LSU star basketball player Kate Koval is leaving the Tigers program.
In a statement released on the athletic department’s website, head coach Kim Mulkey says:
“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 stated 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.
10 days ago LSU 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.
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.
While the LSU statement on Koval leaving the Tigers program did not give specifics, it is worth noting that Oleksandr Koval, Kate’s father, is fighting in the war as part of the Ukrainian military.
READ MORE:LSU women’s basketball loses Ukrainian player, 10 days after signing Russian player
