3 x 3 Olympian Hailey Van Lith explains why she left LSU for TCU rather than the WNBA

The line was drawn at Caitlin, Angel, Brink and Bueckers, and just underneath that border is Hailey Van Lith who rather than crossing into the highest echelon of college basketball players remains slightly stuck.

For two years Van Lith was in the group that formed a wave of NCAA women’s college basketball players who are currently elevating the visibility of the sport. Something happened in the last year that prevented Van Lith from securing her spot in that group.

It’s on Hailey Van Lith to put her name back in that group. The fun begins in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics, and then to, of all places, TCU.

Van Lith will play for the United States in the 3 x 3 women’s basketball competition, which begins on Tuesday when the USA will play Germany at 10:30 a.m. CT.

When Van Lith announced in the spring she would leave LSU after only one season it caused a few people in the sport to ask, “What?” Players transferring these days don’t cause much a reaction beyond the casual shrug.

When she announced that she would play her final college season at TCU, that’s the one that caused more than a shrug. It caused more than a few people in her sport to ask, “How much did they pay her?”

She’s not coming to TCU for her final season for free. This is more about her going to a place where she can return to the level of production she established in her three seasons at Louisville. She is by far the most acclaimed player to ever sign with TCU.

“It was all a really good fit for me, and I felt really comfortable when I came for my visit,” Van Lith told a small gathering of reporters earlier this month at the TCU practice facility, a few days before she left for Paris. “It was kind of a no-brainer.”

She has known TCU coach Mark Campbell from her days growing up in Wenatchee, Wash. when she signed with the University of Louisville out of high school. The Van Lith who played at U of L was one of the best guards in the country.

She played with an edge. She was fearless. Hate playing against her. Want her on your team.

After she transferred to LSU in the spring of 2023 to form one of those “super teams,” he production fell off. She was a great player on a loaded roster, and it never looked like she fit. She had some moments, but not enough.

When the season ended, she looked at the WNBA.

“I did think about it and that’s what I wanted to do. That’s always been my dream, is four years in college,” she said. “I didn’t want to take that fifth year. I think I was ready for that next level; the more I talked to people around the league and people who know me really well, there is no reason to rush.

“I wanted a year of college where I loved where I was at, and I loved who I was around, and I loved who I was when I was there.”

There is a thinly veiled shot at LSU in there, but it’s not that deep. She went to LSU to star and win a national title under coach Kim Mulkey, and it didn’t work. The existence of NIL money is giving people like Van Lith a reason to stay in school while possibly making more than they would in the pros.

Van Lith said NIL money did not “keep me in college.” She didn’t say if it didn’t help a little.

“Money is something I’m blessed with; I’ve been raised that money will never satisfy you, and it will never sustain you,” she said. “I made these choices because I thought it was the best for my heart, and career, basketball wise.”

If she has a good season, and her production returns to U of L levels, she should be a first round pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.

She is not as good as UConn’s Paige Bueckers, but the Van Lith who played as a junior at Louisville was nasty, and a top college player. The Van Lith who played last season at LSU didn’t look like she fit, mostly because she needed the ball more in a system that was built around Angel Reese.

Van Lith would have to wear noise-cancelling headphones for months to avoid the comments that came with it. Mostly, that she wasn’t good enough to play for a program like LSU.

“I’m not trying to prove anything necessarily. More just continue to play because I love the game,” she said. “When I play for that reason I play my best. I’m trying to avoid playing for the critics and the people who don’t believe in me.”

She has come to a place that believes in her.

The rest will be on her to put her name back on a list that was elevating the entire sport.