"We laughed about it": LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith on Iowa's Caitlin Clark's John Cena moment

Hailey Van Lith and Caitlin Clark were on opposing sides as the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Louisville Cardinals faced off during the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. A hand gesture by Clark during the game has led to widespread reactions over the internet.

Caitlin Clark had waved her hand in a “you can’t see me” gesture while she was seemingly facing Hailey Van Lith. A lot of fans deemed this disrespectful and were calling Clark out on social media.

However, Van Lith, who has since switched from the Louisville Cardinals to the Louisiana Tigers, has come out to clear the air on the matter. She did this while having a chat with NBA reporter Taylor Rooks.

She pointed out that the narrative being pushed in the media is different from what really went down during the game. She then provided a background of what actually happened.

Van Lith said:

“We were laughing about it because she did it to her strength coach.”

She added:

"Clark didn't do it to anyone on our team, especially me.”

From Van Lith’s comments, one can safely say she has a cordial relationship with Clark and did share a laugh with her over the needless media rage. She said, “right after the game I texted her and I was like ‘the media is dumb’.”

The narrative seems to have taken a life of its own, however. Van Lith’s future teammate, LSU superstar, Angel Reese, might have returned the favor to Clark on behalf of Van Lith. In the concluding moments of LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa, she also did what looked like the “you can’t see me gesture”.

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Duo of Hailey Van Lith-Angel Reese to bolster LSU side

Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese are going to team up at LSU following the former’s surprising transfer move from the Cardinals to the Tigers. Van Lith’s arrival is expected to further strengthen an already strong LSU side.

With all speculations of bad blood between herself and Clark already debunked by Van Lith, we can start hoping to see the two go head to head again in the next edition of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

Then, it will be Van Lith and Reese on one side facing Clark on the other side. As one can expect, it will be an interesting matchup. And rather than perceive the growing heat between female basketball players in a bad light, it should be seen as a sign of growing competitiveness and interest in the game.