Kate Koval, who was expected to be the starting center for LSU’s women’s basketball team this upcoming season, is leaving the program.
The Tigers shared the news on the evening of Monday, Aug. 24 with a statement from head coach Kim Mulkey.
"Kate came to see me on Sunday and told me that after much consideration, she will be leaving the program for personal reasons," Mulkey said. "We will respect her privacy on her decision, but we had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her. I know it is hard because she loves LSU. Kate is a great person. She has to do what she feels is right for her, and we fully support her in that. We all wish her the best."
Because the transfer portal is not open, Koval will likely have to wait until April
to enter the portal and join a new team where she can play out her final two seasons of NCAA eligibility.
It is unclear as to exactly why Koval is leaving LSU nearly two months before the season begins. Sports International Group, the agency that represents Koval, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports’ request for comment.
However, the timing of Koval's departure comes 10 days after LSU announced the signing of Anna Minaeva, a 6-foot-5 center from Russia.
Koval is from Ukraine, the country Russia launched a full-scale invasion on more than four years ago. The two sides remain at war and Koval’s father, Oleksandr, is a drone operator for the Ukrainian military.
In an interview last week with nola.com, Mulkey said she discussed Minaeva potentially joining the team with Koval before her signing was official.
"I want you to understand I'm not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia," Mulkey recalled telling Koval. "I'm just here out of respect for your family and out of respect for you to let you know. Because I know how personal it is for you.
"Know that what I have to do in this business, I cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries."
Mulkey added that perhaps the two players could serve as "ambassadors" for friendship amid the war.
According to research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, casualties for the war are estimated to have surpassed 2 million people. During the first week of the war in 2022, the gym where Koval learned how to play basketball was bombed.
Koval left Ukraine in 2021 to play basketball at a high school in Long Island, New York. There, she blossomed into a five-star recruit, ranked as the fifth-best overall prospect in the 2023 class by ESPN, a player that nearly every Power 4 school wanted. A 6-foot-5 post, she signed with Notre Dame and made the ACC’s All-Freshman team as a rookie in the 2024-25 season.
After Notre Dame was eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Koval was one of several Fighting Irish players to enter the transfer portal. She landed at LSU where she started 17 of 35 games this past season and was second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and blocks (1.2) per game. Koval also averaged 8.3 points per game on 56% shooting from the floor. She ranked 20th nationally in offensive rebounding rate (17.4%) and 14th in defensive rating (72.2).
This summer, Koval represented Ukraine on the international stage by playing for her native country in the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Cup. Ukraine advanced to the quarterfinals while her LSU teammates MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams led Team USA to the championship.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kate Koval of Ukraine leaves LSU after Kim Mulkey signs Russian player
