LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith commits to TCU over Mississippi State women's basketball | Report
Hailey Van Lith will not be transferring to play for Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell. The former LSU guard is instead transferring to TCU, per a report Thursday from The Next.
Van Lith's decision comes after visiting both programs last week.
Van Lith's career started at Louisville where she spent three seasons − the first two overlapping with Purcell's nine years as an assistant under coach Jeff Walz. Purcell worked closely in recruiting and developing guards at Louisville. He helped land Van Lith, who was the No. 7 prospect in the 2020 class.
She started all 30 games as a freshman (2020-2021) while averaging 11.2 points per contest before increasing her average to 14.4 as a sophomore. In her sophomore campaign, Louisville made a run to the Final Four. Purcell left for Mississippi State after the season.
"Yeah, he's my guy, man," Van Lith said of Purcell after he took the MSU job. "Everyone on the team knows that's my coach and we're really close and we have a great relationship. He treats me like family. He puts up with me when I want to work out all the time and rebounds for me and all that. I'm going to miss him a lot, but it's his time and he's worked really hard for this and he deserves this opportunity. I'll clap for him, and I'll keep up and we'll keep our relationship, but it's time for him to take the next step."
As a junior, with Purcell no longer there, Van Lith was among the nation's top guards − averaging 19.7 points per game. However, she entered the transfer portal at the season's conclusion and went to LSU.
She helped lead the Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance in her lone season under coach Kim Mulkey. The campaign featured a loss against MSU in front of a sell-out crowd at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 29.
“Her aspirations were to get drafted this year,” Mulkey said at LSU's end-of-season celebration event. "And she realized, ‘I need another year and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.'"
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Purcell and his revamped staff will now look to build their roster with other options from the transfer portal. The Bulldogs landed a commitment Monday from former Kentucky guard Eniya Russell. MSU also hosted Penn State transfer Leilani Kapinus along with Van Lith.
Mississippi State has lost guards Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Mjracle Sheppard and Darrione Rogers to the portal. All-SEC guard Jerkaila Jordan announced she will be returning next season.
TCU is entering its second season under coach Mark Campbell. Like Van Lith, Campbell is a product of Washington.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hailey Van Lith: LSU transfer picks TCU over Mississippi State | Report
