Overview
- The NCAA approved a legislative relief waiver on Tuesday, Sept. 8, allowing Kate Koval to enter the transfer portal and be immediately eligible for the 2026–27 season.
- Koval said she left LSU because the program signed 17-year-old Russian center Anna Minaeva and the decision clashed with the personal toll the Russia–Ukraine war has had on her family.
- LSU coach Kim Mulkey said she discussed Minaeva’s recruitment with Koval and defended recruiting choices as driven by basketball needs, while Koval left the team late in August and then publicly explained her reasons on Sept. 2.
- Koval has at least two seasons of college eligibility left and will be eligible for the 2028 WNBA draft, but many rosters and practices are already set so her best fits may be limited even as Power 4 programs are expected to show interest.
- The waiver was granted under NCAA rules that allow exceptions for exigent events outside a student-athlete’s control, highlighting how transfer policy can be applied when international conflict affects an athlete’s safety or values.