It didn’t take long for Kate Koval to find her new home for the 2026-27 women’s college basketball season.
Four days after the NCAA granted the former LSU center a legislative relief waiver, allowing her to enter the transfer portal outside of the designated window for the sport, Koval has signed with Baylor. The Bears, coached by Nicki Collen, announced the signing of the 6-foot-5 post from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Sept. 12.
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“We are beyond excited to welcome Kate to Baylor,” Collen said in a statement. “She has played at an elite level over the last two seasons and has shown the consistent ability to score around the rim and protect the rim. Kate can be a decision maker on the perimeter both as a scorer and facilitator, which will expand our offense. Her shot-blocking ability will help anchor our defense.
“She is an elite student with a big heart for others, and our fans will love her on and off the court.”
With 50 days until the 2026-27 season begins, Baylor is getting an unexpected boost to its frontcourt depth.
Koval left LSU near the end of August and explained in a social media post on Sept. 2 her decision was impacted by the Tigers signing a player from Russia. Anna Minaeva, 17, joined LSU in late August. Koval’s father, Oleksandr, is a drone operator for the Ukrainian military, which has been at war since Russia invaded it in 2022.
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According to research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, casualties for the conflict between Ukraine and Russia — which began in 2022 — are estimated to have surpassed 2 million people.
“For me, this war is not distant or abstract,” Koval wrote on Instagram earlier this month. “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.
“The timing of this situation and the deeply personal effect it has had on me, my family, and those we care about who continue to live through and fight this war ultimately made me question whether LSU remained the right place for me. This decision has not been easy. 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.”
Between the time Koval left LSU and when the Tigers brought in Minaeva, head coach Kim Mulkey gave an interview to nola.com where she floated the idea the two players could serve as “ambassadors” for friendship amid the war. Mulkey said she told Koval she wasn’t going to make a recruiting decision based on “a conflict between two countries.”
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Koval is coming off a sophomore season at LSU where she started 17 of 35 games and was second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and blocks (1.2) per game. Koval also averaged 8.3 points per game on 56% shooting from the floor. She ranked 20th nationally in offensive rebounding rate (17.4%) and 14th in defensive rating (72.2). She spent her freshman season at Notre Dame where she was an All-ACC freshmen team selection while helping the Irish advance to the Sweet 16.
This past summer, Koval represented Ukraine on the international stage by playing for her native country in the 2026 FIBA 3×3 Women’s World Cup. Ukraine advanced to the quarterfinals.
Koval left Ukraine in 2021 to play basketball at a high school in Long Island, New York. There, she blossomed into a five-star recruit, ranked as the fifth-best overall prospect in the 2023 class by ESPN, a player nearly every Power 4 school wanted.
At Baylor, Koval will likely compete for minutes in the post with fifth-year forward Kyla Abraham fellow transfer Lorena Awou from NC State. The Bears — who in 2021 hired Collen away from the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream to succeed Mulkey after she took the LSU job — advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season before losing to Duke.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kate Koval transfers to Baylor after getting NCAA waiver to leave LSU
