The LSU women’s hoops program is losing one of its star players.
Tigers center Kate Koval has announced she is stepping away from the team, but her exit has nothing to do with playing time or NIL disputes.
Her announcement comes less than two weeks after LSU signed another center, 17-year-old Anna Minaeva from Russia.
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If you’re still wondering why Koval decided to walk away, consider the fact that the 6’5″ center is from Ukraine, which has been at war with neighboring Russia for the past decade. Her father is also fighting as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army, further muddying things.
Kate Koval No. 13 of the LSU Tigers warms up before a game against the Texas Tech Lady Raiders in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on March 22, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (Getty Images)
“Kate came to see me on Sunday and told me that after much consideration, she will be leaving the program for personal reasons,” Tigers head coach Kim 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.”
Though Mulkey did not specify what those “personal reasons” were, the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the two countries could be the cause for Koval’s change of scenery.
Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers looks on during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Mulkey claims that she is only doing what’s best for the program and that she “cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries.”
According to an article on NOLA.com, a Ukrainian athlete and a Russian athlete haven’t been teammates since the war escalated back in February 2022.
Mulkey apparently wanted to use Koval and Minaeva as “ambassadors” to help mend fences in a sign of unity by having the two share a locker room.
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Whether that was a good idea or tone deaf is up for debate, but the move cost Mulkey and the Tigers one of their better players for the 2026 season and beyond.
OutKick has reached out to Koval for comment on the matter.
Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Lady Tigers reacts during the first half against the Utah Utes in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 24, 2023, in Greenville, South Carolina. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Koval will certainly be a coveted player should she choose to enter the transfer portal, as she averaged 8.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game last season while splitting playing time with Tigers senior Amiya Joyner.
Minaeva seems to be a worthy replacement, averaging over 11 points and nine rebounds while playing in Moscow, but Mulkey might have to have a mea culpa in the locker room to explain why one of the key pieces of this year’s roster is taking a hike.
Who would have seen geopolitics destroying a college locker room?
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All par for the course in modern collegiate athletics, it would seem.