Tag: Hailey Van Lith

Hailey Van Lith’s redemption tour with TCU is already silencing the haters

It’s a bad time to be a Hailey Van Lith hater.

Hailey Van Lith has been balling since she transferred to TCU, and more people should be talking about it.

When Van Lith left Louisville, her decision to join Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese at LSU was lauded as one of women’s college basketball’s best transfer portal moves. On paper, it was program-changing. But reality painted a much different picture. Van Lith struggled in Mulkey’s system, and despite doing her best to work through it, her shortcomings were seemingly broadcast for the world to see. She became a meme and even a viral photo.

However, a second transfer to TCU — a move For The Win’s Mitchell Northam predicted would make the Horned Frogs a must-watch team — is already silencing Van Lith’s haters. She’s having a breakout season. In fact, the Washington native’s playing exactly the way we know she can.

Through eight games, Van Lith is averaging 19.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Along with players like Sedona Prince, she’s also helped TCU stay undefeated and earn a No. 9 ranking, its highest ever in an AP Top 25 Poll.

Van Lith showed flashes of her old self this past summer at the Paris Olympics when she and Team USA Basketball’s 3×3 team won bronze. But it seems that the change of scenery and support from head coach Mark Campbell has fostered an environment that’s allowed her to blossom again. As TCU’s social media team recently stated about its star guard, “What are they gonna say now?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DC-5Hi8NL6p/?igsh=MWV0endoM3FlYzNsbg==

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Hailey Van Lith cried after her breakout performance in TCU’s upset win

Grab the tissues for this one.

Hailey Van Lith’s transfer to TCU is already paying early dividends. The former LSU guard helped the Horned Frogs upset NC State on Sunday, and afterward, she cried happy tears.

Let’s just say the thing: HVL’s time at LSU was really rough to watch. She seemingly spent much of her season playing in a system that didn’t suit her, and it wasn’t surprising that she transferred earlier this year. The question remained if Van Lith would also fit with TCU. However, it seems that she’s catching her stride now.

Hailey and teammate Sedona Prince went to work against The Pack. Prince had 31 points and 16 rebounds, and Van Lith had an excellent 12-point second half that pushed her to 18 points and 10 assists for the day. Afterward, HVL cried when she realized she had her first-ever double-double. In a tender moment, she was immediately embraced by head coach Mark Campbell, who said, “The playmaker. She’s been unleashed. Good job. You’re just getting started, kiddo.”

@bleacherreport

HVL felt the emotions after recording her first double-double in assists 🥲 (via tcuwbb/X) #basketball #collegebasketball #tcu #wnba

♬ original sound – bleacherreport

https://www.instagram.com/tcuwbb/reel/DCfiqSmNdYt/

HVL’s fantastic day on the court even got an endorsement from her former LSU teammate, Angel Reese. You love to see it.

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LSU women’s basketball a top-10 team in preseason AP Top 25

The Tigers enter Kim Mulkey’s fourth season with high expectations yet again.

The 2024-25 season will be a year of change for the LSU women’s basketball team.

The Tigers lost star [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], who had a fantastic rookie season in the WNBA. [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] also opted to move on in the transfer portal.

But it’s another talented roster headlined by returning stars [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag], and it’s bolstered by an impressive transfer class filled with veteran, experienced players.

There’s still a lot of optimism around Kim Mulkey’s team, and the Tigers open the year ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25. They’re one of seven ranked SEC teams and the third highest behind No. 1 South Carolina — the defending national champion — and No. 4 Texas.

In total, there are four SEC teams ranked in the top 10.

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Notre Dame will face TCU, Utah during Cayman Islands Classic

The Irish have some business to do Thanksgiving weekend.

The only part of Notre Dame’s schedule that wasn’t know before Tuesday was its opponents for the Cayman Island Classic. We knew this tournament meant the Irish would spend Thanksgiving weekend together, but we didn’t know which other teams lined up would face them. Wonder no longer.

The Irish will face TCU on Nov. 29, then have a meeting with Utah on Nov. 30. Both teams previously have played the Irish three times in the history and lost every single time. The Horned Frogs last lost to the Irish in 2016, while the Utes were knocked out of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Among the notable storylines here is that the Irish will face Frogs transfer Hailey Van Lith, a two-time First Team All-ACC selection during her days at Louisville, where she went 5-2 against the Irish. She played last season with defending champion LSU, which fell to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Let’s hope the Irish will be ready for some fun in the sun over the holiday. More importantly, let’s hope that fun includes a couple of wins.

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2024 Summer Olympics: Tuesday’s best bets, picks and predictions

Analyzing Tuesday’s Summer Olympics odds and lines, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, run through Aug. 11 in Paris, France. We’ll review the best bets for Tuesday. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines for the best bets and prop plays for Tuesday’s Olympic action, and make our expert Summer Olympic picks and predictions.

Each day we’ll check out the best bets, as well as the top prop plays when applicable.

