Former LSU basketball star from Ukraine cites recruitment of Russian player as reason she withdrew from school
Kate Koval issued a statement on her social media accounts, citing that her decision to leave the program was due to LSU recruiting a Russian player to the team.
LSU star basketball player Kate Koval has addressed her decision to leave the Tigers program.
Koval issued a statement on her social media accounts citing that her decision to leave the program was due to LSU recruiting a Russian player to the team.
LSU recently announced the signing of Russian player Anna Minaeva. A 6’5 post player, she joins the LSU roster after playing with MBA Moscow, a professional women’s basketball club in Russia.
Koval said that her father serves in the Ukrainian military, and that for her, she has been deeply affected by the war.
“For me, this war is not distant or abstract. People close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks, and places where I grew up and first began playing basketball have been destroyed by missile strikes,” said Koval.
Koval said she felt like she had found a home at LSU, and said she’d cherish the relationships she made there. However, she said she had to remain true to herself, her values, and her country.
In a statement released on the athletic department’s website, head coach Kim Mulkey said:
“Kate came to see me on Sunday and told me that after much consideration, she will be leaving the program for personal reasons. 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.”
Koval, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, started her college career at the University of Notre Dame before transferring to LSU.
In her lone season in Baton Rouge, the 6’5 center averaged 8.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Ukraine and Russia have been at war since February 2022, when Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine. Prior to this invasion, there had already been eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian Government forces and Russia-backed separatists.
The current phase of the war has lasted for more than 4 years and 6 months.
Koval’s full statement can be read here.