Hailey Van Lith shows her true colors as LSU transfer decision questioned

The 2023-24 season was a torrid spell for current TCU star Hailey van Lith .

The former LSU guard averaged 11.6 points on just 37.8 percent before getting torched by Iowa's Caitlin Clark in the NCAA tournament to see her WNBA draft stock plummet.

She secured a transfer to TCU and finished the fifth season of her college basketball career with a bang, capturing the Big 12 regular season title as a team and both the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year on the individual front.

Van Lith, who starred for Louisville before transferring the LSU in 2023, didn't mince her words at a mid-week press conference when speaking about the length of her NCAA career.

"I'm not gonna allow people to make me feel bad because I was blessed with this opportunity to play five years," the TCU star said.

So, I think it's a great thing.

I'm happy for anybody that wants to exhaust their eligibility." "It's just a new norm, it's what's going to happen now," she continued.

"It's funny to see people react and think about it negatively, but when you really analyze it, a lot of comes to frustration that they didn't have that opportunity." Van Lith silenced a lot of critics with her play this season, averaging 17.6 points on 45.4% shooting to go along with 5.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds a night in 31 contests.

Im not gonna allow people to make me feel bad that I was blessed with the opportunity to play five years.

Hailey Van Lith on how taking her fifth year at TCU has benefited her.

pic.twitter.com/NUJpOTMSl0 Nick Girimonte (@GirimonteNicky) March 4, 2025 She wasn't an unheralded player: Van Lith was a two-time First-team All-ACC selection with Louisville and captured a bronze medal in 3v3 basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Her arrival has also led to what's imminently due to be TCU's first NCAA Tournament birth since 2010.

Second-year coach Mark Campbell was effusively in his praise of his star player.

"Hailey, she's our lead dog.

She has this warrior spirit," Campbell said of Van Lith following the team's 51-48 Big 12 title decider over Baylor.

Van Lith was far from her best in the contest, scoring 14 points on just 5-13 shooting.

She did play 39 of 40 minutes and deferred to fellow star Sedona Prince - who scored 16 points and grabbed an eye-watering 19 rebounds - on the day TCU, who jumped up to the No.

8 spot in the recent AP coaches poll, will likely enter the March Madness as a No.

2 or No.

3 seed regardless of a statement Big-12 tournament showing..

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