We are just a few weeks away from the beginning of another W season. Paige Bueckers finally coming to the W scene is certainly the talk of the town, but there’s another storyline brewing which has everyone talking. The prospect of Angel Reese linking up with her former LSU teammate Hailey Van Lith. “We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk🫣” posted Reese on X implying that this year at Chicago will be a different story to what it was during their horrific season at LSU. They’re both pumped about the reunion, but the analysts and fans? They are not buying it!

Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith only spent one season together, but they still led LSU to an impressive 31-6 record, earning a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, Van Lith struggled to fit in with the already stacked Tigers’ squad. She couldn’t replicate the form she had at Louisville, where she was averaging nearly 20 points per game. Her difficulties continued as she was benched in the second round of the Big Dance. Things didn’t get better after that. Van Lith faced intense backlash from fans for failing to match up against Caitlin Clark during their Elite Eight loss. Ultimately, she made the decision to leave.

But that setback became a turning point for Van Lith. “God carried me through the lows of my life when I wasn’t able to get up and walk,” she said, crediting her faith for helping her find strength. She bounced back at TCU! Eventually, her resilience paid off—she was the 11th pick by Chicago Sky in the WNBA draft. But analysts think this move might not work out regardless of what both Reese and HVL think.

Charlotte Wilder from The Sports Gossip Show isn’t fully sold on the reunion either. Speaking about the duo, she said, “When you have Hailey Van Lith get drafted and she’s going to Chicago and she’s being reunited with Angel Reese—who she played with at LSU—you could have some questions. You know, she says, ‘we’re cool,’ and you’re like, I totally believe it, but it didn’t work out on the court the way she wanted it to. And so that just adds a whole level of intrigue. Watching that first Sky game is going to be so exciting.” 

It’s true that HVL has shined brightest without Angel Reese next to her. Whether it was at Villanova or more recently at TCU, she’s thrived in her own space. Her run at TCU was nothing short of historic. She led the Horned Frogs to their first conference tournament title since 2005 and took them to their first-ever Big 12 title game. She didn’t just show up—she dominated, earning MVP honors. And that was only the beginning. Van Lith dropped 72 points across the tournament and carried TCU to its first-ever Elite Eight. It’s fair to have doubts, but chances are, they won’t last long. Once the season tips off, Angel and HVL will have the perfect chance to silence the noise and prove the doubters wrong.

Their relationship has remained strong even after HVL’s departure. Reese has often gone on record saying how she has always tried to be there for her when Hailey was struggling to fit in with the Tigers’ squad. When Van Lith led TCU to a Big 12 title, Reese was one of the first to congratulate her. Now, the duo’s back together. And Hailey? She’s fired up to reunite with the Bayou Barbie.

Hailey Van Lith excited to reunite with Angel Reese

Hailey in her introductory press conference was pretty pumped up at the prospect of reuniting with Angel Reese. Here’s what she had to say about the Chicago sky star.

“The WNBA provides a lot of spacing and we have a very unique roster,” Van Lith said. “Any time I can play in space with talented bigs around me is when I’m able to do my job best. That will be more impactful than when we played together at LSU.” And yep—Angel Reese is already giving out the sisterly advice. Her message to HVL? “to be in shape.”

The idea of sharing the floor with two dominant bigs like Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso has fans buzzing and Hailey Van Lith is just as excited. Chicago’s got a fresh face at the helm with new head coach Tyler Marsh, and they’ve already pulled off a major move by bringing in All-Star Ariel Atkins. The goal? A deep playoff push. What the Sky actually achieves this season remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure—these are exciting times for the Windy City faithful.