LSU’s Hailey Van Lith entered the college basketball transfer portal Thursday, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. The standout guard, who averaged 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in her lone year with the Tigers, becomes a two-time transfer after starting her career at Louisville. Van Lith, who completed her fourth season at the end of LSU’s NCAA Tournament run, has one year of eligibility remaining after all student-athletes received a clock extension during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Van Lith did not declare for the WNBA Draft ahead of Thursday’s deadline and entered the portal shortly thereafter. Star teammate Angel Reese, meanwhile, announced her intention Wednesday to forgo her remaining eligibility and embark on a professional career. Per national women’s college basketball analyst Brandon Clay, Van Lith could have gone undrafted had she tested the WNBA waters.
“Her range is anywhere from the end of the second round to potentially being an undrafted free agent,” Clay said ahead of the deadline. “There’s no questioning her competitive nature, but moving to LSU has brought to light her struggles as a true point guard. Van Lith is hovering just below a 1.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. WNBA scouts would love to see this be a 2:1 ratio at worst. For all of the noise surrounding Van Lith’s production, she’s still averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 assists on a team playing in the Elite Eight (stats before the Elite Eight).”
Van Lith drew a tough assignment in her final game with LSU, guarding superstar Caitlin Clark throughout the Elite Eight matchup against Iowa. Clark finished the contest with an NCAA Tournament-record 41 points, and after Clark drained her fourth 3-pointer of the third quarter, Van Lith shrugged her shoulders as Tigers coach Kim Mulkey looked down at the floor in disgust, her team unable to contain the best player in women’s basketball.
Van Lith’s best offensive production of the year came during the regular season. She delivered modest numbers during the NCAA Tournament, connecting on just 20.0% of her field goal attempts in the postseason.
As a veteran guard with experience at the highest level of college basketball, Van Lith figures to draw significant interest from schools during her second stint in the transfer portal. She was widely considered the top prospect in the portal last offseason on the heels of a huge 2022-23 campaign in which she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game at Louisville.
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Van Lith formed a formidable duo with Reese last season, but the Tigers fell short of repeating as national champions. LSU now faces the challenge of replacing more than 30 points per game as that duo departs from Baton Rouge, though three other starters — Aneesah Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams — are set to return for another year.
