Angel Reese's heartfelt reaction as Hailey Van Lith shares thought-provoking message on transformation amid historic March Madness run

WNBA draft prospect Hailey Van Lith and the TCU Horned Frogs are on a historic March Madness run after advancing to Sweet 16 for the first time in the school’s history. Van Lith has been torching opponents in her final hoorah as a college player, leading the team in its 85-70 win against the No. 7 seed Louisville on Sunday.

On Instagram, Van Lith wrote about her journey so far in the NCAA tournament with a strong quote about how progress can change results.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it is not the same river, And he is not the same man,” she said.

The post garnered numerous reactions, including from her former teammate and inaugural Unrivaled League champion Angel Reese, who commented with emojis.

“🙏🏽💓,” she wrote.

Reese's IG comment

Reese and Van Lith were teammates during the 2023-24 college season with the LSU Tigers. The season was Reese’s final year in college before joining the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she was picked seventh overall by the Chicago Sky.

She has since become one of the biggest stars in the league, finishing her rookie season as an All-Star and runner-up for the Rookie of the Year race, behind last year’s top pick Caitlin Clark. Reese was also named the first-ever Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year last month, on top of being its first champion as part of the Rose BC.

Meanwhile, Van Lith is expected to join the WNBA draft this year following her stint in the NCAA tournament. She averaged 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this year, but her draft stock is predicted to still rise as she leads TCU in the March Madness tournament.

Angel Reese explains how she and Hailey Van Lith got along in college

Angel Reese was one of Hailey Van Lith’s closest confidantes during their college days at LSU. In an episode of her podcast “Unapologetically Angel”, Reese looked back at how she became friends with Van Lith at LSU.

"We weren't super close, but I was probably one of the closer people with her on the team," said Reese.

The Sky star also had to work to gain Van Lith’s trust as she was very distant, according to Reese.

"I think she was really distant from everybody else. So I kind of felt bad, so was like let me get close to her and like see who she is, because she was the only white girl,” Reese said.

The two players are expected to meet once again when Van Lith gets drafted and signed by a WNBA team during draft night on April 14. The WNBA regular-season will start on May 16.