“She Learned Her Lesson”: Hailey Van Lith’s Transfer to TCU to Join Forces With Haley Cavinder Leaves Fans in Splits

Hailey Van Lith didn’t have a productive season with the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team. Her average from 19.7 fell to 11.6, because of a change in position. Previously, she was the shooting guard, but had to play point guard for the Tigers. Now entering the last season of her eligibility, she has decided to apply her trade elsewhere after just one season with LSU.

Kim Mulkey, the LSU coach, had no issues with Van Lith transferring. “Her aspirations were to get drafted this year, and she realized, ‘I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position,” said Mulkey, according to Nola.com. “And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.” Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops broke the news via Twitter.

Earlier, Goodman had reported Van Lith was to take a Saturday visit to Mississippi State. It seems things changed within a week, and fans can’t believe that.

Did Hailey Van Lith make the right choice?

Instantly, fans were delighted for Hailey Van Lith, and one fan wrote how she learned her lesson. The statement pointed at her choosing a team that she fits right into rather than trying to fit in.

TCU Horned Frogs finished 9th in the Big 12 conference. Van Lith’s addition will surely bolster the squad and can even make them a contender.

Van Lith spent the last year being an important member of the LSU Tigers alongside Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. Reese, thanks to her dominance, was the first-round draft pick at the 2024 WNBA draft. Van Lith will be hoping for the same for her career this season.

Sedona Prince averaged her career-high 19.7 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. So being paired with Van Lith will provide an interesting partnership.

But that’s not the only partnership the fans are interested in. Haley Cavinder is one of the most popular players on the TCU roster, with over 840k followers. Now, Van Lith will surpass her, as she has over 1.1 million followers.

This decision from Hailey Van Lith to focus on the right team is a curious one. Her last season with the LSU Tigers didn’t end as she planned. Performance in the last match against Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight was not great. She had the responsibility to guard Caitlin Clark but couldn’t influence the game. This season, she might be playing her preferred position with a little more freedom. Can we expect a turnaround in her performance with the TCU Horned Frogs?