Baylor announced Saturday that Kate Koval, a 6-foot-5 center, is joining the team after the NCAA granted her permission to transfer outside the regular portal period. A team spokesperson said it was not yet clear whether Koval could play immediately because classes began in late August.
Koval left LSU after the school added Anna Minaeva, a Russian player with professional experience in Moscow. Koval, who is from Kyiv, Ukraine, said her father serves in the Ukrainian military.
After the transfer portal closed, she sought NCAA approval and wrote on social media that people close to her had been killed or wounded in Russian attacks, while places tied to her childhood and early basketball years had been destroyed by missile strikes.
NCAA rules permit an out-of-window transfer when an urgent situation beyond an athlete’s control requires an immediate departure and is unrelated to athletic opportunities or participation at the current school. Koval joins a Baylor team that went 25-9 last season, retained most of its roster through the portal and graduated four starters.
Coach Nicki Collen said Koval’s perimeter scoring and passing could expand the offense, while her defense could help protect the interior. The report was published by nytimes.com.
