When Kim Mulkey revealed what prompted Hailey Van Lith to leave LSU: ‘I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax'

Former LSU star Hailey Van Lith had a journeyman college career with three teams before declaring for the 2025 WNBA draft. Picked No. 11 by the Chicago Sky, she will reunite with former teammate Angel Reese.

Van Lith led the Louisville Cardinals to three Elite Eight appearances before transferring to then-reigning national champions LSU Tigers in 2023 from the transfer portal. Her time under coach Kim Mulkey was unexpected, as she played as the primary playmaker instead of a shooting guard.

At the end of the 2024 season, Hailey Van Lith entered the transfer portal once again and joined the TCU Horned Frogs, for whom she starred. During a team banquet in April last year, Mulkey revealed why Van Lith had departed Baton Rouge.

“Her (Hailey Van Lith) aspirations were to get drafted this year,” Mulkey said. "And she realized, ‘I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.’ And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.

“She wanted to improve her strengths by coming to LSU with a goal of expanding her game by learning a position that I played my entire life. Because she knows at the next level that's her only chance - to be able to tell them somewhat, ‘I can handle the ball if you need me to.’"

Hailey Van Lith thrived after leaving LSU

Hailey Van Lith thrived for the TCU Horned Frogs under coach Mark Campbell, leading them to their first Big 12 regular-season and Tournament championships and the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Her stock dropped after a rough Elite Eight game in 2024 against Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who scored 41.0 points and tied the tournament record for 3-pointers (9).

Van Lith repaired her reputation at TCU with her stats - 15.2 points on 45.2 percent shooting and 33.8 percent from three-point range, along with 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 2024 - earning her a No. 11 pick in the WNBA draft.

At the April 2024 banquet, LSU coach Kim Mulkey honored her for choosing to join the Tigers and learn a new position to boost her draft prospects.

"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," Mulkey said. "Forever indebted to Haley and her unselfish play to come to LSU to play with a lot of great players and learn a new position."

Van Lith will finally embark on her WNBA career, a year after she was expected to join after repairing her reputation with a stellar 2024-2025 college basketball career.