Honors & Awards
- Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar (2023)
- Academic All-Big Ten (2023)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2021, 2022; Spring 2022)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2023)
2022-23 (Redshirt Freshman)
Oleg Kojenets (pronounced Oh-leg Co-yah-nets) appeared in 18 games in the Husker frontcourt, totaling 10 points and 13 rebounds in a reserve role. Kojenets saw the majority of his time during Big Ten play as NU was without frontcourt players Blaise Keita and Juwan Gary because of injuries. Kojenets scored a season-high three points on 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line in seven minutes at Maryland on Jan. 28 and grabbed a season-high three rebounds in 3:29 of first-half action in the Huskers’ win over Iowa on Dec. 29. He played a season-long 8:25 at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 13 and had two points and a block. He had baskets at Michigan State, Purdue and Ohio State. He also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for his work in the classroom.
2021-22 (Redshirt)
Kojenets redshirted in his first year at Nebraska, adding size and adjusting to the college game. He was a valuable member of the Huskers scout team during his first season on campus.
Before Nebraska
Kojenets signed with Nebraska during the spring signing period. A 7-foot, 223-pound forward from Kaunas, Lithuania, Kojenets was a three-star recruit by both 247Sports and Rivals and was ranked in the top-100 nationally by 247Sports prior to his senior season. He was rated No. 208 nationally and the No. 26 center nationally, in the 2020-21 247Sports Composite. Kojenets was selected to the U19 National Team for his native Lithuania in the U-19 Basketball World Cup, but was forced to withdraw because of an injury. He spent his senior year at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, as the team played just nine games in a COVID-shortened season. Prior to coming to the United States, he played for Zalgiris Kaunas’ U-18 team at the 2020 adidas Next Generation Tournament, averaging 6.8 points on 50 percent shooting and 4.0 rebounds per game as the team finished with a 3-1 mark. He also represented his country at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championships in Udine, Italy. In that event, Kojenets averaged 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. He reached double figures in three of the five tournament games, including a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) against Slovenia in the group round. He chose Nebraska over Saint Mary's, Georgia Tech and Seton Hall.
Personal
Oleg is the son of Aleh and Jurgita Kojenets and was born on Jan. 11, 2003, in Dombóvár, Hungary. He is majoring in computer science at Nebraska. Oleg comes from a basketball family, as both parents played collegiately at UNC Wilmington. Aleh was a 6-foot-11 center who played in 114 games during his four-year career at the school and helped the program reach the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2000. After college, he played professionally oversees for more than a decade. Jurgita, was a 6-foot-6 center who still ranks third in school record books in both blocks in a season (71, 1998-99) and career (122, 1997-2000). She also holds the school record with 10 blocked shots in a game at UNC Wilmington.