Kateri Poole is no longer with the LSU basketball team, head coach Kim Mulkey said Sunday.

Poole, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, won the 2023 national championship with LSU, but she played in four games this season for the No. 7 Tigers. Her last game came on Nov. 17 against Southeastern Louisiana, in which she played just five minutes. Before that, on Nov. 14, she did not play against Kent State due to a “coach’s decision.”

She last appeared on LSU’s bench against Texas Southern on Nov. 20, although she did not play.

“She’s no longer with us,” Mulkey told reporters Sunday following the team’s 83-53 win over Louisiana. Mulkey had been asked about a timetable for Poole’s return.

“Depth, anytime you lose any player for any reason, your depth becomes smaller. But I still think we have plenty,” Mulkey continued when asked about the team losing players. The team lost Sa’Myah Smith due to a season-ending knee injury in late November, while Hailey Van Lith is out while dealing with plantar fasciitis.

Mulkey did not give any further information on Poole’s departure, and would not comment on if it resulted from a dismissal or a mutual parting of ways.

Poole’s absence comes after LSU star forward Angel Reese missed four games in November for undisclosed reasons. Mulkey attributed Reese’s absence to “locker room issues” and would not give any further details.

On Sunday, Reese showed support for Poole via Instagram, writing: “Forever my dawg! I love you & 10 behind you!”

Poole also posted on Instagram, writing “(T)hank you tiger nation” with a photo of the national championship trophy on her Instagram Stories.

The junior was a member of LSU’s national title-winning team in 2023 after spending the first two years of her career at Ohio State. She appeared in 35 games last season, averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Angel Reese has not played for LSU basketball since the first half of the Tigers’ Nov. 14 game against Kent State.

Head coach Kim Mulkey has provided few details on Reese’s four-game absence, so questions have continued to swirl around the star senior, namely: Where is she? And why isn’t she with the team?

Just Women’s Sports lays out the complete timeline and breaks down what we do know.

Nov. 14: Reese benched against Kent State

Reese played 14 minutes in the first half of the Tigers’ 109-79 win over Kent State. But she did not play at all in the second half due to what Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.”

Not much thought was given to Reese’s limited minutes at the time, especially considering the team’s opponent and margin of victory. But soon after the game, drama began to stir up on social media, starting with a spat between the mothers of Reese and sophomore Flau’jae Johnson.

Nov. 17: Reese absent from bench against Southeastern Louisiana

Reese, who last season set the NCAA single-season record for double-doubles, missed the team’s next game against Southeastern Louisiana, three days after she was benched against Kent State. Mulkey wouldn’t give a reason for her absence, only saying that she hoped Reese would rejoin the team soon.

“Angel was not in uniform,” Mulkey said. “Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope she’s back with the team soon. I’m not going to answer any more than that.”

Reese broke her silence on Nov. 19, writing on social media: “Please don’t believe everything you read.”

Nov. 20: Kim Mulkey compares situation to ‘disciplining your children’

LSU sailed to a dominant 106-47 win against Texas Southern but did so without Reese, who missed her second consecutive game. After the victory, Mulkey once again answered – and evaded – questions.

Throughout Reese’s absence, Mulkey has stressed that her silence is in an effort to protect her players. She did also give a little more insight into what the absence may be about, alluding to “locker room issues.”

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

Along with Reese’s absence, junior Kateri Poole missed her first of three consecutive games. Poole also missed the Kent State game, and she played just five minutes against Southeastern Louisiana.

Nov. 24: Reese did not travel to Cayman Islands Classic

The Tigers faced Niagara and Virginia in the Cayman Islands Classic. But Reese and Poole were absent from both victories over Thanksgiving weekend, as both reportedly did not make the trip.

A team spokesperson declined to comment on the players’ absences Friday, according to ESPN. Following the team’s Friday win over Niagara, Mulkey reiterated earlier comments about Reese, saying: “We hope she’s back sooner than later.”

Next up, the No. 7 Tigers are set to play No. 9 Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. Reese’s status for the game remains unknown.

Angel Reese and Kateri Poole are still missing for LSU basketball.

The No. 7 Tigers (6-1) won their first game of two games at the Cayman Islands Classic, sailing to a 99-65 win against Niagara on Friday. But neither Reese nor Poole played in the game, and neither appears to have made the trip to the tournament.

Since Reese was benched for the second half of LSU’s Nov. 14 game against Kent State, the star senior has missed the next three games. Poole has missed the most recent two games, and she played just five minutes in the Nov. 17 game against Southeastern Louisiana.

A team spokesperson declined to comment on the players’ absences Friday, ESPN reported. Head coach Kim Mulkey repeatedly has declined to comment on Reese’s absence in particular, though she did compare the situation to “disciplining your children” after Monday’s 106-47 win against Texas Southern.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said Monday. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

After Friday’s win, Mulkey simply reiterated an earlier statement, saying: “We hope she’s back sooner than later.”

Reese has averaged 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games. Poole, in a diminished role compared to last season, has averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in four games.

On Sunday, Reese posted on social media, writing: “Please don’t believe everything you read.” The message seemingly was directed at online chatter surrounding her absence.

LSU’s lineup became further depleted during the win against Niagara, as Sa’Myah Smith went down with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers next will face Virginia at 5 p.m. ET Saturday at the Cayman Islands Classic, and then will host No. 9 Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. ET Thursday.

Amid Angel Reese’s absence from LSU basketball, head coach Kim Mulkey likened the situation to “disciplining your own children.”

The star senior has missed the No. 7 Tigers’ last two games, and Mulkey has offered few details on Reese’s status, which has contributed to rampant social media speculation. But she has stressed that her silence is to protect her players.

“I’m going to protect my players,” Mulkey told reporters Monday. “Always. They are more important. It’s like a family.”

Yet questions about Reese’s absence continue to persist. And the way that Mulkey continues to characterize her absence may be feeding into the social media flames.

On Monday, Mulkey alluded to her absence being about “locker room issues.” And getting lost in the questions surrounding Reese’s absence is the fact that Kateri Poole has also been absent from the team.

“You always have to deal with locker room issues,” Mulkey said Monday. “That’s just part of coaching. In 40 years, I can never think of a time where I didn’t have to deal with issues. That’s what coaches do. Sometimes y’all know about it and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know.

“I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important. It’s like a family. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that? That’s a family in that locker room.”

Angel Reese did not travel with the No. 7 LSU Tigers for their game against Southeastern Louisiana University on Friday.

Reese’s surprise absence from the team comes after she was pulled at halftime of the Tigers’ game against Kent State on Tuesday. LSU went on to win that game, 109-79. Kateri Poole, another veteran on head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad, was also pulled at halftime against Kent State. Mulkey described both players’ removal from the game as,“a coach’s decision.”

Mulkey declined to give specifics on the nature of Reese’s nonattendance at Southeastern Louisiana.

“It’s very obvious Angel was not in uniform. Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later,” Mulkey said in a press conference after LSU’s 75-50 win over the Lions.

Mulkey refused to answer reporters’ follow-up questions about Reese, saying, “That’s all y’all need to know.”

Reese is a key presence on the scoresheet and on defense for the Tigers. She leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game this season. She is also the second-highest scorer with an average of 17 points per game. Last season, the Maryland transfer was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading LSU to the national championship.

Just as there is no official explanation for Reese’s absence from the team, there is no clear timetable for Reese’s return to team activities.