Tag: Hailey Van Lith

Hailey Van Lith joins seasoned pros on FIBA 3×3 roster ahead of Paris

The teams were composed of players various levels, including the WNBA, NCAA and Athletes Unlimited.

If you are a phenomenal player, it doesn’t matter if you are still in college or a seasoned professional player. USA Basketball was represented by two teams at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series opener with players from the WNBA, NCAA, Athletes Unlimited and the international level.

After winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the United States is looking to repeat in Paris. Team USA consisted of Hailey Van Lith, Cierra Burdick, Lexie Hull and Rhyne Howard. The other roster, Team Springfield, boasted Allisha Gray, Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Linnae Harper.

Team USA took second to Canada in the final at the Springfield stop of the series, falling short, 20-18. The teams competing in the series consisted of athletes from Canada, France, Germany and Puerto Rico.

The 3×3 game is a bit different than the 5×5 full-court basketball. For example, 3×3 is played on a half-court with a 10-minute game clock. The first team to score 21 points via 1-point field goals or 2-pointers behind the arc is victorious. If neither team reaches 21 before time expires, the team with the most points wins.

“I just like how free-flowing it is; there’s a lot of room for error,” Brink said. “If you mess up, you just have to move on to the next possession immediately.”

The FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series “offers women a chance to play 3×3 at the highest competitive level regularly, representing a unique opportunity to bring new countries and players into the limelight and to recognize the best and upcoming players in the industry.” The event culminates in a 3×3 World Cup and then the Olympic Games in Paris.

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LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith refutes reports that she has committed to TCU

Hailey Van Lith told the Associated Press that she has not committed to any program, though she is “close.”

[autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] opted to move on from LSU women’s basketball after one season, and when reports surfaced last week that Van Lith had committed to TCU, it seemed her recruitment was at an end.

However, the saga has taken another twist. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Van Lith has not committed to TCU or any other program for that matter.

Though she said she’s “close” to a decision in a statement to the news outlet, Van Lith reiterated that she has not signed.

“I did take a visit to TCU and am very interested in them, but I took visits to other schools and was very interested in them, too,” Van Lith said. “I haven’t made an official commitment, but I’m very close. The ink has not touched the paper for any school.”

A highly anticipated transfer addition last offseason from Louisville, Van Lith moved to the point guard role this year at LSU and saw a dip in production, though she still averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists.

Tigers coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] said Van Lith was looking to play her final season with a team that would allow her to play her more natural position at the two.

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Former LSU point guard Hailey Van Lith commits to TCU

Hailey Van Lith is heading to the Big 12.

After one season in Baton Rouge, former LSU women’s basketball point guard [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] will finish out her collegiate career at TCU.

Van Lith committed to the Horned Frogs as a fifth-year transfer on Thursday, as was first reported by Talia Goodman of The Next. Van Lith came to LSU after an All-ACC season at Louisville, but she saw her production drop after moving from the two to the one spot.

She averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists this season, and she opted to enter the transfer portal after the Tigers’ Elite Eight loss to Iowa rather than join [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Van Lith recently visited conference foe Mississippi State, but she’s instead heading to the Big 12. The Horned Frogs went 21-12 last season in the first campaign under coach Mark Campbell and reached the second round of the WBIT.

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Hailey Van Lith’s transfer to TCU immediately makes the Horned Frogs a must-watch team in women’s hoops

Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner – all on the same team.

A lot of eyes were already going to be on TCU’s women’s basketball team next season.

The Horned Frogs’ first campaign under head coach Mark Campbell was an eventful one this past year as TCU went 13-0 and was ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for five weeks before the season was derailed by a three-game losing streak that also saw key players like Sedona Prince get injured. In fact, so many TCU players suffered ailments that the team had to forfeit two games – purely because the lack of able bodies – and then had to hold tryouts for walk-ons. Arizona transfer Madison Conner had a strong year, Prince eventually returned, and TCU won 20 games for the first time in four seasons.

So, a lot of folks were ready to see the encore with the roster as it was.

