The nation’s top women’s basketball transfer player is now an LSU Tiger.
Hailey Van Lith, a two-time All-ACC guard at Louisville, announced her decision to transfer to LSU on Thursday via social media.
A 5-foot-7 native of Wenatchee, Washington, Van Lith fills a big need for the Tigers after the departure of senior Alexis Morris to the WNBA after LSU’s first NCAA women’s basketball championship. A veteran point guard and prolific perimeter scorer, Van Lith has two years of eligibility remaining.
Earlier this month, ESPN ranked Van Lith as the No. 1 women's player in the transfer portal. This marks the second straight year that coach Kim Mulkey landed ESPN’s top transfer prospect, having signed All-American forward Angel Reese out of Maryland last April.
Van Lith posted a photo of herself on Instagram in a No. 11 LSU jersey. She wore No. 10 at Louisville, but Reese wears No. 10 at LSU.
Van Lith joins a group of point guards currently on the LSU roster that includes veterans Kateri Poole and Last-Tear Poa, along with four-star freshman signee Angelica Velez from The Webb School in Tennessee. Morris was selected earlier this month in the second round of the WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun.
Van Lith led Louisville in scoring and assists this past season with 19.7 points and 3.2 assists per game along with 4.5 rebounds. The Cardinals reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament, losing to Iowa 97-83 in the Seattle 4 regional final. Iowa went on to the NCAA championship game before falling to LSU 102-85 on April 2 in Dallas.
A McDonald’s All-American, Van Lith was the No. 7-ranked prospect in 2020, per ESPN. For her career at Louisville, Van Lith averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and made 33.8% of her 3-point attempts.
Van Lith's arrival had an immediate impact on LSU's odds to repeat as NCAA champions. The Tigers went from the +700 range early in the offseason to +400 as co-favorites for the 2024 championship with UConn on Thursday, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
LSU is also pursuing another high-profile transfer in 6-1 forward Aneesah Morrow of DePaul. Multiple reports say Morrow is visiting LSU this weekend. ESPN ranked Morrow the No. 2 player in the portal behind Van Lith, while 247Sports.com ranked Morrow No. 1 ahead of Van Lith.
Morrow told ESPN that she was contacted by 33 schools when she entered the transfer portal. Last week, she announced on social media that she was down to three finalists: LSU, South Carolina and Southern California.
A native of Chicago, Morrow also has two years of eligibility remaining. She was the only player this season besides Reese to finish in the top 10 in NCAA Division I in scoring and rebounding. She ranked fourth in scoring (25.7 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (12.2 rpg), while Reese was fifth in scoring (23.0) and second in rebounding (15.4).
Mulkey, whose team went 34-2 this past season, already signed the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, led by Louisiana Gatorade player of the year Mikaylah Williams, the nation’s No. 2 prospect per ESPN.
LSU also has made an offer to Me'Arah O'Neal, the daughter of LSU basketball great Shaquille O'Neal, she has announced on social media. She also announced offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida and Baylor.
A 6-3 forward from Houston Episcopal, O'Neal is the No. 42-ranked prospect nationally, according to the ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60. The recruiting service gives her four stars.
