The dust has finally settled from Hailey van Lith‘s decision to leave LSU after she announced her shock departure a fortnight ago, and now the Tigers coach Kim Mulkey has addressed her exit.
Neither Van Lith nor the program had spoken about the move until Thursday, when Mulkey addressed her point guard’s departure at the team’s end-of-season celebration event,
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Van Lith is still yet to publicly announce her exit from LSU, but the news has been confirmed by Mulkey, who explained why she felt she needed to transfer out of the program instead of declaring for the WNBA Draft like fellow stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
“Her aspirations were to get drafted this year,” Mulkey said, per NOLA.com. “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.
“And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.”
What next for Hailey van Lith?
This isn’t the first time that Van Lith has been in the portal. She caused a stir when she left Louisville to join LSU prior to last season, proving she is not afraid to make tough decisions to advance her career.
Van Lith’s only season in Baton Rouge was a challenging one for the point guard, who got a taste of success at Louisville as a sophomore and shot to stardom as a future WNBA prospect with a 19.7-average. But the 21-year-old Van Lith saw a drop in her scoring after changing her position, averaging just 11.2 points a game with LSU.
According to outlet The Next, Van Lith has a scheduled visit with Mississippi State on Saturday, which is the first known visit for Van Lith on the recruiting trip as she weighs up her next move. Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell coached Van Lith when both were at Louisville from 2020-22 prior to her transfer to LSU last season, and it may be that she feels a reunion is needed to rediscover her best form.
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