Oregon Basketball: Ducks add late addition, sign Oleksandr Kobzystyi from Ukraine

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman added a late addition to the 2024-2025 roster on Wednesday night, soliciting Ukrainian winger Oleksandr Kobzystyi to Eugene.  

Kobzystyi, who is listed at 6 feet, 7 inches, will draw over from Ukraine as soon as possible and gear up for Oregon this season, looking to contribute in the program's first year in the Big Ten.

Last season, Kobzystyi played for Mega MIS of the Adriatic League Liga ABA and averaged 2.2 points through an average of 5.2 minutes per game. Internationally for Ukraine, Kobzystyi played in the U20 Euro Championship last summer and averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 points through six games while shooting 44% from the field and 22% from deep, making 7 of his 31 attempted three-pointers. 

This surfaces as a solid get in terms of depth for Altman and the Ducks as Kobzystyi brings good size to Oregon, something that slightly subsided when two-time first-team all Pac12 center N’Faly Dante wasn’t granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA. 

With that being said, Oregon still has five guys that are listed at 6-feet, 7-inches and taller in Supreme Cook, Kwame Evans Jr., James Cooper, Brandon Angel and Nate Bittle, making it look tougher for Kobzystyi to log a solid amount of minutes, 

Needless to say, you can never go wrong with too much depth and that is something that will be lingering in Eugene this season with the addition of Kobzystyi. 

Whether he plays a pivotal role for the Ducks or not, having him on the roster this season will only boost his development as a player. From surrounding himself with American basketball minds, being coached by Altman and working on drills with other larger players, we should see a massive jump in Kobzystyi’s play and IQ by the end of the season.