The 2025 WNBA draft was on Monday night, and Hailey Van Lith was, as expected, among 38 players selected by WNBA teams. This means that she will be traveling to Chicago soon to begin her WNBA career.
Paige Bueckers was the headliner of the draft class, but one of Monday’s biggest surprises was the Chicago Sky trading up to take Van Lith with the No. 11 pick instead of her falling to the second round as expected.
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Analyst Explains Chicago Sky Fans Should Be Patient With Hailey Van Lith
Hailey Van Lith has an impressive resume. In five years, she’s been to the Elite Eight with three different teams and won an Olympic bronze medal in the women’s 3×3 basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Games. She’s now in the WNBA, and she comes with a bit of a reputation.
However, fans have to be patient with Van Lith and not expect her to put the franchise on her back in her rookie season. CBS reporter Ashley Nicole-Moss certainly thinks Chicago fans have to lower their expectations for HVL’s rookie season.
“We saw how [Hailey Van Lith] really flourished going from LSU to TCU and not because she changed as a player, not because her skill set changed, but because the system she was in really helped her to harness a lot of those powers…systems make players just as players make systems…” Nicole-Moss said.
“I think next year, Chicago could be a real threat talking about the postseason; one thing I love about this team is that they also have the patience to develop young talent; when you talk about rookies specifically, they require patience,” she continued.
“Not everyone comes out of the draft and immediately be a bona fide pro, if you will. I think about in terms of the NBA, not everyone is coming out of high school or college, and they’re gonna be a Dwyane Wade or a LeBron James.”
Van Lith started her college career at Louisville, where she played for three seasons (2020–2023). She went to the Elite Eight with the Cardinals twice (2021, 2023) and the Final Four (2022) and picked up first-team All-ACC honors twice (2022, 2023).
Van Lith transferred to the reigning national champion LSU Tigers in April 2023 before leaving for TCU after one season.
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Van Lith was named the Big 12’s Player and Newcomer of the Year for this season. She averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while shooting a career-high 45.9% from the field.
She led the Horned Frogs to their first regular-season title, first conference tournament title, and first Elite Eight appearance. She set TCU’s single-season record for points scored (680 points) and single-season assist record (204 assists).
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