The story of Hailey Van Lith: A path to LSU through work, passion and a spiritual awakenin

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This offseason, Van Lith was busy. She graduated from Louisville, transferred to LSU and traveled to France to win a World Cup gold medal for Team USA in 3x3 basketball.

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Van Lith’s bright blonde hair shone in the sunlight. She closed her eyes, pinched her nose and dunked her head under the water, committing to her Christian church and her faith.

On the court, Van Lith is a fiery, intense, competitive maniac. Everyone can see that. She’s a basketball junkie who chose to play international 3x3 basketball because if there were any weakness to her game, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. She’d have to confront it.

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But not too many people get to see Van Lith’s other side, the spiritual bent that she leaned on when the time came to enter the transfer portal and move down to Baton Rouge.

It wasn’t an easy call. But Van Lith chose Kim Mulkey’s program because she wanted to play more point guard, showcase her untapped ballhandling skills, join forces with a dominant post player in Angel Reese and show WNBA scouts that she’s more than a scorer.

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She wanted a team and home environment that matched her intensity. She wanted to be coached, and coached hard. And she also wanted a better shot to win a championship, which has eluded her in both high school and college.

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This year, at LSU, she’ll get her best shot yet at finally getting over that hump. When the Tigers begin their season Nov. 6 in Las Vegas against Colorado, they’ll be the consensus No. 1 team in the nation and the betting favorite to repeat as national champions.

Van Lith is a large reason why. And with a little luck, the journey she started in July in the Wenatchee River could end in April on top of a ladder, as she cuts down a net.

“She made a great choice,” Darnell said. “That girl wants to win, and she wants to be coached. So, she went to the right place.”

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