"Those were tears of joy ... Hailey letting her guard down": TCU HC reacts to Hailey Van Lith's viral emotional video

After a season of missed chances and sub-par performances at LSU, Hailey Van Lith is back to her winning self with the TCU Horned Frogs. During the 76-73 win over NC State in November, Van Lith recorded her first career 10-assist double-double with 18 points and four rebounds.

When Van Lith was informed about this after the game, she broke down crying on TCU coach Mark Campbell's shoulders. The video of the guard in tears hugging her coach went viral on social media and sparked conversations about the mental hardships she must have endured at LSU.

In an interview for Hoops HQ published on Friday, TCU coach Campbell commented on the viral moment, saying:

“Those were tears of joy. That is a young person who is happy and comfortable in the environment she’s in. She’s playing basketball at a high level and having fun doing it. That was Hailey letting her guard down.”

Nine games into the season, Hailey Van Lith is averaging 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists while also leading TCU to a winning streak.

---

Hailey Van Lith shares her honest thoughts on her season with LSU

At Louisville, Hailey Van Lith was the center of the program as she led the Cardinals to deep post-season runs in all three years, including a Final Four in 2022. However, her production dropped drastically with the LSU Tigers.

With the move to TCU and Van Lith's resurgence, questions have arisen about the reason behind her performances with the Tigers.

“I mean, obviously outside looking in, it's different to what was happening in real life,” Van Lith said. “Media never gets the full picture. But I grew a lot in ways that are not gonna show on paper right away.

"LSU will be an experience for me that will really pay off in the league. I think my transition to the league might be a little bit easier now that I've experienced a year like that. You gotta have faith in these scenarios. I have a ton of faith in myself, I know that year is going to pay off at some point in my career. I just gotta trust that it will happen.”

Hailey Van Lith's goal for this season is mostly to stack her stat sheet and gain a good draft spot in the 2025 WNBA draft. She is well on that track and could even lead the Horned Frogs to a good postseason run.