LSU women’s basketball welcomed Angel Reese back to the lineup against Virginia Tech on Nov. 30. However, the drama surrounding the program remains amid another mysterious absence that is not getting as much attention.
It is entirely unclear as to whether Kateri Poole has returned to the team!
A fourth-year junior, Poole was a five-star prospect in the in the recruiting Class of 2020 and was ranked as a top-25 player in her class. The 5-foot-8 guard was named Miss New York by the Basketball Coaches association of New York and earned First Team All-State honors as a senior.
She played a big role in the Tigers’ run to the national championship last year.
Poole did not enter the game against Kent State on Nov. 14. Head coach Kim Mulkey called it a “coach’s decision” at the time.
Although Poole did play five minutes against Southeastern Louisiana just a few days later, she has been completely absent from the team since. They traveled to the Cayman Islands without her.
Angel Reese came back against the Hokies. Kateri Poole did not.
LSU will play next on Sunday afternoon against Louisiana-Lafayette. There is no indication as to whether Poole will be with the team. Mulkey has refused to comment further over the last week.
Nobody knows why. And unlike Reese, who grabbed all of the headlines as the superstar, there is no speculation as to what might be going on with Poole.
Maybe it’s a personal matter. Maybe it’s a suspension. It could be nothing. It could be everything.
Nobody knows.
We will find out where things stand when the Tigers play this weekend. If Poole is not on the floor, there is clearly something bigger going on. And, of course, Mulkey will not provide any new details on the situation because that’s how she operates. That will only lead to more speculation.