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The modern college basketball landscape opens the sport up to a lot of understandable cynicism from fans. Players and coaches are constantly leaving teams. NIL deals seem to matter above all else when it comes to choosing a team to play for, and some of the sport’s biggest stars have been dragged into political discussions they want no part of.
All of this is what makes the start of Hailey Van Lith‘s senior season with the TCU Horned Frogs the best story in college basketball today.
Van Lith was a superstar in high school. She was a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 7 player in the 2020 recruiting class according to ESPN. Van Lith committed to the Louisville Cardinals and veteran head coach Jeff Walz.
By the time she was a junior, Van Lith developed into one of the best players in the nation. She was a two-time All-ACC selection and starred for the Cards as they made runs to the Final Four (2022) and Elite Eight (2023) in consecutive seasons.
However, after her junior year, Van Lith made the shocking decision to transfer and join the reigning national champion LSU Tigers. It was a power move, and one that made the Tigers heavy favorites to repeat at national champs.
But things quickly went off script. On the court, Van Lith was a shell of herself. She went from 19.7 points per game with the Cards down to 11.6 with the Tigers. Her shooting percentage dropped from 41.1 percent to 37.8 and things were even worse off the court. LSU lost to in the Elite Eight to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in what seemed almost like a mercy killing for the Tigers.
Safe to say, the decision to transfer to LSU backfired in a massive way.
Hailey Van Lith Has Been Resurgent With The Upstart TCU Horned Frogs
Prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, Van Lith transferred again. This time, she joined a TCU program that began the 2023-24 season 14-0 before a disastrous string of injuries led them to have to forfeit games due to a lack of healthy players.
But year two under head coach Mark Campbell has been a different story. Star center Sedona Price is back healthy, and transfers Taylor Bigsby and Donovyn Hunter also brought their talents to Fort Worth.
Van Lith, meanwhile, is playing the best basketball of her career. She’s averaging career highs in points (19.9) and assists (7.1) per game and has helped lead the Horned Frogs to an 8-0 start.
After Campbell recently informed Van Lith that she recorded her first career double-double, she became visibly emotional.
The entire college basketball world watched Hailey Van Lith struggle under the spotlight last year. Now, that same world should be paying attention as she reminds everyone of her talent. Because the comeback is the best thing going in the game today.