"I have blossomed into this natural leader now": When TCU's Hailey Van Lith opened up about her biggest learning curves in high school as a freshman

TCU star Hailey Van Lith was one of the most sought-after players in high school. She spent four years at Cashmere High School, where she developed her game and leadership skills under coach Brent Darnell.

During a 2020 interview with the Sports Stars of Tomorrow YouTube channel, she said becoming a vocal leader was one of her toughest challenges.

"How to be a leader has been one of the biggest learning curves for me, especially in high school," Van Lith said. "My freshman year I was the starting point guard and there were four other seniors starting with me. I had to learn how to lead the team and gain that confidence to push them and have them trust me as a young freshman." (1:01-1:18)

She said she was not always the loudest player on the court, but she made things work.

"I have kind of blossomed into this, like, natural leader now," Van Lith added.

In the same interview, Darnell was all praise for his star point guard, calling her a "coach on the floor" and lauding her court vision and awareness.

After high school, Van Lith went to Louisville and played for the Cardinals. In 2023, she transferred to LSU and played with Angel Reese, now with the Chicago Sky. She transferred to the TCU Horned Frogs ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Hailey Van Lith sets career high in steals during her TCU debut

Hailey Van Lith made her TCU debut against Houston Christian on Tuesday. She played 35 minutes and had a career-high six steals, leading the Horned Frogs to a dominant 78-41 win.

The star point guard scored 21 points and added seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 42.8% from the field.

After the game, she corrected a reporter who suggested she had a career-high in minutes played.