Hailey Van Lith transferring from LSU, joins TCU for final year

Two days after saying she was "very close" to a decision Hailey Van Lith has officially made up her mind.

The two-time All-ACC selection is transferring from LSU to TCU, Van Lith announced on Friday.

Van Lith, 22, spent three seasons at Louisville before joining LSU for the 2023-24 season to try and win a national title alongside Angel Reese and head coach Kim Mulkey. The 5-foot-7 combo guard took on the starting point guard role with the Tigers, averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 assists.

Her time with LSU was short-lived and to some fans a step back in production from her tenure at Louisville. As a Cardinal, Van Lith averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. She brought that pedigree to Louisiana but the furthest the 2022-23 champions could get was the Elite Eight where they ran into Caitlin Clark and the eventual runner-up Iowa.

Van Lith is joining a TCU program that made the AP Top 25 this season before injuries forced the Horned Frogs to forfeit two games and hold open tryouts to bolster the roster.

TCU started 13-0, including a victory over BYU in the Big 12 Conference opener, before a six-game losing streak capped by the two forfeits. The Horned Frogs finished 21-12 and 6-12 in the Big 12 under second-year coach Mark Campbell.

Van Lith, born in Wenachtee, Washington, is the only active Division I player with at least 1,900 points, 500 rebounds and 350 assists.

Part of why Van Lith opted for LSU after her time at Louisville was her connection to Mulkey who recruited her out of high school while at Baylor. Similarly, TCU's Mark Campbell tried to recruit Van Lith while an assistant at Oregon.

It didn't work out then, but now is apparently the right time as Van Lith will be a Horned Frog for her final collegiate season.

Meanwhile, LSU wasted no time trying to replace Van Lith as they brought in a pair of guards including Canadian Shayeann Day-Wilson who transferred from Miami University.

— With files from The Associated Press

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