LSU’s Kim Mulkey Speaks Out on Ukrainian Player Leaving Team After Signing of Russian Athlete

• LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said Ukrainian player Kate Koval “will be leaving the program for personal reasons” on Monday, Aug. 24
• Mulkey said she and Koval “had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her”
• 10 days before Koval’s departure, the Tigers signed Russian player Anna Minaeva to the team

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has spoken out following the departure of Ukrainian player Kate Koval.

In a statement shared Monday, Aug. 24, Mulkey said that Koval, 20, “will be leaving the program for personal reasons,” an announcement that came 10 days after LSU signed Russian player Anna Minaeva.

“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,” the head coach, 64, said of Koval, whose father, according to The Guardian, serves in the Ukrainian military.

Mulkey added, “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.”

LSU announced the signing of Minaeva on Aug. 14. Five days later, Mulkey addressed the signing and how it might affect Koval in an interview with the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.

Mulkey relayed the conversation she had with Koval to the outlet. “I want you to understand I’m not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia,” Mulkey told Koval during an offseason conversation inside a vehicle outside of the athlete’s apartment complex.

“I’m just here out of respect for your family and out of respect for you to let you know. Because I know how personal it is for you. Know that what I have to do in this business, I cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries,” Mulkey said, per the outlet.

A Statement From Head Coach Kim Mulkey: pic.twitter.com/vIkici06aH

Koval was born in Kyiv and represented Ukraine at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in June. She played one season for Notre Dame before transferring to LSU. Before her departure, she averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with the bloody conflict currently in its fourth year

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