According to a source briefed by The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings, LSU guard Hailey Van Lith has officially entered the transfer portal.
Van Lith, who joined the Tigers for the 2023-24 season after three years at Louisville, still has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. Despite the possibility of entering this year’s WNBA draft, she was not listed among the NCAA players who declared on Thursday, indicating her intention to bolster her draft prospects in the 2024-25 season.
In her senior year, the 22-year-old’s performance saw a decline as she adjusted to a supporting role at LSU after being a central figure in Louisville’s offense throughout her junior year.
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While she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game with the Cardinals in 2022-23, her output dipped to just 11.6 points per game under Kim Mulkey’s coaching at LSU. Her field-goal attempts per game were nearly halved from the previous season, with only 9.9 attempts per contest in the SEC, converting at a rate of 37.8%, compared to her 41.1% shooting on 16.8 attempts per game in her final year at Louisville.
Van Lith’s tenure at LSU ended following their loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight, where she was primarily tasked with defending Caitlin Clark. Clark’s stellar performance of 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds led Iowa to victory and advanced them to the Final Four.
Commenting on Van Lith’s journey at LSU, Mulkey noted her transition from a prolific shooter at Louisville to adapting to a different role with the Tigers. Despite the challenges, Mulkey commended Van Lith’s willingness to embrace learning a new position and taking fewer shots.
“Hailey Van Lith came to LSU after being an abundant shooter,” Mulkey told reporters after their season-ending defeat Monday, courtesy of NOLA.com’s Reed Darcey. “Shot it a lot at Louisville. Had great success. Was on good teams. But 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.”
Should Van Lith opt for a transfer, she would be LSU’s second notable departure this offseason, following Tigers standout Angel Reese’s decision to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she is expected to be a top pick.
