South Carolina Could Have Interest in Ukrainian Big Kate Koval After Surprise Exit From LSU

A roster shake-up in Baton Rouge may open an unexpected door in Columbia.

LSU and head coach Kim Mulkey confirmed Monday that sophomore center Kate Koval is no longer with the program, citing personal reasons. The departure comes just over a week after the Tigers added Russian post player Anna Minaeva, and against the backdrop of Koval’s own family ties to the ongoing war in Ukraine, where her father is reported to be serving in the conflict.

While LSU has not detailed the exact circumstances beyond calling it a private matter, the timing invites reasonable speculation that the two signings — a Ukrainian-born player whose home country has been at war with Russia since February 2022, and a Russian player who spent her professional career with a Moscow-based club — became difficult to reconcile within one locker room.

What LSU and Mulkey Have Said

Mulkey addressed the exit directly with ESPN, saying she and Koval had “a long talk about it” and calling it “a hard decision for her.” Mulkey emphasized that Koval “loves LSU” but had to do what she felt was right, adding that the program “fully supports her in that.”

According to a report from The Advocate, Mulkey had spoken with Koval this offseason ahead of the Minaeva signing, telling her she wasn’t asking Koval to change how she felt about Russia but wanted to be upfront out of respect for her and her family. Mulkey reportedly told Koval that as a coach, she could not decline to recruit a player who could help the program because of a geopolitical conflict between two countries. Mulkey also expressed hope, per the newspaper, that the two players might serve as a kind of bridge or “ambassadors” during the war — a framing that, in hindsight, appears not to have resolved the tension for Koval.

Koval’s Background and Production

Koval, a 6-foot-5 center born in Kyiv, began her college career at Notre Dame in 2024-25, where she posted 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game as a freshman playing in a crowded frontcourt rotation. She transferred to LSU for the 2025-26 season and took a clear step forward, averaging 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game — a career-best season that helped LSU earn a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before the Tigers fell 87-85 to Duke in the Sweet 16.

That trajectory — a rim-protecting, rebounding big who improved significantly in her second power-conference season — is the kind of profile that tends to draw interest quickly once a player enters the transfer portal, particularly from programs that lack size in the frontcourt.

Why South Carolina Could Make Sense

There’s no indication yet that Dawn Staley or South Carolina’s staff have engaged with Koval, and any connection at this point is speculative. But structurally, the fit is worth examining.

South Carolina’s roster features height on the wing and in the post — 6-foot-7 Alicia Tournebize and 6-foot-5 Adhel Tac among them — but the Gamecocks have historically leaned on positionless, interchangeable size rather than a true traditional power forward who can anchor the paint alongside a center. Koval’s rebounding and shot-blocking numbers suggest exactly that kind of complementary piece, someone who could rotate minutes in a frontcourt already crowded with talent rather than needing to be the focal point.

Staley would also not be scouting Koval blind. LSU and South Carolina played twice last season as SEC opponents, meaning Staley’s staff has direct film and in-game evaluation of Koval already banked — a meaningful head start compared to recruiting an unknown transfer.

South Carolina also has recent, relevant experience integrating international players adjusting to high-major college basketball, with Tournebize’s arrival from France as one example. Programs that have already built infrastructure for that kind of transition — academically, culturally and athletically — tend to be more attractive landing spots for international transfers than programs starting from scratch.

The Transfer Portal Backdrop

Big roster losses at this point in the offseason calendar are unusual, though not unprecedented, especially when personal circumstances are involved. For LSU, losing a productive, improving sophomore center is a real subtraction from a team that made a Sweet 16 run and was clearly building around frontcourt depth. For whichever program lands Koval, the value is straightforward: a proven power-conference rebounder and shot-blocker with two years of eligibility remaining and a track record of year-over-year improvement.

Transfer decisions involving personal or family circumstances tied to global conflicts are rare in college athletics, which is part of why this situation has drawn attention beyond a typical portal move. Programs recruiting Koval going forward will likely be mindful of the same considerations Mulkey described navigating — balancing roster-building decisions against a player’s personal history in a way that doesn’t put her in an uncomfortable position again.

What’s Next

South Carolina has its own frontcourt situation to monitor in the near term: Tournebize is expected to miss several weeks with an injury, which could affect how quickly — or aggressively — the coaching staff looks to add size before the season begins. The Gamecocks open exhibition play against College of Charleston next month before their regular-season opener against Maryland on Nov. 2 in Paris.

Whether Koval ends up in Columbia, elsewhere in the SEC, or at another power-conference program remains to be seen. But her situation adds a notable subplot to an offseason already shaped by shifting rosters across women’s college basketball, and it’s one likely to be watched closely both for basketball reasons and for the human story behind it.