And now, joining Conner in that backcourt is Hailey Van Lith, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

The addition of Van Lith makes TCU a team that we absolutely have to pay attention to in the 2024-25 season.

While Van Lith’s struggles at LSU this past season were well-documented as she tried to turn herself into a pass-first player playing alongside Flau’Jae Johnson and talented posts in Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, we shouldn’t forget all that she’s accomplished in her career. Consider that, in each of Van Lith’s four college seasons, she’s been to at least the Elite Eight in every one, and helped Louisville reach the Final Four as a sophomore in 2022. Van Lith has played in 17 NCAA Tournament games, averaging 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists across those contests.

And she’s joining a TCU squad that looks stacked, on paper anyways.

Conner was on the Arizona team that went to the national title game in 2021 and was second in the nation in 3-pointers made this past season with 3.7 per game. Prince, while battling that injury, averaged 19.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while finishing fifth in the nation in blocked shots.

A lot of folks will also be watching this TCU team because of, well, the content!

The two star players here – Van Lith and Prince (with all due respect to Conner) – have massive followings on social media. Just look at these follower numbers:

  • Van Lith: 1.1 million on Instagram, 372,000 on TikTok
  • Prince: 172,000 on Instagram, 2.7 million on TikTok

Expect the posts to flow out of Forth Worth the same way that 3-pointers do this upcoming season.

LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith reportedly visited conference rival over the weekend

LSU may not have seen the last of Hailey Van Lith.

Former LSU point guard [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] opted to enter the transfer portal after just one season in Baton Rouge. The former All-ACC player at Louisville is back on the market after her production dipped in 2023-24 with a position change.

Van Lith is one of the top available players in the transfer portal, and she could be eying a move to a conference rival. Van Lith was in Starkville over the weekend to take a Saturday visit to Mississippi State, as was first reported by Talia Goodman of The Next.

Van Lith will be a fifth-year senior entering her final season of eligibility with her new team.

Van Lith moved from the shooting guard spot to the point guard position this season, and it resulted in her scoring average dropping from 19.7 to 11.6. Coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] recently said Van Lith chose to transfer in order to finish out her career playing her more natural position at the two.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact that visit with the Bulldogs had, but it’s possible LSU hasn’t seen the last of Van Lith.

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LSU freshman PG Angelica Velez enters transfer portal

Angelica Velez saw action in 23 games, playing 111 minutes and averaging 1.2 points.

LSU women’s basketball has seen another transfer portal departure, this time freshman point guard [autotag]Angelica Velez[/autotag]. Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops was the first to report Velez’s decision on Monday.

A native of The Bronx, New York, who played her high school basketball in Tennessee, Velez was a four-star prospect and top-25 player nationally coming out of high school.

However, she only saw sporadic action on a deep LSU team as a true freshman. She played in 23 games, totaling just 111 minutes while averaging 1.2 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists.

Her best performance came in a 133-44 win over McNeese, in which she scored a season-high 10 points.

Velez joins fellow point guard [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] as the second Tiger to enter the transfer portal since a loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight.

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LSU women’s basketball star Hailey Van Lith reportedly enters transfer portal

Hailey Van Lith didn’t declare for the WNBA draft, but she’s reportedly moving on for her final season of college.

It looked like [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] was coming back to Baton Rouge on Thursday morning.

After Wednesday night’s deadline to enter the 2024 WNBA draft came and went without an announcement from Van Lith, she appeared likely to return for another season in Baton Rouge. But Thursday afternoon, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Van Lith has instead opted to enter the transfer portal.

A transfer addition last offseason from Louisville, the Wenatchee, Washington, native was a two-time First Team All-SEC selection with the Cardinals. Her addition was expected to lead the Tigers to a repeat as national champions this season.

But her time with the Tigers had its ups and downs. She moved to point guard this season, and the result was an unsurprising drop in production. After averaging 19.7 points at Louisville last season, that number dropped to 11.6 this year.

She also saw her minutes decrease with the emergence of [autotag]Last-Tear Poa[/autotag] down the stretch, though she started all 33 games she appeared in this season.

