Koval gets NCAA waiver; left LSU over Russian teammate — SkimNews
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- Kate Koval received an NCAA waiver to enter the transfer portal after the April women's basketball window closed, preserving her eligibility for the 2025-26 season despite most rosters already being full.
- Koval confirmed on Sept. 2 that she left LSU because the program signed 17-year-old Russian post player Anna Minaeva, a situation she said was untenable given Russia's war on Ukraine.
- Koval's father serves as a drone operator in the Ukrainian military; she wrote that "people close to me have been killed and wounded in Russian attacks" and places where she first played basketball "have been destroyed by missile strikes."
- LSU head coach Kim Mulkey proposed that Koval and Minaeva could serve as "ambassadors" for their two countries, but Koval said she "had to remain true to myself, my values and my country."
- Koval, a 6-foot-5 center, averaged 8.3 points on 56% shooting and 6.3 rebounds across 35 games (17 starts) at LSU and has at least two seasons of eligibility remaining.
- Koval made the ACC All-Freshman Team at Notre Dame before transferring to LSU and has been playing in the U.S. since 2021 at Long Island Lutheran High School in New York; she also represented Ukraine in the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Women's World Cup.
Why it matters: Koval's waiver gives her a path to play this season despite the closed transfer window, though with most Division I women's basketball rosters capped at 15 players and practices already underway, her landing spots are limited. Her case also illustrates how Russia's war on Ukraine now reaches into college athletics rosters, putting players and programs in positions where geopolitics override standard roster logic.
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