Former LSU center Kate Koval is officially in the transfer portal and will be immediately eligible to compete after being granted a waiver, a source with knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Athletic. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.Per NCAA rules, waivers to transfer outside of sport-specific transfer windows are granted only in an “exigent event outside the student-athlete’s control unrelated to athletics opportunities or participation at their current institution that demands the student-athlete’s immediate departure from the institution.”Koval, who was born and raised in Ukraine, recently said in an Instagram post that she was departing from LSU because the Tigers were signing a Russian player. That player, center Anna Minaeva, had played for a professional team in Moscow. In late August, LSU announced that Koval was leaving the program for “personal reasons.”
“For me, this war is not distant or abstract,” Koval wrote in her social media post. “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.”Koval’s father serves in the Ukrainian military, which has been at war since Russia’s 2022 invasion.She appealed to the NCAA for a transfer waiver because she learned of Minaeva’s signing after the portal had closed. Had she not received a waiver, Koval would have been required to sit out a season.“I hope the NCAA recognizes the circumstances surrounding my situation and understands the seriousness and deep nature of this matter,” she wrote. “More than anything, I hope I am given the opportunity to compete at another school during the upcoming 2026-27 basketball season.”Koval has at least two seasons of eligibility remaining and will be eligible for the 2028 WNBA Draft. It’s not immediately clear which program she will join. She played her freshman season at Notre Dame before transferring to LSU for her sophomore season. With college practices already underway and many rosters filled, her options could be limited.The NCAA declined to comment.
