Hailey Van Lith Wants Out of Baton Rouge, Enters Transfer Portal After One Year

Hailey Van Lith entered the transfer portal after a lackluster year for the reigning champion LSU women's basketball team, notably after a horrifying performance against Iowa in an elimination loss on Monday.

Van Lith, previously heralded as a star in Louisville after three successful seasons, joined Kim Mulkey's LSU team, hoping to start a semi-'superteam' alongside Angel Reese, Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow (a fellow transfer). 

Hailey Van Lith transferred to LSU after playing at Louisville. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

LSU basketball player Hailey Van Lith. (Credit: Getty Images)

Expectations for Van Lith soared in Baton Rouge, but the outcome fell short of her star-like image. She suffered arguably the worst season in her four-year career. And rather than opting for the WNBA Draft, the 5-foot-7 guard looks to redeem herself with one more campaign.

Van Lith has a major assignment ahead of her. 

After Monday's game against Iowa, having to ‘size up’ against Caitlin Clark who went off for 41 points, Van Lith needs to reintroduce some hype to her name. She stood out in the highly anticipated Elite-8 bout but mainly as a defensive liability for the Tigers. Surrendering open lanes to Clark and often turning the ball over on offense, Van Lith appeared like a shell of the NIL-happy, former Lousiville star who nearly averaged 20 points in her junior season. 

Hailey Van Lith averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds this past year with LSU. She will use the added year of eligibility granted by COVID, which will hopefully add a bump to her draft stock, should she elect to enter the WNBA next year. 

Hailey Van LIth averaged 19.7 points per game as a junior. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

ALBANY, NY - Angel Reese of the LSU Tigers and Hailey Van Lith react in a game against the UCLA Bruins during the second half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

In 31 minutes of Elite-8 action, Van Lith scored nine points (2-of-10 from the field), adding one rebound, one assist and one steal for the night.

While it's no surprise that Van Lith wants another shot at the college game, watching her forego another year in Baton Rouge was a bit unexpected.

After LSU's embarrassing loss on Monday, coach Kim Mulkey championed Van Lith as criticism began trickling in concerning her bad outing against Caitlin Clark. 

"I hope it’s not her last game. But if it is, I’m proud to have been her coach for a year," Mulkey commented. 

"Hailey Van Lith came to LSU after being an abundant shooter. Shot it a lot at Louisville. Had great success. Was on good teams. She graduated in three years with a finance degree. She wanted to experience all the things I guess she saw from afar with our championship last year. 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. 

"She has embraced learning a new position, taking less shots. Our last game against UCLA, I thought [Van Lith’s] stats were very good, but I’m an old point guard, and I see all that.

"I am forever indebted to Haley and her unselfish play to come to LSU to play with a lot of great players and learn a new position."

One question remains … where will Van Lith end up next season? (Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

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