A 20-year-old Ukrainian women’s college basketball player has opened up about her choice to exit Louisiana State University’s program, confirming that the team’s decision to add Russian player Anna Minaeva to its roster was the direct catalyst for her departure after just one season with the Tigers.
Kate Koval, who averaged 8.3 points per game during her debut 2024-2025 season and was projected to start at center for LSU in the upcoming campaign, initially had her exit listed as being for “personal reasons” when the announcement was made. In a candid public post shared to her Instagram account, Koval tied her departure directly to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has directly impacted her immediate family and childhood home.
Koval explained that her father currently serves in the Ukrainian armed forces, defending the country against what she described as Russian military aggression. For the young player, the war is not a faraway international dispute—it is a deeply personal trauma that has touched every part of her life. “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,” she wrote.
After Minaeva’s signing, Koval said she was forced to confront whether LSU could still be the right fit for her, given the profound personal toll the conflict has taken on her, her family, and her loved ones still living and fighting in Ukraine. She emphasized that her choice was not an easy one to make. “While I understand and respect that roster decisions are a part of college basketball, I have to remain true to myself, my values and my country,” she added.
Koval still has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, but faces a hurdle in transferring to a new program for the 2025-2026 season: the NCAA’s transfer portal has already closed for upcoming roster changes. In her statement, she appealed to the collegiate sports governing body to grant her an exception, noting the unique and serious circumstances surrounding her decision, and asking the association to recognize the deep personal stake she has in the situation.
Despite her departure, Koval spoke warmly of her time at LSU, saying she had once felt she found a home within the program’s community. She expressed gratitude to her former teammates, who she said became like family, as well as to the program’s coaching staff, administrative team, university professors, and the wider LSU community. “I will always cherish the relationships, experiences, and memories I made there,” she said.