Ex-Louisville point guard Hailey Van Lith to transfer to LSU

The defending National Champions of women’s college basketball are not only welcoming the top-ranked recruiting class for 2023 but also reeling in more experienced help.

LSU has added a key piece via the transfer portal which could help make them more dangerous than they were last season.

Hailey Van Lith is headed to Baton Rouge after spending the past three years at Louisville. The grad transfer has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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— HVL (@haileyvanlith) April 27, 2023

Losing senior Alexis Morris immediately opened a need for a star playmaker for the Tigers.

The 5-foot-7 point guard was listed as a non-contact member of the transfer portal, meaning that she did not need to be recruited and pretty much knew what her destination would be. Her only known recruiting visit after entering the portal was to Baton Rouge.

South Carolina, Iowa, Indiana, Washington State, Washington and Miami were just a few of the other reported programs of interest.

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey formed a relationship with Van Lith during her high school recruitment out of Cashmere High School in Wenatchee, Washington. The lefty sharp-shooter’s final two choices at that time were Louisville and Baylor, where Mulkey was the head coach.

The McDonald’s All-American and Washington state’s Player of the Year in consecutive seasons as a junior and senior was mentored by the late Kobe Bryant while she trained at his renowned Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.

Considered a brash personality with a mega following on social media, Van Lith brings another headliner to the Tigers roster. Mulkey has stated over and over that varying, strong personalities are not a concern as far as making it work for her program. The Hall of Fame coach with an extroverted personality of her own can handle that.

Van Lith averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists this past season for the Cardinals. She and Angel Reese should form a formidable veteran duo which will make LSU a favorite to repeat.