LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith, who left the University of Louisville after graduating following her third year of eligibility, will join defending NCAA champion LSU, according to a social media post.
In a post on her Instagram account, which now has 721,000 followers, simply showed her in an LSU uniform with a one-word caption: "eleven."
Van Lith wore No. 10 at Louisville but is shown in the LSU uniform with No. 11, because Tigers All-American Angel Reese wears No. 10.
A 5-foot7-inch junior, Van Lith started for three seasons at Louisville and helped lead the Cardinals to a Final Four and a pair of Elite Eight berths.
This past season, she was one of only two Power 5 players to average at least 19 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. The other was Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
Her national profile and social media following made Van Lith the face of Louisville’s program over the past two seasons.
"We thank Hailey for her contributions to this program, this school and this community," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said at the time. "She has done everything we have asked of her over the past three years, and we wish her the very best in her final collegiate season and beyond."
Van Lith's No. 2 choice when she signed with Louisville out of high school was Baylor, which was then coached by Kim Mulkey, who has since gone to LSU, where she won a national title in her second year at the school last month.
Van Lith scored the fifth-most points in a season in U of L history during Louisville’s 26-12 Elite Eight campaign and finishes her Louisville career at No. 4 in scoring average at 15.4 per game. She also is the program’s No. 4 scorer all-time in the NCAA Tournament with 235 points. As a sophomore, she was the Wichita Regional’s Most Outstanding Player on her way to All-American honors.
This past season, she was named an honorable mention All-American. She came to Louisville as a McDonald’s All-American out Cashmere (Washington) High School, where she led her team to three consecutive Washington State championships and earned numerous accolades, including being named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year twice.
She averaged 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 40.9% from three-point range as a freshman. During Louisville’s Final Four season in 2022, she contributed 14.2 points per game.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
