Hailey Van Lith was one of the most talked-about players in the college basketball circuit since 2020. Her relentless drive earned her the 11th pick in this year’s WNBA Draft as the Chicago Sky picked her. Now, Van Lith is in the big league, and she is noticing a clear difference between her experience at LSU and Sky.
During a recent conversation with Renee Montgomery, she talked about the new experience. When asked how she has evolved from a college star to a WNBA rookie, Van Lith said:
“It’s been a journey of trying to learn every day. I think the biggest thing for me is just being open to learning every single day and taking every day as what it is and trying to be better the next day.” (3:10)
Hailey Van Lith said that at this stage, she can’t afford to get ahead of herself. Every time she does, she gets a reality check. While the learning has been endless, Van Lith is also adjusting to a lot of new changes.
“I’ve never came off the bench in my career,” Van Lith said. So, learning how to change my mindset to be able to do that and still be myself and still impact the team and help the team win. The different way that I can contribute to culture and winning habits that don’t necessarily mean that I’m always on the floor.”
The difference between playing under Kim Mulkey at LSU and being in the WNBA is clear. But the biggest challenge Hailey Van Lith is facing is learning how to deal with losses. The Chicago Sky have been on a disappointing run lately. They’re currently on a six-game losing streak and have a 7-19 record so far in the league.
Hailey Van Lith has had a tumultuous WNBA journey so far
Adjusting to a new structure, let alone the biggest women’s basketball league in the world, is difficult for any athlete. So far, Hailey Van Lith has had an average run in the WNBA. She has played 21 games this season but isn’t getting the minutes quite yet.
Van Lith is averaging 4.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 rebounds per game while averaging 13.8 minutes per game. Meanwhile, she is shooting 34.4% from the field and 16.7% from the distance.
Hailey Van Lith was also injured recently and was ruled out of the Fever game. Outside the court, Van Lith caught some flak from WNBA fans after answering a simple “start, bench, cut” question. Her choices were Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu, and Caitlin Clark, respectively.
“Oh my gosh,” Van Lith said. “Give flowers to the legend. We’re gonna start Diana Taurasi…I’m going to bench Sabrina (Ionescu) and cut Caitlin (Clark).”
lmao the draftees were asked on who they’d start/bench/cut between caitlin, sabrina, and DT. saniya rivers said she’s starting everybody and she’s sitting on the bench 😭 pic.twitter.com/BzVIKwlbq8
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) April 15, 2025
This led to a huge uproar among fans, especially those who admire the Fever star. Many even connected the dots between her animosity against Clark because of the 2024 NCAA Tournament game. Looking back at the three options, it’s understandable why one would pick Clark to be cut out of rotation.
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