Remember last April when the Chicago Sky introduced Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso at a park gym? Fans weren’t exactly thrilled with the whole vibe. Well, fast-forward a year, and the Sky said, “Let’s elevate (literally!).” On Thursday, the team introduced its 2025 WNBA Draft picks inside the iconic 1,451-foot Willis Tower. And standing tall in that skyline view, Hailey Van Lith, made her feelings clear. 

While Slovenia’s Ajsa Sivka is an exciting prospect in her own right, all eyes are on HVL, the 11th pick, who’s bringing a truckload of buzz and history with her. After a standout senior year at TCU—where she snagged Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was named a third-team All-American thanks to her 17.9 points per game—Van Lith is coming in hot. 

But her road to the pros hasn’t exactly been a straight shot. Before she found her groove at TCU, Van Lith made a one-season pit stop at LSU with none other than Angel Reese. That Tigers squad was stacked and made it to the Elite Eight, only to get bounced by Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Reese was the top scorer, and HVL started alongside her. But the fit was awkward.

After three strong seasons at Louisville, Van Lith just didn’t seem like herself in Baton Rouge. Her numbers dipped, her fire seemed dimmed, and fans couldn’t help but notice the chemistry wasn’t quite clicking. Naturally, when Chicago snagged HVL, some folks raised their eyebrows. Was this reunion going to be chill… or chaotic? But Van Lith shut that narrative down quickly. In her intro presser, she said it straight: “It’s a different environment when I played with Angel first, but that’s a positive.” 

She wasn’t dodging the question. She owned it. And more importantly, she made it clear, this ain’t college anymore. Both have evolved. Reese proved in her rookie season that her game translates perfectly to the pros—landing on the All-Star team. Meanwhile, HVL spent the past year fine-tuning her point guard skills at TCU, learning how to command the floor and rediscovering her spark. Now, she’s convinced that this version of her and this version of Reese might just be “even more impactful than when we played together in college.” 

What’s even better is they’ve stayed tight off the court, too. HVL revealed that she and Reese have been in touch since their LSU days, and she’s hyped to reunite. Plus, she’s already eyeing some serious pick-and-roll magic with Reese and Cardoso. “Any time I can play in space with talented bigs around me is when I’m able to do my job best,” Van Lith said. She’s also very relieved to finally be teammates with Cardoso and not have to go toe-to-toe with her. We don’t blame her—the 6’7” Brazilian baller’s presence is no joke.

With Reese and Cardoso already proving their worth in the league (both landing All-Rookie honors last season), the Sky are trying to build something new. After a rough 13-27 finish last year that saw coach Teresa Weatherspoon get the boot, the front office is betting on their young core under new head coach Tyler Marsh. And HVL might just be the missing puzzle piece they needed. The head coach is hopeful that she will blend into the system well.

However, Van Lith barely gets a breather. With training camp starting April 27, she’ll go from college hoops to WNBA action in less than a month. If all goes well, she might rack up over 80 games between TCU and the Sky by the end of the season. Now, rocking a new No. 2 jersey, she is stepping into a team with real opportunity for minutes. It won’t be easy, but with a month to go, a lot can change. Interestingly, she has the perfect debut game lined up. 

Hailey Van Lith to make her debut vs Caitlin Clark’s Fever

The Sky opens their season on May 17 against the Indiana Fever. Which means Hailey Van Lith’s WNBA debut will be against Caitlin Clark. And if you know anything about their history… You know this is personal.

Clark has pretty much become the face of women’s basketball over the past year, and her rivalry with Reese has been at the forefront. But now, we’ve got a new twist in the story: HVL vs Clark. You may remember that iconic “you can’t see me” gesture Clark pulled during the 2023 Elite Eight vs Louisville. Some said it was toward her strength coach, but some argued it looked like it was aimed at Van Lith, and the internet certainly ran with that.

CC ended HVL’s NCAA tournament dreams twice. First, she beat her Louisville squad in 2023. Then, she took down HVL again in 2024 when LSU fell in the Elite Eight. That’s two heartbreaks delivered by the same player. Now, HVL finally gets a shot at revenge. Not to forget, this same gesture was the origin of Angel vs Caitlin, too. Coming back to the former TCU star, she also fueled things more just before the draft. 

Van Lith was asked to play start-bench-cut with Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu, and Caitlin Clark, and she cut Clark. The internet had a field day. Fans even said Clark would “cook” both HVL and Reese when they faced off. 

And now, with the Sky-Fever matchup looming, an old quote of Van Lith on guarding Clark is making the rounds again: “She’s very skilled, she’s a great player. She hit some tough shots, and there’s not a whole lot you can do about some of the threes she hit,” she said in a 2024 press conference. The two will be on the court together again soon. Let’s see if those threes will prove to be tough on Sky or if Hailey Van Lith will make her pro debut with a bang!