Katie Fiso’s journey through loss fuels Oregon Women's NCAA Tournament run
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.
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