Could star Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith end up at LSU?
One of the best guards in women’s college basketball is in the transfer portal: Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith.
Upon her appearance in the portal, LSU Twitter immediately began wondering if Van Lith could be on her way to Baton Rouge. While there aren’t any official reports tying Van Lith to LSU, some circumstances make the move look sensible.
For starters, LSU lost Alexis Morris, its top backcourt player and floor general. A strong backcourt is needed for success in the NCAA Tournament, and the addition of Van Lith would erase concerns created by the loss of Morris.
Breaking: Star guard Hailey Van Lith is in the transfer portal out of Louisville as a graduate transfer, the school announced. pic.twitter.com/H3q7jEYeRM
— ESPN (@espn) April 8, 2023
One possible destination for Hailey Van Lith is LSU. She was close to going to Baylor when Kim Mulkey was coaching there.
But, most importantly, HVL is crazy competitive. She will want to win a title wherever she goes.
— Eden Laase-Derouin (@eden_laase) April 8, 2023
Baylor was Hailey Van Lith’s second option out of high school.
Wonder who that coach was?👀 #LSU pic.twitter.com/AfGuSoujQJ
— Mik’d Up (@Mikdup_8) April 8, 2023
Van Lith and LSU head coach Kim Mulkey are no strangers, either. Mulkey got to know Van Lith during the original recruitment phase.
I have no inside info on this, but Van Lith’s final two schools in the high school recruiting process were Louisville and Baylor, whose coach was Kim Mulkey, who now is at newly crowned champion LSU, which just lost point guard Alexis Morris. https://t.co/Qj9tIPbjqc
— Adi Joseph (@AdiJoseph) April 8, 2023
According to reports, Van Lith is listed as a non-contact inside the portal, which means she might already have her destination in mind. It might also mean she’s not ready to kick her recruitment into high gear.
At this point, a lot of this remains speculation.
Van Lith averaged 19.7 points at Louisville last year and played nearly 37 minutes per night. Along with that, she totaled 3.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
LSU is already in a good spot entering next year but the addition of Van Lith would cement the Tigers as the title favorites.
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