TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
LSU junior forward Kate Koval will not be returning to the women’s basketball team, coach Kim Mulkey announced Monday. Koval informed Mulkey of her decision to leave the team for personal, private reasons in a meeting on Sunday.
“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,” Mulkey said in her announcement of the departure.
The 6-foot-5 Ukrainian transferred to LSU from Notre Dame last season. Koval started 17 of 35 games and averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 56% from the floor.
As a freshman at Notre Dame, she averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 32 games. She was a McDonald’s High School All-American out of Long Island Lutheran High School in New York.
Koval was poised to be a full-time starter in the frontcourt this season alongside sophomore Grace Knox and the Lady Tigers’ primary rebounder and rim protector as the roster’s only true center. Without Koval, Mulkey could be forced to rely on 6-foot-5 Russian signee Anna Minaeva to contribute in the paint, but she joins the Tigers at just 17-years-old.
Mulkey told The Advocate that she consulted Koval, whose father is in the Ukrainian military, before recruiting Minaeva.
Mulkey could also potentially look to supplement her need for quality rebounding by targeting a return from last year’s rebound-leader Amiya Joyner. Joyner entered the transfer portal after being granted a temporary restraining order for a fifth season of eligibility, but perhaps a new roster spot and an attractive role could help Mulkey bring her back to Baton Rouge. At 6-foot-2, Joyner does not have Koval’s size, but she averaged 7.5 boards and 9.2 points a game last season.
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