“A 5-foot-4 hoops whisperer,” is what the Washington Post’s Kent Babb had called LSU Tigers’ Kim Mulkey. As a 24th year collegiate coach turning 25th soon, Mulkey has never been your typical spearhead. Dressed in sequins, with tempers flaring on the courtside, the veteran has snatched attention in ways many will consider unconventional. But if there’s one thing people can vouch for, it’s the HC’s ability to hone players. Just ask the Angel Reeses, the Flau’jae Johnsons, and the Aneesah Morrows of the world, and they’ll probably tell you their story to the top feat. KM. But recently, fans have been pointing out an ever-growing blotch in the LSU coach, and her team’s resume—an intricate mishandling of a player that probably makes her regretful.

Ever since Hailey Van Lith was in high school, all she wanted to do was join Baylor. The singular reason for this decision? Play under Mulkey. However, as Louisville knocked on the door, it wasn’t long before the budding player gave up on that dream. But, like they say, what’s meant to be will be. After leading the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022, the 5-foot-7 guard ultimately joined Kim Mulkey’s LSU in April 2023 with hopes renewed. Well…

The partnership didn’t work out as planned. After joining Baton Rouge, the 23-year-old moved from an off-ball role to being a point guard—marking a drastic reduction in production. At Louisville, the FIBA Under-19 gold medalist was averaging 15.4 points on 13.2 shots per game, which went down to 11.6 points on 9.9 shots per game (the second-lowest mark in her career) with the Tigers. Though her three-point percentage improved from 33.7 to 33.9%, Van Lith went from hitting 42.2% to 37.8% of her shots.

The final nail in the coffin came on April 2 last year last after her poor performance in the Elite Eight. Entrusted with the job of guarding Caitlin Clark, it was that very game where the latter posted a game-high 41 points, while tying the NCAA record with her nine 3-pointers in Iowa’s 87-94 win. Van Lith appeared visibly frustrated throughout the game, and shrugged her shoulders in defeat after one of Clark’s three pointers—a video of which has gone viral since then. The writing was already on the wall. Even Mulkey seemed aware that something was brewing as she had said during a post-game conversation, “I hope it’s not her last game. But if it is, I’m proud to have been her coach for a year. She’s got another year if she wants to come back.” Less than a month later, Hailey entered the transfer portal for her last year of eligibility. On April 27 last year, she announced her move to the TCU Horned Frogs—a decision that would serve her well, but not her former LSU coach, and team.

The latest controversy erupted after Sports Illustrated’s TCU Horned Frogs’ college basketball writer Nick Girimonteshared a post from the team’s official account, captioned, “Trailblazing for women’s sports Proud to represent all TCU female athletes tomorrow during #WomensHistoryMonth as we play for a second Big 12 title 🏆”

Notably, this come before the youngster led TCU to its first Big 12 Championship win on Sunday, ticking off fans even more. Scoring 20 points, including a game-changing bucket with 48.8 seconds left, her team beat No. 2 seed Baylor 64-59. This is the Horned Frogs’ first conference tournament title since 2005, and also their first appearance in the Big 12 title game, where Baylor already has 11 titles and 16 appearances. What’s more? The tournament MVP has found the perfect redemption arc averaging 17.8 points per game, and a career-best  5.3 assists per contest with her new team.

Less than a year after wising, “I wanted a year of college where I loved where I was at, and I loved who I was around, and I loved who I was when I was there,” while talking about her move to TCU, it seems the stars are already aligning. Interestingly, fans have also taken notice of Hailey Van Lith’s standout performances in the Big 12 this season. Many have even voiced their frustration over losing a player who clearly had the talent to thrive with the Tigers.

In the video, the collegiate star was seen saying, “I think we hung our hat on, and had pride all year in making history at our school. We’re trailblazing for women’s sports in general. We’re fighting for more opportunities, more attention, more fans. It’s not just about us. It’s also about women’s soccer. It’s about volleyball. It’s about every women’s sport that is having success at that school. And for us to join them and garner more attention and fans, that’s really what it’s about.”

“So, the fact that we’re having an opportunity to play, and the championship for the Big 12. It’s not just about us. It’s about all the female athletes that are at school back home. And so, we’re not going to take it for granted. And we’re just going to keep trailblazing,” she concluded. Sharing the video, Girimonte firmly demanded, “The impact Hailey Van Lith has made in just one year at TCU is unbelievable. There should be talks about getting her jersey retired when the season wraps up.”

With Van Lith shining elsewhere, the pressure is mounting on Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers. Let’s take a look at some of the reactions as fans call her out.

Fans frustrated with Kim Mulkey as HVL continues to shine

The frustration among fans is evident. Losing a player like Hailey Van Lith was bound to spark anger, and many took to X to voice their disappointment. In response to the video, one fan wrote, “Hear, hear. So happy you left that pile at LSU and made a brilliant decision to join the Frogs. Who in hell would have the savvy to pull such a life-changing choice? Meet Hailey Van Lith. I need an aplet… maybe a cotlet. You’re not done yet, Van Lith!!!” Another fan joined in, “Hailey Van Lith has BEEN a baller. IDK why y’all are surprised. Didn’t blend well at LSU and y’all blamed her, but really the issue was elsewhere. HVL is pure hoops. Couldn’t work well with rebound diva Sid the Sloth, Angel Grease, on the team though.”

Seeing Hailey thrive now isn’t shocking at all. Everyone knew she had the talent, but with the stacked roster at LSU, Van Lith never really had the freedom to play her game the way she was used to.

You could put the blame on Mulkey for not utilizing her properly, but at the same time, LSU had a championship-winning core. It wouldn’t have made much sense to suddenly run plays through a new player when the system was already working.

But not all fans were frustrated—many were genuinely happy for Hailey Van Lith and her resurgence at TCU. One fan congratulated her in a separate post, saying, “I’m so happy for Hailey Van Lith. Her first conference championship 🏆… LSU was a bad fit for her and she struggled, but TCU has been a whole redemption story for her and I’m so happy for her! This has to be so healing for her! #NCAAW” Another fan echoed the sentiment, adding, “Really happy for Hailey Van Lith! From the tough times and drama at LSU to this. Absolutely incredible job by an incredible woman and athlete in women’s basketball!”

Hailey shocked the entire basketball community when she chose to join a TCU program that had never advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament in its history. On top of that, she had never won a conference championship herself. But she proved all her doubters wrong.

Finally, one fan called for an apology from those who mocked Hailey Van Lith during her time in Baton Rouge. They stated, “A lot of people owe Hailey Van Lith an apology after she was forced to sit in the corner at LSU while Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson took 40 shots a game.”

Last year wasn’t the best of years for Van Lith. Offensively and defensively, Hailey Van Lith saw a decline in her numbers last season. She recorded just 85 turnovers–the second-highest mark of her career. During LSU’s NCAA Tournament run, Van Lith struggled to make an impact, scoring fewer than five points in all four games– three against Rice, four versus Middle Tennessee, two against UCLA, and three in the loss to Iowa.

Naturally, she faced a lot of criticism from fans, which likely played a role in her decision to move on. However, it was definitely the right choice. Kim Mulkey’s loss is certainly Coach Mark Campbell’s gain. While the Tigers may have missed out on a talented player, Mulkey won’t be losing sleep over it. With a strong team still in place, she knows that if everything clicks in the postseason, the Tigers remain in the hunt for another championship this season. Stay tuned for more updates.