LSU women's basketball guard Hailey Van Lith decided against declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft following the Tigers' heartbreaking loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight tournament Monday and has entered the transfer portal.
On Thursday, an official roster of college athletes ending their current season and thereby eligible for the draft was revealed, but Van Lith's name was not on it, as reported by Andrew Graham of On3.
While Van Lith has been silent on her next steps, she does have an additional year of college eligibility left thanks to the COVID-19 waiver and has reportedly entered the transfer portal sources told Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.
She struggled Monday against Clark in the Elite Eight matchup. The guard was assigned the defensive role against Clark who, despite Van Lith and LSU's efforts, dominated the game, scoring 41 points, including nine 3-pointers and making 13 out of 29 field-goal attempts, defeating LSU 94-87 and leading the Hawkeyes into the Final Four.
Hailey Van Lith finds personal growth at LSU
Hailey Van Lith originally started her college basketball journey at Louisville, where she played for three seasons before entering the transfer portal and transferring to LSU last season. The 5-foot-7 guard, celebrated for her two-time first-team all-ACC achievements during her tenure at Louisville boosted the Tigers' prospects as the preseason's No. 1 team. Having led the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022, she transferred to LSU to sharpen her skills as a point guard under the guidance of coach Kim Mulkey, joining forces with notable talents like Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow, Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. Van Lith, who graduated with a degree in accounting from Louisville, sought this new chapter as a graduate transfer.
In her LSU season, Van Lith embraced a different offensive role, with her field goal attempts dropping to an average of 9.9 per game. Despite a less central scoring role compared to her junior year high of 19.7 points per game at Louisville, Van Lith's experience at LSU was about personal and professional growth.
“A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me,” Van Lith said before LSU's Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA on March 30, as reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN, “but one thing that they can't argue with is that at this point, I know how to fend for Hailey and I know how to fight for Hailey and that's going to help me the next level.”
Addressing criticism, especially after a challenging game guarding Clark, Van Lith has a newfound focus on personal well-being over public opinion.
“If I'm really stressed about how these people are talking about me, that means I care a lot about it,” Van Lith said. “And I probably think it's half-ass true because I'm so worried about it. So I feel like this year has really taught me if I'm that bothered by something, that means that I kind of believe it's true and that I need to do some self work. So I've been enjoying my life this year. I'm off the media. I'm not reading what everyone is saying about us or me or whatever they're even doing. This has been a good year for me to just learn how to enjoy life and play basketball at the same time.”
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