"Don't really think she ever left": Analyst responds to TCU star Hailey Van Lith's critics amid title-winning season

Hailey Van Lith silenced her critics with an outstanding season, leading Texas Christian University to its first-ever Big 12 Championship. Van Lith, a graduate student guard from Wenatchee (Cashmere), was named the AP National Player of the Week following her strong performance in Week 18 of the women’s college basketball season.

In the latest episode of "We Need to Talk," Ashley Nicole raised the topic of Van Lith’s resurgence, questioning whether the star guard had rediscovered her form. Nicole suggested that Van Lith's previous struggles might have been more about the system she played in than her player ability.

“And this is that exact situation, I feel like, when it comes to HVL, because now she's a new system, new coach, new team, and she's absolutely flourishing in the way that we remember her to always flourish,” Nicole said.

Analyst Alicia Jay agreed, defending Van Lith’s resilience and talent despite the criticism.

“I've seen a lot of people saying like is she back? Well, I don't really think she ever left," Jay said. "I really think it was the system that she was in that wasn't conducive to the player that she is. Now she's on a team that really opens up and enables her to really cook and be who she is. You can see it in her numbers and in the way the team is excelling.”

Analyst praises TCU coaching staff for getting the best out Hailey Van Lith

Alicia Jay further praised how TCU’s coaching staff has embraced Van Lith’s playing style and given her the confidence to perform at her best.

“The way that she works with the system, the way that the coach really speaks about her and leans into her for a lot of things, it really has a lot of respect and just expects her to be good too," Jay added.

"So you're taking all of the best things about her as a player and you're really showcasing them and executing them in the right way."

Van Lith has averaged 21.0 points (52.9% from the field) and 4.7 assists per game.

This season’s key moment for Hailey came in the title game against Baylor, where her composure and scoring ability helped lead the Horned Frogs to victory. Van Lith’s accuracy from the free-throw line was another key factor. She shot an incredible 95.2% across TCU’s three tournament games.