February 16, 2025
Meet Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, the most underrated prospect in 2025 WNBA Draft
By Hunter Cruse
The 6'1 Russian forward is a prospect to know in the 2025 Draft
When 19-year-old Russian forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu was six years old, she lost her father — a former professional basketball player in Spain, who introduced her to the game. Now, 13 years later, she is chasing the dream she set in his memory: reaching the WNBA.
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“I set a goal for myself to achieve high success in this sport so that my father could be proud of me,” Kosu told The Next. “Unfortunately, he died when I was six, so I was raised by my mother alone. She is my most important motivator, and I am infinitely grateful for her love and care.”
Kosu was born in Kursk, Russia, where she began playing basketball at 6 years old. As a child, she frequently went to games for her hometown club, Dynamo Kursk, a EuroLeague powerhouse in the 2010s.
As a young fan, she had the opportunity to meet WNBA players Epiphanny Prince, Michelle Snow, Candice Dupree, and her favorite player, Nneka Ogwumike, who played for Dynamo Kursk from 2014 to 2018.
“I was always inspired by Nneka’s powerful and fast game,” Kosu said. “I wanted to play the same as she did. I also know that Nneka’s family is from Nigeria, where my father is also from.”
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In 2019, at 14 years old, Kosu made her debut with the Russian national team at the FIBA U16 European Championship. Despite facing opponents up to two years older, the 6’1 athletic forward earned MVP honors, averaging 17.0 points and 14.1 rebounds per game.
Kosu then signed with Dynamo Kursk and would play her first season for its second-division team in Russia’s junior league.
A year later, on Dec. 4, 2020, in a loss to Avenida, she became one of the youngest players to ever appear in a EuroLeague game at 15 years old.
Over the next two seasons, she came off the bench, averaging less than 15 minutes per game, but she had the opportunity to learn and play alongside stars like Natasha Howard and Arike Ogunbowale.
“I managed to practice and play with older and more experienced players,” Kosu said. “Many of them played in the WNBA, so I tried to take in the experience and the best basketball knowledge from each of them.”
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However, in March 2022, amid the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was banned from all international competitions, including the EuroLeague and EuroCup.
Following the 2022 season, Kosu did not return to Dynamo Kursk and instead signed a contract with UMMC Ekaterinburg, which lost Jonquel Jones, Emma Meesseman, and Courtney Vandersloot from its roster due to the ban and Brittney Griner’s 10-month imprisonment.
Kosu is currently in her third season with the club, averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.9 stocks1 in just 19.7 minutes per game. She ranks third on the team in scoring, ahead of former first-round pick Megan Walker and Maria Kliundikova (formerly Maria Vadeeva), who recently signed with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Kosu is one of the best athletes in this year’s draft, with her special combination of vertical athleticism, lateral quickness, and hip flexibility. At 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan, she has the potential to be a defensive chest piece who can switch onto wings, blitz ball screens, and play a helper role as a secondary rim-protector.
“Each coach has their own defensive principles, but it’s easy for me to adapt to it,” Kosu said. “I can guard players in different positions, big and small. It’s a plus for me and allows me to get easy points in transition after a good play on defense.”
On the offensive end, Kosu is a great cutter, paired with impressive mid-air finishing (55.2% from 2 on the season) and a knack for drawing fouls. She is also a rebounding mismatch, averaging 4.3 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes.
Kosu is still raw offensively and rarely takes shots outside of the paint (0.2 3-point attempts per game). However, her free-throw percentage has improved from 62.9% in 2023-24 to 75.0% in 2024-25, which is a positive development.
Given the drop in competition in Russia over the last couple of seasons, there will undoubtedly be questions about how Kosu’s game will translate to the WNBA level. However, when she’s faced WNBA-caliber athletes, she’s more than held her own.
Kosu recorded 23 points and 16 rebounds against Kalya Thornton and Dynamo Kurst on March 27, 2024. She also met Thornton at the rim for a block earlier last season.
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Kosu is currently a Top 15 prospect on The Next’s 2025 draft board. She could become the first Russian drafted into the WNBA since Kliundikova was selected No. 11 overall in 2018.
Kosu said she has never been to the United States but is very excited to learn and experience a new country.
“Now the summer is free, there are no championships or European Cups,” Kosu told The Match TV’s Nikita Maximov on Feb. 2. “There is free time, so I want to try something new. I always had a dream to get into the WNBA, but given the current events, the decision to enter the draft was just a little easier.”
Over the years, Kosu has received interest from European clubs but has turned down offers. She told The Next that she is signed with UMMC on a long-term contract, although that doesn’t interfere with her availability for the WNBA.
- Steals + blocks ↩︎
