Hailey Van Lith’s Redemption Arc: Mariah Rose gives glowing assessment as WNBA Draft prospect's stellar campaign proved doubters wrong

By Sameer Khan

Modified Apr 01, 2025 15:10 GMT

Mariah Rose gives a glowing assessment of WNBA draft prospect Hailey Van Lith (Credits: Getty and Instagram/@mariahcrose)

Jalen Rose's daughter, Mariah Rose, gave a glowing assessment of the 2025 WNBA Draft prospect Hailey Van Lith, who has been on fire for the TCU Horned Frogs. Van Lith has made 38 appearances this season, recording 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 45.2% from the field.

Van Lith is enjoying a rich vein of form as fans continue to sing praises of her contributions to TCU’s run in the NCAA Tournament. However, it wasn’t always like this, as highlighted by Maria Rose on Threads.

Rose posted a bunch of pictures portraying Van Lith’s journey from being trolled online to being a legitimate prospect in the 2025 WNBA draft.

She shed light on how Van Lith was mentored by NBA legend Kobe Bryant and explained that if he saw the potential in Hailey, then people shouldn’t be doubting her. Here’s how Van Lith’s redemption arc unfolded according to Rose’s post:

Blows up at Louisville and then transfers to LSU but fails to recapture her form.
Gets trolled after a video of her failing to guard Caitlin Clark goes viral.
Leaves LSU to get a fresh start with the TCU Horned Frogs.
Comes to life at TCU, recording 17.9 points per game.
Led the TCU Horned Frogs to a Big 12 Tournament win and NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Check out Rose’s post on Threads below:

Post by @mariahcrose

View on Threads

“Breathed life into me”: Hailey Van Lith on TCU head coach Mark Campbell

Hailey Van Lith pretty much turned her draft trajectory around for the better following her move to TCU. She flourished under coach Mark Campbell and gave him his flowers.

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Van Lith expressed her appreciation for Campbell while speaking to reporters following TCU’s loss to the Longhorns:

“He has just breathed life into me," Van Lith said. From a life perspective, he’s taught me a lot of great lessons about how to have healthy relationships, and what it takes to have a healthy relationship, and how much better life can be if you just let people see who you are."

After a stellar season with the Horned Frogs, Hailey Van Lith will now make her way to the WNBA following the 2025 draft.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25