Where is Hailey Van Lith going? Exploring potential rumors after LSU guard's MS State visit

Hailey Van Lith announced her decision to enter the transfer portal once again, after LSU's season-ending loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of March Madness. She spent her first three seasons with the Louisville Cardinals before transferring to Baton Rouge last year.

Van Lith's time with the Tigers is cut short due to her poor performances. She averaged 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, much lower than her junior season (19.7, 4.5, 3.2).

Early reports suggested that the guard could be looking to join Mississippi State. While it may surprise many, Van Lith has played under the now Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell, during his two seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville.

She was even photographed at the Bulldogs softball game on Saturday, which further fuelled the rumors.

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Where is Hailey Van Lith going?

While there's no confirmation on this for now, some potential teams for Hailey Van Lith include South Carolina and Stanford. These were the two other schools that pursued the guard during her last transfer process before she settled with LSU.

Hailey Van Lith's initial reason for transfer was because she wanted to be a part of a championship-winning team. That's possible with the Gamecocks, who are one of the strongest teams in the NCAA right now. An elite scorer like Van Lith would be a great addition for Dawn Staley.

The Cardinal will be shifting to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year. Hailey Van Lith is very familiar with the conference, having played three seasons there. With Cameron Brink moving to the WNBA, the senior guard is a great choice for Stanford.

The other option for the Washington native is to stay on the West Coast and choose one of the California schools, USC being the best.

JuJu Watkins has already set expectations high for the next season with her incredible performances in her first year. Van Lith could join hands with her for a possible title win.

Another West Coast school that desperately needs a scorer is the UCLA Bruins. Charisma Osbourne declared for the WNBA draft, so Lauren Betts could use someone like Hailey Van Lith to take care of the offense.

It looks like the senior guard is in no rush to go to the pro league, as she understands that going to the WNBA would reduce the visibility she has now in college.

"There’s some people that have to capitalize in college because they’re not a pro-type player. ... I think for me, that’s not the case. I’m a pro-type player. The one downfall is visibility," Van Lith said.

"The amount of times we play on ESPN and ABC and all these major television channels, that becomes a lot less when you go to the WNBA where it’s at right now." (via Sports Illustrated)

Do you think Hailey Van Lith made the right choice by hitting the transfer portal? Let us know in the comment section below.