She’s playing with new confidence that accentuates the Ducks’ depth and allows her to feel free on the court. When she makes a mistake, she brushes it off and realizes that it doesn’t determine who she is as a basketball player.

“It’s a blessing to be here in this spot,” Fiso said. “Not a lot of people get this opportunity to be at this stage and play at this high level, so I’m thankful. I feel like all those days I was playing with my brothers and playing with my siblings, it helped me prepare for moments like this.”

Oregon coach Kelly Graves has known Fiso since her older brother was a practice player for Graves’ Gonzaga team. Graves followed Fiso’s career at Garfield High School in Seattle, where she won three state championships – a fourth was in reach before the pandemic prematurely ended the season – and was voted Washington state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Graves already knew Fiso’s potential when she arrived in Eugene, but he didn’t fully see it emerge until a breakout game at the end of her freshman season. In the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Fiso shot 4-of-6 from the field and scored eight points in 19 minutes in Oregon’s first-round win against Vanderbilt.

From there, Fiso only continued to build.

“I think once she realized, ‘Hey, this is kind of my team,’ you saw how she embraced that role,” Graves said. “Even though she’s just a sophomore, she’s the one that’s leading the group. She’s leading the huddles, leading practice, and that’ s not easy for someone her age, but she’s got it in her.”

Fiso is one of several Oregon players who adjusted to new roles this season. Sophomore forward Ehis Etute, the nation’s No. 2 offensive rebounder, and junior guard Ari Long both stepped into the starting lineup after coming off the bench last season. So did junior guard Sofia Bell, who spent last season getting her rhythm back after an injury curtailed her freshman season. Senior forward Mia Long, a transfer from Fresno State, is new to the program but provides a veteran presence.

“Our players have done a pretty good job of not just accepting their roles necessarily, because they can evolve and change, but executing them,” Graves said. “These are homegrown kids that again, didn’t play much. You look at Katie and Ehis, they had very small roles last year. Ari, a supportive role. Sofia Bell to some degree. And that’s four of our five starters so I’m proud of that. They have developed, they have gotten better, they figured out what they need to do to get playing time and they’re making the most of it.”

Fiso deftly balances her scoring responsibilities with slinging dart passes to her teammates. She ranked second nationally with seven points-assists double-doubles this season, the most by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu in 2019-20.  

“I would say I’m more of a finesse, get downhill type of girl, but I’m also a playmaker,” Fiso said. “I got a little swag in my game.”  

Graves said Fiso shares intangibles with two of the prolific point guards he’s coached, Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot.

“She’s got that same mentality and I think that’s why you’re seeing her succeed now,” Graves said. “But she’s still a work in progress. She’s got a long ways to go and she’s going to continue to get better and better, but she’s going to have a great pro future, I think.”