Angel Reese Had One Key Piece of Advice for Hailey Van Lith Ahead of Rookie Season

The two former LSU Tigers are set to reunite with the Chicago Sky.

Reese and Van Lith played together at LSU during the 2023-24 season. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the Chicago Sky selected Hailey Van Lith with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, they reunited her with former college teammate Angel Reese. The pair played together at LSU in 2023–24 under coach Kim Mulkey, going 31–6 and reaching the Elite Eight before a loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes knocked them off course.

Now onto the pros together, Van Lith explained at a Thursday news conference that while it's a different environment than before, she "can't wait" to get to play with her old teammate again. She went on to share a key piece of advice that Reese has relayed ahead of her first WNBA season: Be in shape.

"As long as you're in shape," Van Lith laughed. "You can take the bumps and the bruises as they come, but if you're gassed, that's a hard place to be in in training camp. My one goal is to be in the best shape that I can."

Van Lith played five seasons of college basketball across three schools—Louisville, LSU and TCU—and averaged 15.2 points per game. In 2024–25 with the Horned Frogs, she dished out a career-high 5.4 assists per game while leading TCU to their first Elite Eight in school history.

Her reunion with Reese at the professional level adds yet another intriguing storyline to the upcoming 2025 WNBA season.

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