Oregon
Katie Fiso’s journey through loss fuels Oregon Women’s NCAA Tournament run
Players to watch in the 2026 Women’s NCAA March Madness Tournament
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg and Meghan Hall give a few of their favorite players they will be keeping an eye on in the women’s March Madness tournament.
Sports Seriously
AUSTIN — Save your gripes about NCAA referees. Oregon women’s basketball guard Katie Fiso contended with much more hostile officiating conditions in her driveway.
Fiso grew up playing one-on-one against her twin brother in games so competitive that punches were sometimes thrown. As referee, their dad swallowed his whistle.
The family motto? “You don’t see no blood, there’s no foul,” Fiso said with a grin.
As Fiso stood outside Oregon’s locker room on Thursday and reminisced on those driveway battles, she admitted she never thought she’d be here: Putting together a breakout sophomore season and leading the No. 8 seed Ducks into a first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 9 seed Virginia Tech on Friday.
It’s a bittersweet moment for Fiso, whose eyes fill with tears when she thinks of two people who aren’t here to witness it. Last winter, in the middle of Fiso’s freshman season at Oregon, her dad and her grandfather died within two weeks of each other.
Their memories will inspire Fiso when she takes the court for the Ducks this week.
“Basketball has always been an outlet for me, kind of like (to) get away from all this reality. When I step off the court, it’s like I step into the reality and realize he’s not here no more,” Fiso said. “I have a lot of passion for this game because I love it so much, so that’s where I get my love from. I do it for my dad, I do it for my grandpa, I do it for all these people, I do it for my family. So it’s very intentional when I’m on the court. I don’t take any moment for granted.”
Her father, Joseph Fiso was the one who taught Katie and her five siblings the value of hard work and grittiness on the basketball court. He woke them up at 6 a.m. every Saturday to go to the YMCA, where Katie played against boys much older than her and learned to stand her ground.
“I would always get pushed around, I would always get crowded so hard and my dad was like, ‘Hey, go harder at her!’” Fiso recalled. “Like, I would be in here getting D’d up by these old men. But I didn’t realize that it actually was helping me over time, in the long run.”
On Dec. 4, 2025, Joseph was in Eugene to attend Katie’s game. The morning of Oregon’s matchup against Washington State, Joseph Fiso died in his sleep at the hotel.
Grief threatened to swallow Katie whole. Basketball was a reminder of everything she and her dad shared.
Almost immediately after she found out about his death, Fiso got back in the gym to shoot hoops and clear her mind. She bawled her eyes out. Being on the court was at once painful and a relief, but Fiso learned to use the sport to tap into her emotions instead of to escape from them.
“I was definitely second-guessing myself and my worth,” Fiso said. “My mind was all over the place. Trying to be in the game and also dealing with life stuff was definitely difficult. So I took it upon myself over the summer to work on myself and not keep all those feelings inside, actually feel them. So that’s when I tapped in a lot to my faith and it gave me that confidence, that my worth is not in this basketball because it’s so fleeting and up and down, but it’s in someone who is always gonna love me and say ‘It’s OK, you’re always perfect in my eyes.’”
After playing 9.7 minutes per game and averaging 3.1 points off the bench for Oregon as a freshman, Fiso is now a full-time starter who leads Oregon in average minutes (32), points (15.3) and assists (6.3).
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.”
Oregon
‘Changed my life’: Portland man warns of Facebook Marketplace dangers after robbery leaves him injured
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — What began as a routine Facebook Marketplace sale left a Portland man with serious injuries and a warning for others, as police investigate a series of violent crimes linked to online meetups across the area.
The man, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said he is still recovering nearly five months after a Jan. 21 encounter in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.
He told KOIN 6 News he arranged to meet a buyer through Facebook Marketplace to sell an iPhone. Instead, he said the buyer grabbed the phone and ran.
“I just immediately reacted and instinctively started chasing after him,” he said.
The man noted the suspect ran to a waiting getaway car. He chased after the vehicle and reached the front of it before being thrown to the pavement.
“I rolled off the car, and as soon as I hit the pavement and started to stand up, my right leg and knee turned into jello,” he said.
The incident left him with a broken ankle, knee injuries and a concussion. He said these injuries forced him into a wheelchair during part of his recovery and required multiple medical leaves from work.
“That changed my life,” he added.
Despite the injuries, he said he is grateful the outcome was not worse. Further, he’s sharing his experience in light of law enforcement agencies across the Portland area investigating other violent crimes connected to Facebook Marketplace transactions.
Last week, Tualatin police arrested a 20-year-old man accused of firing shots at sellers during a Marketplace meetup involving counterfeit cash. No one was injured.
Days earlier, detectives said a gunman shot and robbed a man during another Marketplace transaction in Northeast Portland.
Police say the two most recent cases are not connected, but the message is the same.
The Portland man said buyers and sellers should meet in highly visible public locations, such as coffee shops, businesses or police stations whenever possible.
Police also recommend meeting in well-lit locations with security cameras, bringing a friend, keeping a cellphone nearby and trusting your instincts if something feels wrong.
The warning comes as more Americans turn to online marketplaces to supplement their income.
According to a recent survey of more than 1,300 Americans conducted by Omnisend, 28% reported having a side hustle.
The survey also found many use platforms such as Facebook Marketplace to help cover bills, pay down debt or boost their income. Facebook Marketplace was among the most popular selling platforms cited by respondents.
Police say thieves often target high-value items such as cars, electronics, phones and designer goods.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, advises users to cancel transactions immediately and report suspicious activity if something feels unsafe or unusual.
As for the man injured during the January meetup, he hopes the person responsible learns from what happened.
“I would challenge you to learn from this and grow from this and be a better person for that,” he said.
The health authority said it will engage in “community conversations” for similar rulemaking processes going forward.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Public health leaders are walking back a rule requiring adult supervision for some minors at Oregon pools.
Public pools statewide must now post signage stating the Oregon Health Authority recommends that individuals over 18 accompany children under the age of 14, officials announced on Tuesday. The agency previously adopted an adult supervision mandate in April 2025, with Portland Parks & Recreation set to implement the policy for open swim sessions starting this summer.
But the health authority has reversed course due to pushback.
“After hearing from parents and caregivers of older elementary and early middle school-age children, the Food, Pool and Lodging Health and Safety Program is proposing additional discussion with the community and regulated partners to gather more input, ensure equitable access to public pools and continue to keep kids safe,” Gabriela Goldfarb, manager of OHA’s Environmental Public Health Section, explained in a statement.
The agency said it worked alongside a Rule Advisory Committee to develop the previous policy that aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Model Aquatic Health Code. The code was established using national CDC data, which found swimming pool deaths are significant through the age of 13 before declining at 14, according to Oregon leaders.
Officials said the data also revealed drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for those between the ages of 5 and 14.
And while OHA noted committee members unanimously approved the adult supervision mandate, the agency added that “a broad range of more technical issues” like pool equipment and chemistry appeared throughout the rulemaking process.
The health authority is now working to implement a process in which parents, caregivers, pool operators and lifeguards can weigh in on the rule later this fall.
“Given the technical nature of most of the rules, OHA typically gets participation from pool facility operators and builders, and not the community members using the pool,” Goldfarb noted. “Going forward, when CDC updates its model codes, we’ll work to identify proposed changes that need community conversations to find the right path for Oregon.”
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 8 drawing
03-24-34-43-49, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 8 drawing
1PM: 1-1-0-3
4PM: 0-2-8-8
7PM: 4-7-5-1
10PM: 5-6-4-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Win for Life numbers from June 8 drawing
10-22-36-41
Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from June 8 drawing
02-23-28-33-36-41
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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