The WNBA All-Star weekend festivities are commencing at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix as we speak. A star-studded 2-day event providing multiple female athletes to showcase their specific skill-set just before the Paris Olympics. While many of the WNBA enthusiasts will be backing Team USA to grab their 8th consecutive gold, the contention for the 3×3 women’s basketball is also expected to fancy their chances. However, it seems like some do not like what the former LSU standout Hailey Van Lith has to offer after witnessing her game in this specific format.

The 2024 USA Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team secured an impressive victory over the Under-23 national team in a debut exhibition at the AT&T WNBA All-Star. The Olympic-bound team had Sparks’ prolific star Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), and former WNBA player Cierra Burdick alongside the TCU phenom Hailey Van Lith and were able to secure a 19-16 victory in an exciting back-and-forth battle. Following this, Dream’s dynamic No.10 Howard stole the spotlight with her scintillating display. Evidently, she finished her outing with 12 valuable points by the end of the night.

The night also provided an opportunity for collegian Hailey Van Lith to put her potential on display. And indeed she did at the halfway mark of the contest. With 5:03 left in the clock and Team USA trailing by a single point, an assist from Hamby resulted in the 22-year-old fending off the opposition’s defense and connecting a long-range shot to get a slight edge.

Still, some of the fans witnessed some significant lapses involving the 2019 FIBA 3×3 Under-18 World Cup MVP Van Lith.

Fans are not sure about Hailey Van Lith’s selection

During her time at LSU, Hailey Van Lith led the assists chart for them. On top of that, she was the (MVP) of the 2019 edition of the FIBA 3×3 Under-18 World Cup. In spite of that, it turns out, her defensive skills for the evening were not enough for many fans. Focussing on that, one of the X users wrote, “Hailey Van Lith can’t play defense. They look bad with her in”.

Consequently, this also led to talks of her possible replacement. Some suggested that the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard is a much better option for a starter if Team USA hopes to bring home a medal. This narrative reads, “They might have to take Hailey Van Lith out of the starting lineup. Put Rhyne in and we can go get that Bronze medal”. 

The 2020 appearance in the Olympics brought home the gold for the 3×3 basketball team. Therefore, it raised the aspirations of many to repeat something like that this time around as well. Anyhow, there were still doubts looming all over social media about the team selection. Showing dissatisfaction about Van Lith’s inclusion, one of them expressed, “Is it too late to get Mikaylah Williams to replace Hailey Van Lith for them to win gold”. 

Her selection in the national team remained a point of contention on X. After seeing Van Lith closing her season with LSU garnering 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest, one of the Olympic enthusiasts was not impressed by her overall potential. The comment outrightly stated, “She so bad”. 

The 2023 national champions LSU Tigers were shown the exit door at the Elite Eight stage. An instrumental reason behind that was Caitlin Clark single-handedly destroying their game plans. The 6-foot-guard delivered 41 points, 7 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists by the end of the night. Consequently, this also reflected Van Lith’s inability in trying to contain her. Recalling that, one fan wrote, “I just remember Caitlin giving her hell”. 

Whether or not her inclusion is justified is still a debatable point. Regardless, one cannot ignore that she possesses the required talent to help Team USA’s overall cause. It remains to see what she brings to the table in the upcoming days.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.