At one point in her basketball career, TCU guard Hailey Van Lith was regarded in the same breath as Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. In ESPN's player rankings for the class of 2020, she sat at No. 7 in the country, just three spots behind Clark and six behind Bueckers.
However, Van Lith fell on hard times last season when she transferred to LSU after spending three dominant years at Louisville. Not only did her statistics and production take a hit for the Tigers, but she seemed to have lost her confidence and did not look like herself.
For her fifth year of college basketball, Van Lith made a bold decision to transfer to TCU, who won 10 games or less in three consecutive seasons before head coach Mark Campbell arrived in 2023. This choice may have seemed like a desperate ploy to keep her college career alive, but in reality, it's been one of the best decisions she's ever made.
Hailey Van Lith’s transfer to TCU helped her WNBA draft stock
After averaging just 11.6 points per game on a loaded LSU squad during the 2023-2024 season, many pegged Van Lith as a player who could put up strong numbers when she was the main catalyst but could not carve out a starring role amongst other talented players.
She put those notions to rest this season as she led an ultra-talented Horned Frogs squad to a 32-3 record and a Big 12 regular season and tournament championship. Not only that, but she won the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year Award and was named a Third-Team All-American by the Associated Press.
Van Lith's career season at TCU will position her well for the WNBA Draft next month on April 14. Once an afterthought as a professional player, she has now proven that she can make plays at an elite level again and any number of teams in the W could benefit from having her on their roster.
If she had declared for the WNBA Draft at this time last year, Van Lith might have gone undrafted. Now, she won't drop further than the middle of the second round and has a chance to sneak into the end of the first.
Head coach Mark Campbell gave her a new lease on life by allowing her to be herself this season, both on and off the court, and it changed the outlook of her professional career. What a difference one year and one decision made for Hailey Van Lith.