Kate Koval confirmed she left LSU after head coach Kim Mulkey added Russian recruit Anna Minaeva to the roster. The Ukrainian center shared her reasoning on Instagram on September 2nd, breaking weeks of silence around what Mulkey had initially called a "personal" decision.
Details Behind Kate Koval's Departure From LSU
Koval has a direct connection to Russia's ongoing invasion of her home country. Her father serves in the Ukrainian military, and she said people close to her have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks.
"For me, this war is not distant or abstract," Koval wrote.
Koval's NCAA Women's Basketball Career in Jeopardy
The timing made the situation harder.
Mulkey informed Koval after the April 20th transfer portal deadline had already closed, leaving her without an immediate path to another program. She now needs an NCAA waiver to play elsewhere in 2026/27. Without one, she sits out the season and re-enters the portal in April of next year.
Mulkey stood by the move. She told Koval she could not pass on a recruit who could help the program "because of a conflict between two countries," and suggested both players could serve as "ambassadors."
Koval averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds last season while starting 17 games for LSU. She has two years of NCAA women's basketball eligibility remaining.
