Former Louisville Guard Hailey Van Lith Commits to LSU
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hailey Van Lith has found her new home.
The former Louisville women's basketball guard and All-American announced Thursday on Instagram that she has committed to LSU. Led by head coach Kim Mulkey and fellow All-American Angel Reese, the Tigers claimed their first national championship in school history this past season.
The 5-7 junior has been one of most impactful players not only for Louisville during her three years with the program, but in all of women's college basketball. She departed the Cardinals with 1,553 career points, the seventh-most in Division 1 amongst active non-seniors and 12th-most in program history.
Van Lith is coming off a career year, one where she averaged a career-best 19.7 points and 3.2 assists while starting 37 games, along with 4.5 rebounds per game. Her 729 total points scored during the 2022-23 season was good for fifth-best in program history, with the scoring average ranking eighth in a single season. She was tabbed as both a First-Team All-ACC selection and Associated Press All-American honorable mention, as well as a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
Some of Van Lith's best work came during the postseason. The Wenatchee, Wash. native averaged 18.1 points in 13 career NCAA Tournament games, scoring 20 or more points in eight of Louisville's nine NCAA Tournament games played over the last two seasons. Her 235 career points scored in the NCAA Tournament is good for fourth-most in Louisville history.
Louisville head coach Jeff Walz and his staff are having to undergo a massive roster overhaul heading into next season. The program is graduating six seniors, and five more players have entered the transfer portal. Currently, Louisville is in line to return just Olivia Cochran, Merissah Russell, Alexia Mobley and Nyla Harris, and has no high school commitments in their 2023 class.
As a result, the Cardinals have had to counter their losses exclusively via the transfer portal. So far, UofL has landed Georgia Tech guard Eylia Love, Cal guard Jayda Curry, Cal State Bakersfield forward Hennie van Schaik, James Madison guard Kiki Jefferson, Florida guard Nina Rickards and UMass guard Sydney Taylor These six transfers combined to average 76.6 points, 31.6 rebounds and 12.3 assists per game at their respective schools last season.
Louisville went 26-12 overall for the 2022-23 season, experiencing their first double-digit loss season since their 2011-12 campaign. Despite having a "down year" by their typically lofty standards, the Cardinals saved their best basketball for the postseason. They made the ACC Championship game as a No. 4 seed, then clinched their fifth-straight appearance in the Elite Eight before falling to national runner-up Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
(Photo of Hailey Van Lith: Matt Cashore - USA TODAY Sports)
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