Louisville transfer Nina Rickards congratulates Houston hooper Kateri Poole as she celebrates her graduation day

Former Louisville women's basketball star Nina Rickards sent a heartfelt congratulations to Houston guard Kateri Poole on social media. Poole was one of the graduates during the University of Houston's Spring 2025 Commencement, held on Saturday.

The former LSU star posted several snaps of the event on Instagram, which included poses with her family and friends.

"Just grateful to be here , Thank You God," she wrote in the captions.

Rickards joined other followers to share her good wishes to Poole in the comment section.

"Congratulations familyyy, forever proud of you ❤️," she wrote.

Nina Rickards reacts to Kateri Poole's post on IG. Image via @kateripoole

The 5-foot-9 guard began her college basketball career with the Florida Gators, where she played for four years. Then she transferred to the Louisville Cardinals during the 2023-24 season as a graduate guard, where she averaged 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 41 percent shooting per game.

Nina Rickards joined Asbis AEL Limassol (Division A) in the Eurobasket professional basketball league in October 2024.

Kateri Poole's injury setback at Houston

LSU women's basketball transfer guard Kateri Poole suffered a left knee injury which sidelined her for the entire 2024-25 season. Poole transferred to the Houston Cougars following an unpleasant exit from Kim Mulkey's Lady Tigers the previous season.

“We are devastated for Kateri,” Cougars coach Ronald Hughey said. “It’s a huge loss because she’s worked incredibly hard. We were excited to see her on the court this season, and we’ll support her every step of the way during her recovery. We know she’ll come back stronger than ever.”

The Bronx, New York native began her college basketball journey at Ohio State, where she played in 25 games, starting 13. She averaged 4.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 16.1 minutes per game. The 5-foot-8 guard also played in all three NCAA Tournament games during Ohio State's Sweet 16 run.

Following her two-year stint at Ohio State, Poole transferred to LSU, where she helped the Lady Tigers win the 2023 women's national championship off the bench. She started in the final five games of the NCAA Tournament. However, she had a falling out with Mulkey, who expelled her from the team.

Kateri Poole joined Houston for the 2024-25 season but could not play for the entire campaign due to injury. It remains unclear if she will be available for the 2025-26 season.