For Tuesday, July 30, it’s another busy day of Olympic action. We’ll get plenty of men’s and women’s badminton, women’s handball, men’s and women’s shooting, men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s rowing, men’s and women’s beach volleyball, men’s field hockey, judo, men’s and women’s table tennis, men’s water polo, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s boxing, equestrian, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s archery, men’s and women’s sailing, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s cycling, women’s fencing, women’s rugby, women’s canoe, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s surfing, men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball, among others.

Medals will be awarded in team shooting, mixed table tennis, judo, women’s artistic gymnastics, women’s rugby, women’s fencing, men’s and women’s swimming and men’s and women’s surfing.

Tuesday’s 2024 Olympics best bets

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 7:26 a.m. ET.

Men’s 3×3 basketball: LATVIA -1.5 (-106) vs. Lithuania

In the Men’s pool round of 3×3 basketball, Latvia looks to get off to a quick start in defense of its gold medal from the Tokyo games. Latvia matches up with fellow Baltic nation Lithuania at 12:35 p.m. ET.

Latvia will have Francis Lacis, Karlis Lasmanis, Nauris Miezis and Zigmars Raimo on the roster as it looks to successfully defend its gold medal in the inaugural Olympics competition of this event in the 2020 games. Lasmanis and Miezis were on the roster for gold in Tokyo, too.

The Latvians are tied with host France for the 3rd-shortest odds (+600) to win the gold medal behind co-favorites USA and Serbia (+170 each). On the flip side, Lithuania (+1400) has rather poor odds.

Back the defending champs, especially with the experienced Lasmanis and Miezis leading the charge.

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Men’s 3×3 basketball: FRANCE -2.5 (-122) vs. Poland

The host nation gets underway at 4:05 p.m. ET at La Concorde, and the Poles aren’t expected to offer much resistance.

As mentioned above, France is tied with defending gold medalists Latvia (+600) for the 3rd-shortest odds to secure gold in Paris.

Poland (+4000) is the biggest long shot.

Lucas Dussoulier, Jules Rambaut, Franck Seguela and Timothe Vergiat comprise the roster for the French side. This assortment should get off to a quick start, especially with the backing of the home crowd, against a team not expected to do much. BET FRANCE -2.5 (+122).

Women’s 3×3 basketball: USA -5.5 (-122) vs. Germany

Team USA enters the event as the gold medal favorite, led by WNBA stars Dearica Hamby (LA Sparks) and Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), TCU’s Hailey Van Lith and retired WNBA veteran Cierra Burdick. This game is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Burdick, who played at the University of Tennessee 2011-15 before a 5-year WNBA career with 7 teams, was a member on the 2022 US World Cup team as well as the 2023 US World Cup champions in Vienna, along with Van Lith.

Van Lith transferred to TCU in the offseason after starring at Louisville for 3 seasons and at LSU her senior year last season.

The Americans also won gold in Santiago, Chile in the 2023 Pan American Games with Burdick on the roster.

Germany should serve as nothing more than a speed bump as Team USA gets off to a fast start in its quest for a 2nd consecutive gold medal.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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More USA TODAY Summer Olympics coverage:
News | Medal count | Meet Team USA

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2024 Olympic Games 3×3 men’s and women’s schedule announced

The USA 3×3 men’s and women’s national teams are slated to compete July 30-Aug. 5 in Paris.

With a little more than a month until the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, FIBA announced the official schedule for the 3×3 basketball competition. The United States 3×3 men’s and women’s national teams are slated to compete July 30-Aug. 5 at Place de la Concorde.

The competition has eight teams on the men’s and women’s sides. Each team will play every other country before a play-in for teams placed third through sixth. The top two teams advance directly to the semifinals, and the bottom two teams in both pools will be eliminated.

“With less than 40 days to the Opening Ceremony in Paris, we are excited to know USA Basketball’s 3×3 pool play schedule as Games preparations continue,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “We are looking forward to cheering the women’s team as they defend Olympic gold and watching the men’s squad compete for the first time on the Olympic stage.”

The American women, who are the reigning Olympic champions, face Germany in the first 3×3 game at 11:30 a.m. ET on July 30. The women’s roster consists of four athletes, including Cameron Brink, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith. The team’s head coach is Jennifer Rizzotti, assisted by coach Tammi Reiss. 

The men open group play against Serbia on July 30, followed by Poland on July 31 with both games starting at 4:35 p.m. ET. The roster consists of Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis, with head coach Joe Lewandowski and assistant James Fraschilla rounding out the team.

Broadcast information, opponent rosters and more will be announced at a later date.

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LSU women’s basketball set to face Stanford in ACC/SEC challenge

LSU women’s basketball will face Stanford in this year’s SEC/ACC challenge.

The 2024-25 schedule for LSU women’s basketball is starting to take shape. On Wednesday, LSU announced the Tigers would host Stanford in this year’s SEC/ACC challenge.

