On March 4, one night before the San Francisco men’s basketball team celebrated a 75–63 win over BYU that all but clinched its first NCAA tournament bid since 1998, three Dons players posted the same video to each of their social media accounts.
The clip opened on a solo shot of sophomore center Volodymyr Markovetskyy, his 7'2" frame folded into the front row of USF’s film room, the blue-and-yellow flag of his country draped over the seats behind him. Gaze fixed on the camera, hands clasped in his lap, the 21-year-old began by introducing himself: “Hello, my name is Volodymyr, and I’m from Ukraine.” Then he recounted what happened when he phoned his family there in the early hours after Russia launched its invasion in late February: “The first thing I heard was my mom crying.”
The video faded out next, giving way to title cards explaining how Markovetskyy’s mother and sister had since fled Ukraine, and how his father, a police officer, had stayed behind to help “protect their home.” When it returned, Markovetskyy was no longer alone: Flanking him like bodyguards were a pair of 6'9" forwards from Belarus, Yauhen Massalski and Dzmitry Ryuny, both of whom joined their teammate in reading a prepared plea for peace. “Please hear us,” Massalski said before the trio declared together: “Stop the war.”
