Etute,” the Big Ten Network said in their broadcast of the Oregon and USC game after Etute shoved USC’s Laura Williams out of her way.

That’s what Etute is doing this season. She uses her size and physicality to provide a spark for the Ducks.

“A lot of times she doesn’t know her own strength,” Graves said about his decision to move Etute into a starting role. “People bounce off her and they (the referees) call fouls on her… But I think she’s doing great.”

The sophomore, through 20 total games, six of which she has started, has been a force to be reckoned with, whether she’s coming off the bench or starting. She is still shooting the same type of shots, having only taken one 3-point shot, but her average has gone up in both the field and at the free-throw line.

The area of Etute’s game that is stellar for the Ducks is still her rebounding. Last season, she finished at 71 total. She has more than doubled that through three fewer games so far. She is the best overall rebounder on this Oregon squad: Etute leads in offensive rebounds by 35, but she does fall to Mia Jacobs in defensive rebounds with only 83 (Jacobs has 93).

Etute is so good this year at getting the basketball back for the Ducks that she ranks No. 6 in the Big Ten with an average of 7.9 rebounds per game. Having Etute in the starting lineup is giving the Ducks more opportunities to switch up their playing on the  court.

“What she does is she gives us the opportunity to defensively switch a lot more and to change things up defensively,” Graves said. “Because she (Etute) can guard anybody.”

Etute’s strong performance against USC helped the Ducks snag a come-from-behind victory on the road against the Trojans. Etute played 30 minutes, at that point a season high (she played 36 against Wisconsin), shot six for 10 from the field and she logged 13 total rebounds, seven on offense and six on defense.

Etute has been getting better as the year goes on. Though Graves has highlighted some areas she needs to work on, mainly her shooting and her issues with fouls, the 20-year-old is looking to become a mainstay in the Oregon starting five.

Watch Etute and the Ducks take on Rutgers in New Jersey on Jan. 28, then catch them back at home on Feb. 4 as they take on Illinois.