Nyara Sabally has learned a lot about herself in her first year living in the United States. But first and foremost, she’s recognized just how badly she misses being on the basketball court.

The younger sister of star sophomore Satou Sabally, Nyara signed with the Ducks expecting to provide another 6-foot-4 athletic body to the roster this season. Instead, a serious knee injury suffered while playing for the German national team at the FIBA Under-18 Div. A European Championships in August turned her into the team’s leading bench cheerleader rather than a leading bench player. It’s worth noting that Sabally was named the MVP of that tournament after averaging 17.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

“I’m really impatient,” she said of what she’d learned most. “On the bench in close games specifically, it’s really hard for me to sit there and to not be able to do anything. That’s an experience that everyone has to go through, to learn what it’s like not to play.”

Those tensions reached new heights during the team’s loss to UCLA at home on Feb. 22. That’s a game where Nyara’s absence may have felt the most apparent. The Ducks were without star forward Ruthy Hebard, and a player of her size and stature could’ve been a difference-maker. Nyara watched the game from the sidelines clutching the hands of Hebard and freshman guard Taylor Chavez, who were each also ruled out.

“It was awful,” she remembers.

Sabally has already been ruled out for the season. She will not appear in any of the second-seeded Ducks’ (30-4) tournament games, even if that includes action in Tampa at the Final Four.

Currently, the 6-foot-4 freshman is in her sixth month of recovery from surgery she had in September to repair her injured knee. She’s just now beginning to run again. Previously, she’d been getting her steps in the pool.

“Last practice I started running a little bit,” she said on the Thursday before Oregon’s opening round win over Portland State. “I’m doing more in the weight room too. I can lift normally again, which is really cool.”

Since she won’t be playing again this season, there’s nothing to rush back for. That hasn’t made it any easier watching from the sideline though.

It didn’t make her first months in Eugene any easier either. Sabally elected to have the surgery in the United State in September. She underwent the entirety of her recovery work in Eugene with the team as well.

“It was a really hard time for me,” said older sister Satou, who helped her ailing sister get acclimated with her new surroundings. “I’ve never experienced my sister like that. It was definitely a low point.

“I’ve always been a big sister, and family is everything for me. It’s a sensitive topic for me.”

For Nyara, having Satou nearby made the whole thing possible. She says she doesn’t know if she would’ve gone under the knife or recovered in Eugene, thousands of miles from home in Berlin, without her big sister their to support her emotionally.

“She was a big help the first few months just taking care of me,” Nyara said. “She gave me my medicine.

“I don’t know if I could’ve done it here without her. It was a lot. Moving to a new place and having surgery there without really knowing anyone would’ve been hard. I don’t know if I wouldn’t have done it, but that made it a lot easier.”

For Satou, the ability to speak her native tongue has been a nice change too. When the rigors of the day get to her, and she wants to shut her mind off, she’s able to speak German with her sister rather than wrack her brain for the right words in English. Nyara’s presence also made the holidays better. While most of the team dispersed for Christmas dinners across the country, the two were able to enjoy it together.

Speaking of lessons learned this season, Nyara has seen first-hand what it’s like to play for a contender. One way to build a champion is to surround them with champions, and that’s been the case this season. Oregon won its second consecutive outright Pac-12 regular season title. She’s also got a taste of NCAA Tournament play.

“You have to be dialed in the whole time, because if you lose, you’re out,” she said of what she’d taken in. “You’ve got to go day-by-day and put your whole focus into one team, and then when that game is over you have to go into the next team. It’s really cool.

“Obviously I’d like to play, but even being injured, it’s a whole different experience.”

Nyara will be back next season. That will give the Ducks another 6-foot-4 player to pair with the likes of Hebard and her older sister. Nyara describes herself as a “face-up” post player. Her natural position is more power forward than center, she says.

How about the sibling scouting report?

“She’s like a mixture between me and Ruthy,” said Satou. “She’s more of a post than I am, but she’s more of a guard than Ruthy.

“She’s a really great player. She can drive, she can shoot, and she can post. She’s going to be a big-time factor for us next year, and I’m really excited about that.”