Hailey Van Lith of LSU visits the transfer portal following her backstabbing by Caitlin Clark.

Before moving to LSU, the guard spent three seasons playing for Louisville. Where will she play next?

After the Tigers’ devastating Elite Eight tournament loss to Iowa on Monday, LSU women’s basketball player Hailey Van Lith has entered the transfer portal and chosen not to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft.

According to Andrew Graham of On3, Van Lith’s name was not included on the official roster of collegiate players who were finishing their current season and so eligible for the draft, which was released on Thursday.

Van Lith has not disclosed her plans for the future, but the COVID-19 waiver allows her to continue her college eligibility for one more year. She has apparently registered on the transfer portal, sources told Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops.

She had trouble against Clark on Monday in their Elite Eight match. Despite Van Lith and LSU’s best efforts, Clark dominated the game, scoring 41 points, including nine 3-pointers, and making 13 of 29 field goal attempts. The guard was given the defensive position against Clark, and the Hawkeyes advanced to the Final Four after defeating LSU 94-87.

Hailey Van Lith finds personal growth at LSU

Hailey Van Lith originally started her college basketball journey at Louisville, where she played for three seasons before entering the transfer portal and transferring to LSU last season. The 5-foot-7 guard, celebrated for her two-time first-team all-ACC achievements during her tenure at Louisville boosted the Tigers’ prospects as the preseason’s No. 1 team. Having led the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022, she transferred to LSU to sharpen her skills as a point guard under the guidance of coach Kim Mulkey, joining forces with notable talents like Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. Van Lith, who graduated with a degree in accounting from Louisville, sought this new chapter as a graduate transfer.

Van Lith adopted a different offensive role for her LSU season, and she shot 9.9 field goals on average per game. Even though Van Lith’s scoring average at LSU was smaller than her junior year high of 19.7 points per game at Louisville, her time there was still about growing as a person and as a professional.

Before LSU’s Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA on March 30, Van Lith said, “A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me, but one thing that they can’t argue with is that at this point, I know how to fend for Hailey and I know how to fight for Hailey and that’s going to help me the next level.” This was reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

In response to criticism, particularly following a difficult game in which he had to guard Clark, Van Lith has chosen to put his own wellbeing ahead of the opinions of others.

Van Lith stated, “I care a lot about it if I’m really stressed about how these people are talking about me.” And since I’m anxious about it so much, I probably believe it to be just partially true. This year, I think, has really taught me that when something bothers me that much, it indicates I kind of believe it to be true and that I need to work on myself. Thus, this year has been enjoyable for me. I’ve stopped watching TV. I don’t even read what others are saying about me, about us, or about anything else they’re doing. I’ve learned a lot this year about enjoying life and playing basketball at the same time.