Although LSU women's basketball lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in Monday night's Elite Eight matchup, Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey still had plenty to be thankful for. The two-time WBCA National Coach of the Year singled out one of her star players in particular, gushing over both her skill and character.
Senior guard Hailey Van Lith was a heavy talking point during Mulkey's postgame presser. While the fourth-year veteran has an extra year of eligibility remaining due to COVID, she hasn't announced a decision on her intentions next season. Regardless, Mulkey made sure to give her her flowers while she could still smell them.
Hailey Van Lith, LSU women's basketball have nothing to be ashamed of
After Van Lith struggled to guard Clark on the perimeter all evening, Mulkey made sure to remind everyone of the Louisville transfer's greatness, in case they fell victim to recency bias.
“Hailey Van Lith came to Louisville after being an abundant shooter,” Mulkey remarked, via Nicole Auerbach of the Athletic. “Shot it a lot at Louisville, had great success…For her to take that leap of faith and leave her comfort zone at Louisville, you don't see many players do that when she was that big a piece to their puzzle.”
Indeed, Van Lith was the focal point of the Cardinals' offense. With the Tigers being a heavily stacked roster, she transitioned to being more of a supporting piece. The 22-year-old hoisted just 9.9 shots a game this season after averaging 16.8 in her junior campaign.
“She has embraced learning a new position, taking less shots,” Mulkey continued. “Forever indebted to Hailey and her unselfish play to come to LSU to play with a lot of great players and learn a new position.”
While Van Lith was exclusively a shooting guard at Louisville, Mulkey taught her how to play the point. The Washington native focused more on facilitating the offense with the Tigers, resulting in a career-high 3.7 assists per game. Although she played alongside fellow standouts Angel Reese, Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow, Van Lith still managed to carve out a role for herself.
Speaking of Reese, Van Lith had plenty of nice things to say about her as well following the Iowa loss. Clearly, her unselfishness expanded outside of the court as well.
“I think Angel is one of the toughest people I've been around,” Van Lith said, via Auerbach. “People speak hate into her life. I've never seen people wish bad things on someone as much as her, and it does not affect her.”
Reese detailed how difficult her experience has been since winning the national championship last season, as she's constantly been a target of hate online. Van Lith made sure to defend her teammate publicly after possibly their last game together.
“That's the key to life right there,” Van Lith continued. “Y'all do not get to her. Let me say it again. Y'all do not get to Angel Reese.”
Despite the loss, LSU women's basketball should be proud of their elite program, full of headlining talent and high-character individuals in the locker room. While Caitlin Clark may be the sport's most popular star, the Tigers have also played an integral role in growing the women's game.
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