Kateri Poole has entered the transfer portal after a mysterious disappearance from the LSU program at the start of the season. The former five-star women’s basketball recruit will be a graduate transfer with at least one year of eligibility remaining.
Poole has played four seasons but it is not entirely clear how many of them count. That will be up to the NCAA to decide down the road.
All athletes were granted a blanket waiver due to the pandemic in 2020, so that’s one. Poole played just four games last season, so perhaps it will not count and make two.
Either way, the former five-star guard has a chance to revive an unusual career.
Poole played in every game for the Tigers during their national championship run after spending two seasons at Ohio State. That was not the case this year. It was a complete 180.
Poole played just 12.8 minutes per game in four games to begin the 2023/24 season before disappearing from the lineup and the bench. Mulkey called it a “coach’s decision.”
Not long thereafter, after serving a suspension for undisclosed reasons, the four-time national champion head coach revealed that Poole was no longer with the program.
She’s no longer with us.
— Kim Mulkey on Kateri Poole
That was the only information that was provided. No further details were given. Poole did not finish the season.
Perhaps it was a behavioral thing. Perhaps it was more Poole being frustrated by the lack of space in the lineup alongside multiple offseason transfers. Maybe it was something in between.
We don’t know.
Now, three+ months after leaving the team, Poole is seeking a new opportunity. The former top-25 recruit will surely have to tell her side of the story when meeting with potential suitors.
However, considering who Mulkey is and how she handles her program, there is sure to be a way to explain what happened! Kateri Poole is going to get another shot and rightfully so.