Hailey Van Lith (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The LSU Tigers are set to lose one of their best players to the transfer portal following their NCAA Tournament exit.
The Tigers were defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes in their Elite Eight matchup on Monday and have since seen two of their stars make their exits, with Angel Reese entering the WNBA Draft and Hailey Van Lith now keen on a transfer, per Talia Goodman of Peegs.com.
Van Lith, who is leaving LSU after just one season, endured a frustrating year with the program and has no intention of returning.
The 22-year-old joined the Tigers from Louisville in 2023. She averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists a game for the program, leading them to the Elite Eight in her final year before her move to Baton Rouge.
BREAKING: LSU’s Hailey van Lith has entered the transfer portal, a source tells @TheNextHoops.
She averaged 11.6 ppg and 3.6 apg at LSU this year after transferring in from Louisville. In her junior year at Louisville, she averaged 19.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.2 apg. pic.twitter.com/fUmXiLnTbB
— Talia Goodman (@goodmansport)
April 4, 2024
HVL’s scoring dropped significantly at LSU – she posted 11.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per contest this season. The dip was mostly the result of a positional change, though it was something she was looking to do given her desire to transition from being the primary scorer to learning the role of a traditional point guard in a bid to be better prepared for the WNBA.
It didn’t quite go as planned, however. And things were particularly bad on Monday as she was cruelly upstaged by Iowa star Caitlin Clark.
LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey Has Her Work Cut Out For Her
Kim Mulkey will have to regroup without two of this season’s best players this offseason. As mentioned above, Reese is leaving LSU for the pros and, while Van Lith has opted to forego the draft, she’s going to play her last year somewhere else.
“I hope it’s not her last game. But if it is, I’m proud to have been her coach for a year,” Mulkey said after Monday’s loss. “She’s got another year if she wants to come back.“
It’s going to be interesting to see how Mulkey rebuilds, but at least she won’t have Clark looming over her as the Hawkeyes star is also set to enter the WNBA Draft.