The game will take place at the PMAC on Thursday, Dec. 5. This is the second annual SEC/ACC challenge after LSU played host to Virginia Tech last year.

Stanford, its first year in the ACC, will beef up LSU’s nonconference schedule. The Cardinal went 30-6 last year and finished No. 9 in the AP Poll. The offense was among the best in the country, scoring 77.5 points per game.

The SEC doesn’t always offer a ton of quad one win opportunities, so capitalizing on the nonconference slate will be critical.

However, the Stanford program will look different. Head coach Tara VanDerveer retired and star forward Cameron Brink is in the WNBA.

LSU will enter the year with championship expectations again. [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] turned pro and [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] hit the transfer portal, but superstar guard [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] is back along with [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag].

LSU’s full schedule is yet to be released.

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Former LSU basketball player Hailey Van Lith headed to 2024 Olympics

Former LSU basketball star Hailey Van Lith will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Former LSU women’s basketball player got some good news on Wednesday after being selected to compete on the USA’s 3×3 Olympic basketball team in Paris.

In a video posted to social media, Van Lith got emotional upon hearing the news. Van Lith was given her jersey before a call with USA 3×3 women’s head coach Jen Rizzotti.

“We got a lot of work to do,” Rizzotti said, “Enjoy the day, congratulations.”

Van Lith said the emotion of the moment was hard to describe.

“I’m excited to wear USA across my chest and be in Paris for the first time. I’ve never been to Paris and I think it’s just such a cool reason to go to Paris, so I can’t wait,” Van Lith said.

Van Lith is no stranger to high level 3×3 basketball. She played in the 2023 3×3 world cup and in 2019, won the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup MVP.

Van Lith, one of the biggest names in the sport, transferred to LSU last spring. After playing one year with the Tigers, she hit the portal again, landing at TCU.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Van Lith as she played true point guard for the first time in her college career. She went from scoring nearly 20 a game her junior year at Louisville to just 11.6 with LSU, but she was still a key member of a team that made an Elite Eight run.

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The U.S. Olympics 3×3 women’s roster featuring Rhyne Howard and Cameron Brink is almost too stacked

Rhyne Howard, Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith is a nightmare 3×3 for the other Olympics teams.

Atlanta Dream star Rhyne Howard and Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink will headline the women’s 3×3 national team, and we send our condolences to the competition.

Cameron Brink has absolutely been tearing it up during her rookie season. Now she will team up with Atlanta Dream guard and two-time WNBA All-Star Rhyne Howard — with a little help from TCU Horned Frogs transfer Hailey Van Lith and former WNBA player Cierra Burdick — to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The other teams are in trouble, we fear.

This roster includes three members of the 2023 3×3 national team — Brink, Van Lith and Burdick — that won gold at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup. Plus, Burdick was also on the 2014 USA squad that won gold. Did we mention that Brink’s ridiculous blocking abilities will pair nicely with Howard’s ability to break ankles? May the odds be ever in your favor.

Here’s a quick reminder on how 3×3 basketball works. Per the official Olympic site, 3×3 basketball is played on half a court with two competing teams. Each team has three players who will play on the same basket.

The goal is to get the highest score at the end of a 10-minute period or be the first team to score 21 points. The typical 3-point line that players use in most forms of basketball is instead a two-point line, and any shot made inside the line will be considered one point.

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New women’s basketball assistant coach Seimone Augustus explains why she came back to LSU

Seimone Augustus sees an opportunity to help in what will be a year of transition at LSU.

[autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] added to her LSU women’s basketball coaching staff over the weekend, and it’s a name that shouldn’t need any introduction in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Seimone Augustus[/autotag], a Hall of Famer after a prolific career in college and in the WNBA, has joined the Tigers as an assistant coach ahead of a 2024-25 season that will feature quite a bit of change.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] has moved on, and [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] left via the transfer portal. There will be a lot of new faces in the rotation next season, and Augustus said helping usher in the next era of LSU women’s hoops after those losses was a major draw in joining the staff.

“The brand is as hot as it’s ever been, all eyes on LSU, South Carolina, some of the bigger names,” Augustus said in a podcast appearance with Chantel Jennings of The Athletic. “But yet, we’ve lost great talent. Angel Reese just went to the league, we had some people jump in the portal. So they’re looking for us, but not looking for us.

“So it’s almost like you get the chance to help them expect the unexpected. They don’t know what to look for, but hopefully we can create a team that’s as dangerous as any other team that we’ve had as far as our approach to the game, the quality of play and the style of play. If you know coach Mulkey’s teams, they’ve always been tough up front, in your face. Like a defensive-minded team.

“So I look to bring my intellect, merge it with coach (Bob) Starkey, we were talking about the things we used to run when I was in school. So hopefully getting to the girls to a point where they’re able to just have the freedom on the floor that they desire to be themselves.”

With Augustus on staff and an experienced haul in the transfer portal, the Tigers look to be poised for another potential deep tournament run next season, even with the losses.

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