LSU women's basketball team coach Kim Mulkey announced that Kateri Poole is no longer part of the team. The news comes amid the team's ongoing season, where the 5-foot-8 junior guard has seen limited playtime.

Poole, who transferred from Ohio State and was a key player in the Tigers' national championship run last season, appeared in only four games this season for the No. 7 ranked Tigers. Her last appearance on the bench was during the game against Texas Southern, though she did not participate in the contest. Notably, Poole was absent from the floor due to a “coach's decision” in the game against Kent State on Nov. 14.

Mulkey, in her postgame remarks following LSU's 83-53 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday, was concise about Poole's status.

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“She's no longer with us,” Mulkey said, as reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN. Mulkey did not elaborate on whether Poole's departure was a result of dismissal or a mutual decision.

The announcement comes at a time when the LSU team is navigating through various challenges. Angel Reese, the team's star forward and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 women's NCAA tournament, also missed four games in November for undisclosed reasons, though she returned to play against Virginia Tech on November 30. Kim Mulkey has hinted at “locker room issues” affecting the team, adding another layer of complexity to the current season.

During her tenure with LSU women's basketball, Kateri Poole averaged 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 22.4 minutes in the 2022-23 season and 2.0 points, 1.5 assists, and 12.5 minutes in the four games she played this season. Her departure is a significant change for the team, which is also coping with the loss of Sa'Myah Smith for the rest of the season due to a knee injury sustained in the Cayman Islands a few weeks ago.