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Shortly after their loss to Iowa, Hailey Van Lith's transfer portal decision left fans speculating reasons. Van Lith stayed with the Tigers for one season and made the decision to leave amid criticism following her play against Caitlin Clark during their Elite Eight showdown.
After the Elite Eight disappointment, LSU’s Angel Reese decided to enter the WNBA draft. But Hailey chose not to do so and decided against returning to LSU. Hailey faced heavy criticism for her defense against Clark in the Elite Eight matchup.
As the news about Van Lith's decision emerged, fans took to their socials to share their views.
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Some fans thought that getting hammered by Caitlin Clark was the reason, while others questioned her decision to come to LSU. A fan wrote:
"Ring chasing in college is crazy."
"Mulkey told her to pack her bags after Caitlin Clark cooked her."
"Never understood why she went there in the first place."
Some fans pointed towards her relationship influencing her choice, while others came up with interesting comparisons and analyses. A fan wrote:
"Could be a Florida school as she’s dating Suggs on the Magic.."
"Honestly not a huge surprise, she just did not gel in LSU's team at all and Mulkey just did not know how to use her, and holy cow Mulkey just set her up to die in the Iowa game. Feels like the best move would be for her to do what everyone anticipated originally and head to the west coast to Stanford.," another fan wrote.
"She thought she'd be KD joining the Warriors, but she was KD joining the Nets," another posted.
Before coming to LSU, Van Lith was a shooting guard at Lousiville. According to analysts, she transitioned to the point guard position to gain experience and increase her WNBA draft prospects. However, she could not produce the kind of performances that fans expected.
At LSU, she averaged 11.6 points and tallied 118 assists, amounting to 3.6 assists per game. She was a First Team All-ACC selection in 2022 and 2023. She led Louisville to the Final Four in 2022 and the Elite Eight in 2023.
Also read: What grade is Hailey Van Lith in? Academics of LSU star explored
Coach Kim Mulkey showers praise on Hailey Van Lith
After the loss of Tigers to Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight, Kim Mulkey expressed hope that it won't be the last game of Van Lith.
Mulkey recalled Hailey’s contribution and decision to adopt a new position to take fewer shots. He expressed gratitude for the star and shared that he's ‘indebted’ to Van Lith. Mulkey said:
"Hailey Van Lith came to LSU after being an abundant shooter. Shot it a lot at Louisville.
"Had great success. Was on good teams. For her to take that leap of faith and leave her comfort zone at Louisville, you don't see many players do that when she was that big a piece to their puzzle."
What do you think about the decision of Hailey Van Lith to enter the transfer portal? How good would the other two decisions have been for her career?
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