Why Hailey Van Lith left Louisville to join LSU women's basketball, Kim Mulkey
Hailey Van Lith sent shockwaves through women's basketball when she decided to leave Louisville and enter the transfer portal.
The senior point guard, considered one of the best in the nation, choosing LSU women's basketball — which captured its first national championship just a few weeks before — and to join up with Kim Mulkey as her final stop, set off a deep aftershock.
Most were miffed as to why Van Lith decided to leave the Cardinals, who she helped guide to a Final Four appearance in 2022 and the Elite Eight this season. But for her, the thoughtful process was as much about away from the court as it was on.
"It came down to my ability to be happy, and I had to put myself first," Van Lith told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks in an interview released earlier this week. "I had done my part. I had sacrificed myself and given my all to that program.
"But at the end of the day, I just wasn't enjoying everyday life. It was a situation there where I chose that I deserve happiness."
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Her approach and decision to seek a fresh start seems to closely model that of now LSU star Angel Reese, who was a standout for Maryland before surprising plenty around the sport and transferring out, ultimately ending up in Baton Rouge.
Since her teaming up with Mulkey and LSU, Reese has helped the program win its first NCAA championship while also growing her personal brand immensely to where she's the second highest-earning female college athlete in the Name, Image, Likeness era to date, behind LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne.
Per On3, which evaluates NIL earnings and potential that factors in social media following along with brand recognition, Van Lith is already a top-10 women's basketball earner, which would be third on LSU's team behind Reese and rap star/hooper Flau'jae Johnson. She has more than 800,000 followers on social media.
The track record is there at LSU that Van Lith will likely see growth in her brand and NIL value.
But the Wenatchee, Washington, native also fills a need for Mulkey on the court at point guard. Last season, Van Lith put up nearly 20 points and three assists per game. And the guard has always played her best in the postseason, scoring at least 20 points in eight of nine NCAA Tournament games for the Cardinals the last two combined seasons.
Van Lith said it was a difficult decision to leave Louisville but that she needed to find something better.
"Some of the highs in my life have been there but also the deepest lows in my life have been there. I think that I was at the point where I felt like I had learned what I needed to learn from that situation and that environment," Van Lith said. "I was giving myself grace to leave and find something better for myself.
"I know in my heart that I made the right decision for me and my family, and for women's basketball in general. I don't regret going to Louisville. I'm a much better player and a much better person because of my experience there."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Hailey Van Lith on her exit from Louisville to LSU women's basketball
