Ukrainian athlete Kate Koval has been on the rise since 2021 when, at just 15, she moved to New York to chase her basketball career. By 2024, she had earned her place as a standout freshman forward for the University of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team, helping lead their pursuit of a national championship.
But beyond the court, Koval’s journey is one of resilience and determination. While she pushes forward in her athletic career, her heart remains with her loved ones in Ukraine, enduring the daily realities of Russia’s attacks.
Until 2021, Koval lived in Kyiv, where she achieved remarkable success. She had already played for the national basketball team and played for a basketball team that competed in international tournaments, The Athletic reported in their January 29 article dedicated to Koval.
Realizing that the best path for her basketball career was to join a team in the American women’s NBA league, the Koval family began searching for a suitable college in the US. They found one on Long Island, where the coach assured Kate that she had the potential to achieve great success.

On February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kate was set to play an important game at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, NY, and her family had planned to watch the live broadcast. However, from the early morning hours in Ukraine, there was no communication with the Koval family.
Koval’s coach suggested she sit out the game, but Kate refused. She wanted her family—when they eventually saw the recording—to know she was okay, that she wasn’t giving up.
The game went on but with one adjustment. Kate’s phone was placed on the bench beside the court, and if it rang, the match would be paused immediately. But throughout the entire game, the phone remained silent.

Koval thought about the basement in her grandmother’s house, a space that had been a playroom, an office, and a storage area throughout her life. But now, it held a more crucial role: a concrete shelter in case of air strikes.
“When her parents had called that morning, her dad, Oleksandr, said that once they got to safety, they’d try to watch a live stream of her game that night,” The Athletic wrote.
The Athletic wrote that in the war’s first week, the gym where Koval first learned to play basketball was bombed. Days later, Kate received heartbreaking news, her friend Nastia had been fatally shot while trying to escape to Slovakia.
“You will not feel the pain of it until you really lose somebody who you’ve known to the war,” Koval said. “That definitely made it more real for me.”

For now, Koval has secured her place as a key freshman forward for the University of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team, striving for a national championship.
