Kate Koval, a Ukrainian center for the LSU women's basketball team, is leaving the program for personal reasons, head coach Kim Mulkey announced Monday. Koval's departure comes less than two weeks after the Tigers signed 17-year-old Russian center Anna Minaeva.
Mulkey stated that Koval approached her on Sunday to discuss her decision. "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 in a statement. "We will respect her privacy on her decision, but we had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her." The statement did not elaborate on the specific personal reasons or Koval's future plans.
Minaeva, who spent last season playing professionally in Russia and is not yet 18, was signed by LSU despite the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Koval, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, has family in the Ukrainian military, and her father works as a drone operator. She has previously expressed the daily anxiety she feels for her father's safety.
According to The Advocate, Mulkey spoke with Koval before Minaeva's signing to discuss the sensitive nature of the recruit. "I want you to understand I’m not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia. 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," Mulkey told Koval. The coach also stated, "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 had envisioned Koval and Minaeva potentially acting as "ambassadors" who could bridge the divide between their countries through peaceful competition on the court. However, with Koval's departure, this possibility will not be realized.
Koval was a significant contributor to the LSU team last season, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She shared playing time at the center position with senior Amiya Joyner. Minaeva, who averaged 11.2 points and 9.6 rebounds with MBA Moscow last season, is considered to have WNBA draft potential by LSU assistant coach Fitzroy Anthony. Mulkey described Minaeva as having the "experience, skill set, and size to make an immediate impact in our frontcourt" and praised her "tremendous courage to leave home at just 17 years old and travel across the world to pursue a dream."