Hailey Van Lith is early in her WNBA career. She was selected by the Chicago Sky in the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft with the 11th pick. She has now played 21 games, averaging 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Van Lith played five years in college before coming to the WNBA. She still has a supportive role on the team, sitting 10th on the team in scoring.
On Wednesday, Hailey Van Lith sat down with two-time WNBA champion Renee Montgomery on “Film Study.” She spoke about her experiences at Louisville, LSU and TCU.
While she only spent one season at LSU, in 2023-24, Van Lith spoke about how she experienced the most mental growth while playing for head coach Kim Mulkey’s squad.
“Moving into LSU, I think LSU was huge for me on the mental side of the game,” Hailey Van Lith said (1:40). “And how to show up as my best self from a mental standpoint because, as you go up higher in levels, I kind of learned the separation comes from who is mentally tougher. It’s not always about skill set when everyone is really good. So, LSU was a huge year for me from the mental standpoint of getting better.”
Angel Reese Has Been Like a Big Sister to Hailey Van Lith
Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith were teammates during latter’s solitary season with the LSU Tigers. Now they are teammates again as members of the Chicago Sky. While Reese has only been in the WNBA for one season longer than Van Lith, she has stepped into a “big sister” role for her. Reese spoke about this at the start of the season.
Reese opened up by talking about the pressure Van Lith is likely experiencing as a high draft pick coming to the WNBA. Reese’s biggest advice to Van Lith was to stay calm and poised.
However, Angel Reese also admitted she has taken the rookie under her wing.
“Just being able to be here for her in this moment, because last year was tough for me, because I didn’t have a lot of vets. So, just being that ‘big sister’, I guess, kinda, to her is super important for her.”
Unfortunately for Hailey Van Lith, she has not been able to have an impact recently. She has missed the past two games with a lingering ankle injury. The Chicago Sky are back in action on Friday against the Golden State Valkyries.
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