Hailey Van Lith sent shockwaves throughout college basketball when she committed to LSU during the offseason, and it appears as though she is fitting right in! The fourth-year senior joins the Tigers with two years of eligibility remaining (all athletes were offered a waiver due to the pandemic in 2020) and provides an immediate talent boost to an already-stacked lineup.
Kim Mulkey returns Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson from her national championship roster. Aneesah Morrow, the No. 2-ranked transfer, joins the team after lighting up the stat-sheet in two years at DePaul.
Mikaylah Williams, the top-ranked prospect in the recruiting Class of 2023, and 6-foot-6 center Aalyah Del Rosario committed to LSU as five-star recruits. They will anchor the front court as freshmen.
And then there’s Hailey Van Lith.
The nation’s top-ranked transfer almost committed to play for Mulkey at Baylor out of high school. It took three years, but they are now reunited in Baton Rouge.
Hailey Van Lith averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks at Louisville last season. She led the Cardinals to the Elite Eight as a freshman, Final Four as a sophomore, and Elite Eight again as a junior.
To put her in a lineup alongside Reese, Morrow and Johnson is just ridiculous.
The Tigers are loaded and anything short of back-to-back national titles would be a let down. Anything short of the Final Four would be a massive disappointment.
There is so much buzz surrounding LSU women’s basketball this season. They began practice last week and drew a crowd of 2,500 just to watch them get back on the hardwood.
At some point during the open practice, Fantasia’s song ‘When I See U’ started to play.
Van Lith was loving it.
For Van Lith to be absolutely grooving, and then turn right around and knock down a triple is tremendous vibes. LSU women’s basketball has the talent and the swagger to do it again.
The only question is whether they can execute and get the job done.