"They're fans for real": Fans react as Hailey Van Lith's dad and Orlando's Jalen Suggs celebrate TCU star's clutch bucket

On Saturday, TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith played a key role in securing TCU’s 71-62 win against Notre Dame in Birmingham, Alabama, scoring a game-high 26 points, helping the Horned Frogs advance to the Elite Eight of the 2025 March Madness.

But it wasn’t just her performance that caught attention; her father, Corey Van Lith, and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs were equally ecstatic.

One of Hailey’s key moments came when she sank a 3-pointer with eight minutes left in the game, extending TCU’s lead to three points. It was a clutch shot in a crucial moment, and her father’s reaction was nothing short of electric.

Alongside Suggs, he passionately celebrated the play, creating a memorable scene that quickly went viral through a clip shared on X.

As HVL's dad goes wild celebrating a crunch-time shot, social media erupted with reactions to the celebration. Fans had plenty to say:

“Man this is great. They’re fans for real,” one fan commented.

"Her dad looks coked outta his mind,” another added.

“I want nothing more from manhood than to be an athlete dad,” a fan joked.

“Suggs head is crazy,” another fan noted.

“This is the best!” another person wrote.

“Very cool honestly,” one more fan chimed in.

Hailey Van Lith, TCU advances to first Elite Eight

Hailey Van Lith stepped up in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of her 26 points. Sedona Prince also contributed 21 points as the Horned Frogs (34-3) secured their first-ever spot in the Elite Eight.

In her postgame interview, Van Lith reflected on TCU’s strong performance and credited Sedona Prince for her dominance in the paint.

“Man, it just took riding out their runs. They're a great team, they're explosive, but we know we have the capability to be explosive as well. So, our motto for the game was composure, and we just had composure through four quarters and we got it done,” Van Lith said (3:08)

“I just read their ball screen coverage a lot better. They were trying to mix it up with different bigs, they had a lot of different personnel, and I just tried to take what they gave me. Sedona played huge today, man. She dominated in the paint, she didn't settle, she really got the win for us.”

The game remained tight, with the score locked at 52 early in the fourth quarter. That’s when HVL took over, scoring five of TCU’s next six points to put her team ahead.

Van Lith’s journey has taken her from Louisville to LSU before landing at TCU, and now she’s headed to a regional final for the fifth time in her career.