Ukrainian Koval confirms she left NCAA women's program after signing of Russian player

Sept 2 : Ukrainian basketball player Kate Koval confirmed on Wednesday that she left Louisiana State University's women's program last month after the signing of Russian Anna Minaeva. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said in an August 24 statement that Koval, 20, had left for personal reasons. The Kyiv-born forward's departure had come less than two weeks after Minaeva joined the program. In a statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Koval said she intended to return to LSU at the conclusion of last season and continue her collegiate career. "However, in April, several days after the transfer portal had closed, I was informed of the decision to sign a Russian player," Koval said. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the countries remain at war. Koval said her father ser