"HVL" - $1.7 NIL-valued Angel Reese hypes up Hailey Van Lith's stellar performance against Tennessee

Angel Reese was able to lead the LSU Tigers to the 2023 national title. Following the season, the Tigers were seemingly among the most improved teams in college basketball, adding two-time All-American Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith. While Morrow has performed great and could be headed to a third All-American selection in as many seasons, Van Lith has struggled and may be having the worst season of her four-year career.

She was able to break out of a poor stretch on Sunday as she put forth her best performance of the season as No.13-ranked LSU defeated the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 75-60 to improve to 24-4, and 11-3 in SEC play. Van Lith finished with a season-high 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists while shooting 9-18 from the field, 4-5 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free-throw line.

Her performance earned her praise from Reese, who shared a post from the SEC Network to her Instagram story, adding simply:

"HVL"

Check out Angel Reese's Instagram story on Hailey Van Lith's performance below:

Angel Reese's Instagram story

While the Tigers were ranked just 13th in the latest rendition of the AP Top 25 Poll, they should be in line to climb the rankings after a 3-0 week. Ultimately, however, the success of their season will be determined by whether or not they are able to repeat as national champions after a strong offseason.

How has Angel Reese performed in her collegiate career?

Angel Reese joined the Maryland Terrapins as a five-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. She appeared in just 15 games as a true freshman after suffering an injury, averaging 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.3 blocks in just 15.2 minutes per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 67.1% from the free-throw line.

Despite playing just 25.8 mpg the following season, Reese broke out as she averaged 17.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.7 spg and 1.1 bpg while shooting 50.0% from the field and 68.3% from the free-throw line. She was named a third-team All-American.

Following the season, she joined the LSU Tigers via the transfer portal. She had a great season, averaging 23.0 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg and 1.6 bpg while shooting 52.5% from the field and 70.8% from the free-throw line. Reese was named a unanimous first-team All-American and led the Tigers to a national title, winning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

She entered Sunday's contest averaging 19.4 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.9 spg and 0.8 bpg while shooting 51.0% from the field and 74.1% from the free-throw line in 2023-24. Angel Reese has the option to return for a fifth season due to the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is expected, however, to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft.