The LSU Tigers came up just short of a Final Four appearance in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, losing to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. And just days after this, a prominent member of their team has opted to enter the transfer portal.
Senior guard Hailey Van Lith played a big role in the Tigers’ success this past season, averaging 11.6 points per game along with 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds.
She has one more year of eligibility due to the Covid-exemption granted to a large majority of collegiate athletes. And it appears as if she plans to use this year, and will not be doing so as an LSU Tiger.
According to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports, Van Lith has officially entered the transfer portal.
Van Lith of course just transferred to LSU last offseason, which had many college basketball fans assuming that LSU would be the overwhelming favorite to win a National Championship.
That obviously didn’t happen, and now Van Lith will be looking to compete for a National Championship elsewhere.
Van Lith was also rumored to potentially be interested in entering the 2024 WNBA Draft. But this move indicates that likely won’t come until the 2025 WNBA Draft.
It’s an interesting move, particularly because LSU has gained quite the following in recent years that could help grow her stardom.
Regardless, this is a pretty big blow for an LSU team that you could argue underperformed this season. And it will be interesting to see how they are able to bounce back without Van Lith.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.