BREAKING: Hailey Van Lith commits to LSU
The queen of the transfer portal strikes again. Just weeks after winning the national title, Kim Mulkey made a huge splash in the college basketball landscape as transfer guard Hailey Van Lith commits to LSU.
Van Lith, a 5-foot-7 guard who spent three years at Louisville, comes off of back-to-back All-ACC first team seasons, including a 2022-23 season where she averaged 19.7 points per game on 41.1 percent shooting.
An elite scorer, Van Lith is set to step in and immediately fill the shoes of All-SEC guard Alexis Morris with still two years of eligibility remaining. Both Van Lith and LSU forward Angel Reese are projected to be top six picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Out of high school, Van Lith was named a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the nation by ESPN.
A historic 2022-23 season
This past season, Van Lith had to carry the Cardinals on offense, attempting 16.8 field goal attempts per game and 4.9 free throws. She finished the year with a 29.6 usage percentage. For context, Alexis Morris had a 23.2 usage percentage and Caitlin Clark was at 36.4. She was one of two Power-5 players (Caitlin Clark) to average at least 19 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. Eventually, Van Lith was named an All-American Honorable Mention.
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Van Lith also averaged 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while also setting a new Louisville record for free throw percentage in a season at 87.4. Her 3-point percentage dipped to 29.3 percentage as her usage rose, but in her sophomore year she shot 36.3 percent on 124 attempts.
Revamping the roster
Just like that, Kim Mulkey has begun reloading after her first national title at LSU. The addition immediately puts the Tigers atop the preseason rankings with ample spots still to fill. Now, Mulkey will be looking for a post and a wing shooter to round out the roster. With Kateri Poole and Last-Tear Poa returning, there’s enough ball handling in the backcourt and now Mulkey looks to add veteran pieces at the other positions.
The Tigers lose starting point guard Alexis Morris, starting center LaDahzia Williams, and wing shooter Jasmine Carson from the championship team, but with Mulkey’s portal prowess, there’s a confidence that the Tigers can quickly revamp the roster. With transfers plus the No. 1 signing class in the country coming in, the hope for LSU fans was that the 2023 title run was just the start of a potential dynasty.
