LSU transfer Kateri Poole makes her commitment known ahead of 2024 college basketball season

LSU transfer Kateri Poole declared her transfer destination for the upcoming season. She has been absent from the LSU basketball team since December. She has now entered the transfer portal and will head to Houston. This is Poole's second transfer, her previous being her move from Ohio State to LSU in 2023.

Poole was a key player for LSU's national championship victory in 2023. Coach Kim Mulkey started her in five tournament games in which the 5-foot-8 guard showcased her defensive prowess and sharpshooting ability. She shot an impressive 53% from 3-point range.

Apart from Poole, four more LSU players entered the transfer portal. One is Angelica Velez, a promising freshman from The Bronx, New York. She will transfer to Syracuse after getting limited playing time at LSU. Velez, ESPN's 44th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023, had limited playing time during her freshman year, mostly in blowout games.

Hailey Van Lith will enroll at TCU, while Janae Kent is heading to Texas A&M.

Coach Mulkey and staff bring in four transfers to fill the gap. Shayeann Day-Wilson comes from Miami, Kailyn Gilbert from Arizona, Mjracle Sheppard from Mississippi State, and Jersey Wolfenbarger from Arkansas.

Kateri Poole's rise to college basketball prominence

In LSU's victorious national championship season, Kateri Poole participated in 35 games and started in six. She scored an average of 4.5 points and made 2.4 assists per game throughout the season. However, she stood out most during the NCAA final against Iowa when she made key three-pointers. One of them was a game-winning shot with 1:11 left on the clock.

Poole moved to LSU after playing at Ohio State University for two years. She started in 13 of the first 14 games during her second year at Columbus before being sidelined by a minor injury.

Despite the setback, she averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.4 apg in 25 games. During her first year at Ohio State University, she started in the last five games, averaging 6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.0 apg. Her stats helped her earn a spot in the Big 10 all-freshman team.

Before playing in college, Poole was a highly recruited player ranked the No. 24 prospect in her class by ESPN. She was named Miss New York by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York and earned All-State honors in her junior and senior seasons.

Poole had an excellent quadruple-double and MVP accolades at the Kyrie Invitational. She had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in her senior year.