Porter Moser didn’t know the name Kirill Elatontsev when he woke up on October 9. But by the end of that day, the 6-foot-11 Russian big man had become a serious blip on Oklahoma’s radar - all thanks to a tweet.
That morning, college basketball insider Jeff Goodman posted that Elatontsev had been cleared by the NCAA. The ruling made the 23-year-old immediately eligible to play in the NCAA with one year of eligibility remaining, despite his background playing professionally in Russia. For a program like Oklahoma, thin up front and holding one open scholarship spot, that kind of news doesn’t just get noticed - it gets acted on.
“It started with that tweet,” Moser said Monday night.
From there, the Sooners’ coaching staff dove in. They pulled up film from Elatontsev’s stint with Lokomotiv Kuban, a top-tier club in the VTB United League - Russia’s highest level of professional basketball.
They studied his game, evaluated his fit, and did their homework. What they saw was a skilled, mobile big who could help shore up a frontcourt rotation that, heading into SEC play, was relying heavily on Mo Wague and freshman Kai Rogers.
And they weren’t the only ones watching.
“The whole country saw that tweet,” Moser said. “(Elatontsev) had a lot of calls, not just us. We recruited him and showed we had a need for him.”
That need was real. Oklahoma had entered the fall semester with 14 players on the roster, leaving one scholarship available.
With the physicality of the SEC looming, Moser and his staff knew they couldn’t afford to go light in the paint. Elatontsev represented more than just depth - he was a potential contributor who could step in right away and make an impact.
After a few months of recruitment, the Sooners landed their guy. Elatontsev committed late last week and joined the team over the weekend. Oklahoma made it official with an announcement Sunday evening.
And just over 24 hours later, Elatontsev was already on the court.
With only two full practices under his belt, the Russian forward made his collegiate debut Monday night in Oklahoma’s nonconference finale - a quick turnaround that speaks volumes about both his readiness and the staff’s belief in what he can bring.
It’s not often you see a player go from unknown to on the floor in less than three months, especially one coming from overseas with a professional background. But Elatontsev’s journey is a reminder of how fast things can move in today’s college basketball landscape - and how quickly a program can shift gears when the right opportunity presents itself.
For Oklahoma, that opportunity came in the form of a tweet. Now, it’s about what Elatontsev can do with it.