“I was like ‘girl, I love your energy’”: When Hailey Van Lith revealed Angel Reese’s first message to her before becoming teammates at LSU

After three years with the Louisville Cardinals, Hailey Van Lith transferred to LSU in 2023 for her final season. The guard was hoping to join the then-defending champions on another title run, and she seemed excited about her potential partnership with the LSU star, Angel Reese.

In an interview with Taylor Rooks in June 2023, Hailey Van Lith recalled her first interaction with Reese via Instagram DM, saying:

"Oh, my gosh, actually I hit her as soon as they won in the semis and after they won the national championship. I hit her right away because I just loved her energy. I was like, 'Keep being you, girl. Do not let anybody make you feel bad for being who you are. You are a star.' She hit me back like, 'I love you, Haley.' Gave me all the love back and it was great." (24:07)

At the time, Van Lith was still undecided about her team for her senior year, but shared that she maintained her contact with Angel Reese.

"I kind of reached out first because I was like, 'Girl, I love your energy. Keep it up.' She's been nothing but great to me."

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Angel Reese discusses what went wrong during Hailey Van Lith's time at LSU

Contrary to her hopes, Hailey Van Lith endured one of her worst seasons in college at LSU. Her production dropped drastically as the guard struggled to find her spot on Kim Mulkey's roster.

Angel Reese attributed this to being one of the reasons Van Lith had a bad time in Baton Rouge.

"Yeah, I think it just wasn't a good fit for that specific team," Reese said on her podcast, 'Unapologetically Angel' in September. "She's an amazing guard that can do so many great things on the court. I've seen her kill for a long time and I know she'll continue to kill and I see her gain her confidence back on the three and three."

True to Angel Reese's words, Hailey Van Lith has bounced back and is performing at her best with the TCU Horned Frogs. She is averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals per contest. The Horned Frogs are at the No. 1 spot in Big 12 with a 7-0 overall record.

During Friday's game against Notre Dame, Van Lith finished with 21 points and seven assists. Angel Reese gave a shout-out to her former teammate on X and continues to support her.