For Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women's basketball team, it's never too late to add some talent to the roster. And the Gamecocks head coach could potentially target the newest free agent from LSU.
On Monday evening, the LSU Tigers and head coach Kim Mulkey announced that sophomore center Kate Koval, who is from Ukraine, is no longer part of the Tigers' program. The news comes just 10 days after LSU and Mulkey signed Russian post player Anna Minaeva. Ukraine and Russia have been at war since Feb. 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the neighboring country.
Per the school, Koval, who is a 6-foot-5 center, is leaving the program for "personal reasons."
"We had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her," Mulkey told ESPN of the news. "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."
Coach Mulkey added that the school will respect Koval's privacy on her decision to leave the Tigers. Although there are little details aside from LSU's release, it's not difficult to connect the dots here. Koval was born in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and according to a recent article from The Advocate, her father is currently fighting in the war.
Per the newspaper, Coach Mulkey sat down with Koval this offseason about signing Minaeva, who had played professionally with MBA Moscow.
“I want you to understand I'm not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia,” Mulkey told the newspaper, about the conversation with Koval. “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.”
Coach Mulkey added per the newspaper that she hoped the two players could be "ambassadors" for friendship during the war, and even suggested the two LSU players could help end the war.
Could Koval come to South Carolina?
At this time, it is unclear if the Gamecocks or Coach Staley are going to recruit Koval. But the sophomore has two seasons of power-conference basketball under her belt. She started her career at Notre Dame in 2024-25. For the Fighting Irish, she averaged 5.3 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Last season at LSU, she had the best season of her collegiate career, getting 8.3 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a contest. The Tigers were a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, falling 87-85 to Duke in the Sweet 16.
At 6-foot-5, Koval would be among some of the tallest players on South Carolina's roster, which features 6-foot-7 French-born player Alicia Tournebize and 6-foot-5 Adhel Tac. As far as a go-to power forward, South Carolina doesn't have a ton of experience at the position. So the Gamecocks adding the Ukranian-born Koval would make for an intriguing possibility. Koval and LSU played the Gamecocks twice last season, so Coach Staley is undoubtedly familiar with the former Tigers forward.
The Gamecocks will play College of Charleston during a 2027 exhibition next month before opening the regular season in November against Maryland on Nov. 2, which will be played in Paris, France.
South Carolina's Alicia Tournebize to miss 'several weeks' with injury
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