Hailey Van Lith Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Amid TCU NCAA Tournament Run
TCU Horned Frogs superstar guard Hailey Van Lith has been extremely impressive on the court this season, as she led her team to an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday by beating the Louisville Cardinals (where he spent the first three seasons of her college career.)
In addition to everything she has accomplished on the basketball court, Van Lith's ability to be vulnerable and open up about personal aspects of her life has been remarkable to behold, especially given the scrutiny she has faced due to being one of the biggest stars in college basketball.
This was made apparent once again after Sunday's win against Louisville, where Van Lith got honest about intense mental health struggles she has dealt with in the past.
"I got exposed to the media and social media at such a young age, I really struggled with mental health things," Van Lith said, per an X post from On SI's Nick Girimonte. "When I was younger in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated, and I felt trapped. And you would never know because I was having a ton of success on the court. But internally, and in life in general, I was ready to be done.
"That's what I mean when I speak on suffering and pain, I didn't even want to live," Van Lith continued. "And to come from that to this is incredible... Even if basketball went away today, I truly would want to be here and love these people."
She concluded by saying, "That's what I mean when I say [God] has delivered me from the worst suffering ever."
Hailey Van Lith talks about her mental health struggles throughout her college career, and how this year has been such a blessing for her.
— Nick Girimonte (@GirimonteNicky) March 24, 2025
Really powerful message worth watching from the TCU guard pic.twitter.com/AzNU4oLPQw
While it's hard to hear just how much Van Lith has struggled in her past, it's truly fantastic to hear how she has risen from that time and is now in a much better place mentally.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.