Hold the phone.
It was previously reported that former LSU women’s basketball star Hailey Van Lith was headed to TCU to finish out her college basketball career.
However, Van Lith is now claiming that she hasn’t made an official commitment to TCU.
“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,” she told The Associated Press. “I haven’t made an official commitment, but I’m very close. The ink has not touched the paper for any school.”
It still sounds like there is a good chance Van Lith ends up at TCU, but it’s noteworthy that nothing is official, according to Van Lith.
Van Lith faced a tough transition during her time at LSU, where she took on the role of point guard under coach Kim Mulkey.
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Unfortunately, her performance fell short of her previous standards, marked by a shooting percentage of 37.8% and an average of 11.6 points per game, a noticeable decrease compared to her time at Louisville.
Adjusting to a new position and system can be challenging for any player, and it seems Van Lith faced some hurdles in finding her rhythm in her new role at LSU.
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey expressed support for Van Lith’s decision to transfer after just one season at LSU.
“Her aspirations were to get drafted this year, and she realized, ‘I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position,’” Mulkey stated at a team banquet, as reported by Nola.com. “And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.”
Van Lith’s journey began with a remarkable three-season stint at Louisville, where she played a pivotal role on a National Championship-winning team.
During this time, she boasted impressive averages of 15.4 points on 13.2 shots per game.
However, her transition to LSU saw a dip in her performance, with her numbers dropping to just 11.6 points on 9.9 shots per game.
Additionally, her overall shooting percentage declined from 42.2% to 37.8%, although there was a slight improvement in her three-point shooting, rising from 33.7% to 33.9%.
The decision to part ways with LSU came after a challenging Elite Eight game, where Van Lith faced off against Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, who scored a staggering 41 points.
In contrast, Van Lith struggled, managing only nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
