Baylor has added 6-foot-5 center Kate Koval after the NCAA approved her request to transfer outside the regular portal period. The school announced the move Saturday, but a team spokesperson said her immediate playing status remained uncertain because classes began in late August.
Koval, who is from Kyiv, Ukraine, left LSU after the school added Anna Minaeva, a Russian player with professional experience in Moscow. Koval’s father serves in the Ukrainian military. In a social media appeal, she wrote that Russian attacks had killed or wounded people close to her and destroyed places tied to her childhood and early basketball development.
NCAA rules permit an out-of-window transfer when an urgent circumstance beyond an athlete’s control requires an immediate departure, provided the situation is unrelated to athletic opportunities or participation at the current school. The waiver gave Koval a path to another program after the regular transfer period closed.
Koval joins Baylor for coach Nicki Collen’s sixth season in Waco. The Bears were 25-9 last season, retained most of their players through the portal and graduated four starters. Baylor had signed three transfers and had no freshman recruit in its incoming class.
Koval is expected to play with Taliah Scott, who led the team at 20 points per game, and Marcayla Johnson. She becomes the second 6-foot-5 player on the roster, alongside Lorena Awou, who transferred from NC State in January. Collen said Koval’s perimeter scoring, passing and defense could add to Baylor’s offense and interior protection.
