TCU Transfer Van Lith Signs NIL Deal with LaCroix
It has been an eventful past week for former LSU and Louisville star Hailey Van Lith, who put pen to paper with a new school and added her first NIL brand partner since making the move.
The now-TCU Horned Frog point guard inked a deal with sparkling water brand LaCroix, who made Van Lith their first NIL athlete. The graduate transfer announced her new partnership via an Instagram post with the caption, "Proud to team up with @lacroixwater for sparkling hydration on and off the court."
Van Lith, who decided to wait another year for the WNBA Draft, will suit up for her third college team next season. She was an All-American at Louisville before transferring to LSU for last season. She averaged over 11 points per game for the defending champions who fell to Caitlin Clark at Iowa in the Elite Eight.
The only active Division I player with at least 1,900 points, 500 rebounds and 350 assists, Van Lith joins a reloaded TCU roster that includes Kentucky transfer Maddie Scherr and returnees - former transfers themselves - Madison Conner, Sedona Prince and Agnes Emma-Nnopu.
One of the top NIL student-athletes returning to school next season, Van Lith is the face of adidas' NIL roster, staring in multiple campaigns over the past two years for the brand. Her additional brand portfolio includes the likes of Fanatics, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the NIL Store, among others.
Since signing with TCU, Van Lith collaborated with her former LSU teammate Flau'jae Johnson on a new NIL campaign for Apple Cash.
Now that her graduate transfer move is complete, Van Lith will turn her attention to this Summer's Paris Olympics, where she is a candidate for USA Basketball's 3x3 national team roster, who she won gold for at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup last year.
MICHAEL EHRLICH
Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com