Hailey Van Lith made the biggest splash in the women's college basketball transfer portal this year when she left Louisville for LSU following the Tigers' national championship victory.
Van Lith has stayed busy this offseason, winning the 3x3 World Cup as part of Team USA earlier this month in Vienna, Austria. She's hoping to follow up that gold medal performance with a national title under LSU coach Kim Mulkey.
Van Lith hasn't had much to say about her move from Louisville to LSU, but she did give Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report a thorough explanation on why she decided to join forces with Mulkey and Angel Reese at LSU.
"It came down to my ability to be happy and I had to put myself first."Hailey Van Lith tells Taylor Rooks why she is heading to LSU(via @TaylorRooks) pic.twitter.com/Le4miDBa6p
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2023
"It came down to my ability to be happy, and I had to put myself first," Van Lith said. "I had done my part, and I had sacrificed myself and given my all to that program. But at the end of the day, I just I wasn't enjoying everyday life. It was a situation there where I chose that I deserve happiness."
Van Lith should fight right in at LSU with players like Reese and Flau'jae Johnson already having large followings on social media. She has 816,000 followers on Instagram.
After building a large following at Louisville, Van Lith should be able to grow her brand even further at LSU.
"It was a really hard decision," she said. "My best friends in my whole life, I made at Louisville. I went to a Final Four and I shared that with those coaches and those teammates. Some of the highs of my life have been there, but also the deepest lows of my life have been there.
"I know in my heart that I made the right decision for me and my family, and for women's basketball in general," she said. "I don't regret going to Louisville. I'm a much better player, and a much better person because of my experience there. But like I said, I've given myself the grace and the opportunity to find something better."