In the Elite Eight loss to Iowa, Van Lith scored nine points but shot just 2 of 10 from the field. She also drew Caitlin Clark, who scored 21 points, on defense for most of the game and had her fair share of struggles.

A fourth-year junior, she had the option to join [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] in the WNBA draft or return to school. She has chosen the latter, though it seems she will not be playing for the Tigers.

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Hailey Van Lith doesn’t declare for WNBA draft as deadline passes

Hailey Van Lith hasn’t made any public announcements as the draft deadline has now passed.

The deadline to declare for the WNBA draft came and went on Wednesday, and LSU’s [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] is yet to announce her plans.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] declared and the assumption was Van Lith would too. Both were honored at LSU’s senior day last month, but official decisions were up in the air.

With Reese off to the WNBA, Van Lith’s next step is still unclear. It’s possible she silently declared, but if she didn’t, that could mean a return to LSU is in the fold.

Van Lith passing on the draft doesn’t guarantee a return to LSU. The senior guard could opt to hit the transfer portal again and explore her options elsewhere.

Van Lith’s numbers at LSU were below the standard she set at Louisville, but with Reese gone, Van Lith has the chance to take center stage on next year’s team.

Van Lith, along with [autotag]Flau’jae Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag] could form one of the nation’s most dynamic backcourts.

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LSU’s Kim Mulkey reveals postgame comments to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark: ‘I sure am glad you leaving’

Kim Mulkey seems to be relieved that Caitlin Clark is off to the WNBA.

LSU came up short in its hopes of returning to the Final Four in Monday night’s Elite Eight loss to Iowa.

In a rematch of last year’s national championship, which was won by the Tigers, the Hawkeyes ultimately got their revenge this time around in a 94-87 victory that propelled it into the national semifinal.

Caitlin Clark was the star of the show, per usual. With [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] guarding her most of the game, the Tigers had no answers as she dropped 41 points in a game Iowa controlled for most of the second half.

After the game, [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] was spotted talking to Clark in the handshake line, and after the game, she revealed her message for the likely top WNBA draft pick.

“I sure am glad you leaving,” Mulkey recalled saying. “I said, ‘Girl, you something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.'”

Mulkey also elaborated on the Tigers’ strategy in defending Clark, calling back to what she said before the game: You can’t stop her, you can only hope to contain her.

LSU clearly failed to do that.

“There’s not a lot of strategy,” Mulkey said. “You’ve got to guard her, nobody else seems to be able to guard her. We didn’t even guard her last year when we beat them. She’s just a generational player, and she just makes everybody around her better. That’s what the great ones do.”

Clark, like [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], had the opportunity to return to college basketball next season. However, she announced last month that she would not remain at Iowa for a fifth season and will instead enter the draft, where she is projected to go first overall to the Indiana Fever.

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LSU’s Angel Reese details hate, ‘death threats’ she’s received in the last year after Iowa loss

Angel Reese opened up about the hate she has received during her time with the Tigers.

LSU’s hopes of repeating as national champions came to an end on Monday night with a 94-87 loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight in a rematch of last season’s title game.

It may have been the final game in a Tigers uniform for Angel Reese, who is a projected top pick in the WNBA draft but has the opportunity to return to LSU.

After the game, Reese took the chance to address criticism she has received from fans and media, stating that she has received death threats and hasn’t been truly happy since the team won the national title last year.

“I don’t really get to speak out on things just because I try to ignore,” Reese told reporters. “I just try to stand strong. I’ve been through so much. I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times (with) death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things and I’ve stood strong every single time.

“I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and not be there for them. I just want them to always just know I’m still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship. I said the other day, I haven’t been happy since then. And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change. I wouldn’t change anything, and I’d still sit here and say that I’m unapologetically me.”

Reese’s teammates [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] and [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] also took the opportunity to defend Reese from what they perceived to be hate directed toward her.

Y’all do not get to her. Let me say it again. Y’all do not get to Angel Reese,” Van Lith said. “So you might want to throw the towel in because you’re wasting your energy.”

If this truly is the end of the road for Reese at LSU, it’s been quite a memorable two years for the Bayou Barbie.

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