“Leaving Kim Mulkey saved HVL’s career”: Fans slam LSU HC again as Hailey Van Lith shines vs Hannah Hidalgo’s Notre Dame

In TCU's 76-68 comeback win against the powerhouse Notre Dame on Nov. 29, Hailey Van Lith spearheaded the charge. The fifth-year senior paved the way for a 14-point comeback by scoring a team-high 21 points, dishing out seven assists, and corralling down three rebounds.

Van Lith's performance has been one of many inspiring outings she has had this year with her one-and-done stint at TCU. She spent her fourth year playing for LSU under head coach Kim Mulkey, where she saw her overall numbers drop.

It seems as though the college sensation has found a new home for her last stop in collegiate basketball as fans have started to notice Van Lith turning a new leaf.

"Leaving Mulkey saved HVL's career. Good for her," one fan posted.

"Knew Hailey Van Lith would be better this season after leaving that school," another shared, alluding to her one year in LSU.

"I love this for Hailey Van Lith. She caught a lot of flack at LSU. But, she looks at home — like herself — at TCU. Also, I think playing Olympic 3X3 ball helped a lot," another user said, mentioning her 2024 Olympic berth.

More fans expressed their thoughts on Van Lith's play as of late and how this was the effect of her right decision.

"TCU’s version of Hailey Van Lith doesn’t look like the LSU version of Hailey Van Lith," one fan recognized.

"Everyone knew last year she wasn’t free to play her game," another proclaimed.

"You can’t tell me coaching doesn’t matter because last year Hailey Van Lith would have checked out when playing for LSU but Mark Campbell uplifting her after that terrible 1st half," another fan explained.

Along with propelling TCU to its highest-ranked win in program history against the No. 3-ranked Notre Dame, Van Lith also had 27 big points in their 86-46 win versus Idaho State. The 23-year-old showed her all-around game as well in the first two games of the season, with a 17-6-9 line on Texas State and an 18-point, 10-assist double-double against NC State.

The graduating guard can pad more onto her stats on Nov. 30 against the South Florida Bulls at the John Gray Gymnasium.

A quick glance at Hailey Van Lith's college career

Hailey Van Lith played her first three seasons of college ball for the Louisville Cardinals where in her last year, she had her best averages of 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals a game.

Van Lith moved to the then-defending champions LSU Tigers for her fourth season where she did not look like the spitfire standout she was famous for. She merely dropped to 11.6 points, 2.4 boards, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest for her time there.

Now in her last season of collegiate hoops, Van Lith has returned to tip-top shape as through TCU's 6-0 start, the star is tallying 19.2 points along with career-highs of 5.7 rebounds, seven assists, and 2.3 steals per fixture.