Hailey Van Lith to transfer to LSU women's basketball, team up with Kim Mulkey

Cory Diaz, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·2 min read
11

Kim Mulkey does it again.

Last offseason, it was Angel Reese. This offseason, LSU women's basketball lands arguably the top player from the transfer portal.

Former Louisville point guard Hailey Van Lith, who shocked the women's basketball world when she entered her name in the portal just a few days following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, announced Monday she's joining the reigning NCAA champion Tigers.

Thanks to an extra COVID year, Van Lith has two years of eligibility remaining.

The face of Louisville women's basketball the past three seasons, Van Lith has career averages of 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. For the Cardinals in 2022-23, the 5-7 point guard put up a career-high 19.7 points and 3.2 assists.

FILE - Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith (10) waves to the crowd at the end of a women's NCAA tournament college basketball second-round game against Gonzaga in Louisville, Ky., Sunday, March 20, 2022. Some star women’s players have already decided to stay in school rather than make their earliest possible jump to the WNBA and more are on the way with NIL deals and chartered travel offering appeal compared to rookie salaries and commercial flights in the WNBA. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

HOW HAILEY VAN LITH FITS IN AT LSU Hailey Van Lith adds another magnetic personality to LSU women's basketball, Kim Mulkey's lineup

OTHER TRANSFERS LSU WBB COULD TARGET What other transfers should LSU women's basketball seek out after getting Hailey Van Lith?

LSU WINS FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP History! Kim Mulkey leads LSU women's basketball past Caitlin Clark, Iowa for 1st NCAA title

Mulkey finally gets her point guard as she recruited Van Lith out of Cashmere High School in Wenatchee, Washington to Baylor, which made the final two for her services. But Van Lith ultimately chose Louisville over Mulkey and the Bears.

The addition of Van Lith will curve any potential dropoff LSU may see at the guard spot with the departure of recent WNBA Draft pick Alexis Morris. Morris averaged 15.4 points for the Tigers and had the best stretches of her college career during the Tigers' run to the national championship where they beat Iowa 102-85 in Dallas scoring 21 points with nine assists in the title game.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Hailey Van Lith to transfer to LSU women's basketball, join Kim Mulkey

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