Kate Koval joins Baylor after NCAA grants waiver following LSU exit

Kate Koval has joined Baylor University after the NCAA approved a transfer waiver requested by Louisiana State University, BBC Sport reported on September 13. The decision allows the 20-year-old Ukrainian basketball player to move to the Texas programme even though the normal transfer window closed in April.

Koval left LSU following the signing of Russian player Anna Minaeva, who is 17. Her departure was initially described as being for personal reasons. She subsequently explained that Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the war's impact on her family and people close to her, had driven her decision to leave.

In an Instagram statement covered by BBC Sport's earlier reporting, Koval said her father serves in Ukraine's military. She also described people she knew being killed or wounded in Russian attacks and missile strikes destroying places connected to her childhood and introduction to basketball. Those experiences led her to reconsider whether she could remain at LSU.

Koval had completed one season with Louisiana State, appearing in all 35 games and averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. BBC Sport reported on September 4 that she had been expected to become LSU's starting centre this year and had two years of college eligibility left. She had asked the NCAA to consider the circumstances and permit another university move.

The waiver has now provided a route to Baylor outside the usual transfer period. According to BBC Sport, exceptions require extenuating circumstances or an event unrelated to the sport and beyond the athlete's control. The event must also have happened after the player's most recent opportunity to enter the transfer portal had ended.

The precise grounds used in Koval's case remain unconfirmed in the report. BBC Sport said it had contacted LSU for clarification about the terms under which the university requested the waiver.

Despite her decision to depart, Koval had expressed gratitude to LSU's players, coaches, staff, professors and wider community. In her earlier statement, she acknowledged that roster choices are part of college basketball while explaining that her own values and connection to Ukraine made staying difficult.