Hailey Van Lith is leaving LSU after just one season. She officially entered the transfer portal on Thursday after forgoing the WNBA Draft.
Her decision comes on the heels of an extremely frustrating year in Baton Rouge.
Van Lith averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game during the 2022/23 season and led Louisville to the Elite Eight. Although she saw a slight bump in assists, the 5-foot-7 guard averaged just 11.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game during her senior year with the Tigers.
A large part of that decrease stemmed from a change in position. Van Lith committed to Kim Mulkey so that she could learn how to play a more traditional point guard role, as opposed to being the primary scorer. That transition was intended to help her translate better to the professional level.
The move did not go particularly well. Especially on Monday.
Caitlin Clark absolutely cooked Hailey Van Lith during LSU’s loss to Iowa. It got to the point that even having her on the court was a liability, which could be a big part of why she is leaving.
The Tigers were much better with Last-Tear Poa and Flau’jae Johnson on the floor and that was true throughout most of the year. Perhaps Van Lith saw that her playing time was going to dwindle, after being visibly frustrated on multiple occasions throughout the year. Maybe Mulkey gave her a heads up.
Regardless of what went down, this seems to be like the best decision for both sides.
Van Lith will have one last year of eligibility to return to form as a graduate transfer before she enters next year’s WNBA Draft. LSU can put its best two guards in the lineup without having to worry about a high-profile transfer sitting on the bench.
It will be interesting to see where Van Lith ends up and what role she plays for her future team. Will she go back to shooting upwards of 20 times per game or will she continue to try and learn the true “1” position?