Hailey Van Lith Announces Transfer To TCU For Her Final Season

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Hailey Van Lith spent three weeks in the transfer portal before announcing that she'll be spending her fifth and final collegiate career as a Horned Frog at TCU.

On April 26, Hailey posted a video on Instagram where she revealed she'll be heading to TCU after a one-season stint at LSU. "the pen has officially hit the paper 🐸" she captioned the post.

Former LSU teammate, Last-Tear Poa cheered her on in the comments. "Go Crazy Sis," she wrote. Cameron Brink, the second pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft wrote, "Yup yupppppp❤️." Her partner, Adidas Basketball commented "Tuned in!!"

This announcement comes a few weeks after Hailey and the LSU squad lost to Iowa during the Elite Eight in the Women's NCAA March Madness Tournament, and amidst her stride to make the USA Basketball 3x3 Olympic team this summer as she's been busy training in Springfield, Massachusetts, per the Associated Press.

LSU was the guard's second school she played for throughout her college career— she played her first three years at Louisville before transferring to LSU for her senior year. She was also one of the many women's basketball players that had the option to play a fifth year, thanks to COVID-19, or declare for the WNBA draft.

So why did the basketball star choose TCU over another year at LSU? Ahead, everything to know about her decision.

Why did Hailey Van Lith choose TCU?

During her first and only season at LSU, Hailey had a lot of adjusting to do, which resulted in a rough time on the court. For example, at Louisville, she played as a wing, and when playing under Kim Mulkey, she was moved to point guard.

So when the season came to an end, it was up in the air if she'd be returning to Baton Rouge for another year. However, she entered the transfer portal for a fresh start, she told AP.

She has a fifth year of eligibility

Due to COVID-19, college athletes obtained an optional fifth year of eligibility. Hailey's and her former LSU teammate, Angel Reese, were in the position to opt for another year of college basketball or declare for the WNBA if they wanted to take their talents to the professional level. Angel declared while Hailey decided to take another year in college.

While she's confident she has the skills it takes to succeed at the next level, Hailey, wanted to play for a program that allowed her to play her game her way on the floor in hopes to score a good draft spot next year, she told AP.

The move comes after LSU's loss in the Elite Eight

LSU and Iowa went head to head in the Elite Eight game during the NCAA Women's March Madness Tournament. The Tigers came up short, losing 94-87 in a competitive rematch from the National Championship game last year where LSU beat the Hawks for the title.

When LSU teammate Flau'jae Johnson got into foul trouble, Hailey was tasked with guarding the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark, who finished the game with 41 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists. This pairing was highly debated by viewers during and after the game as Caitlin shot 10-for 18, had six 3-pointers, and four assists while Hailey was guarding her.

"Caitlin is very skilled, she's a great player. She hit some tough shots," Hailey said after the game, per The Next. "There's not a whole lot you can do about some of the threes she hit."

While Hailey did her best to guard Caitlin, her reaction to the Iowa star hitting unimaginable shots went viral. "Hailey Van Lith's reaction is everybodies reaction," College Basketball Report posted on X.

Her former teammates have defended her decision

While they're no longer teammates, Flau'jae Johnson proved she still has Hailey's back when asked about her decision to transfer to TCU after only one season at LSU.

"No, no, we can't do that," she said to Byron Turner and Sean Ferrari Simmons, hosts of The Baller Alert Show podcast. "You could not guard that girl for 40 minutes. But she stepped up for the challenge at the end of the day. I had to follow the scouting report," she added after the hosts questioned the match up between Hailey and Caitlin Clark during the Elite Eight game.

Following Hailey's transfer announcement, Angel Reese showed support for her former teammate on X. "proud of you! you know what to do & you know i’m always rocking with you!!"

How much is Hailey Van Lith worth?

Hailey is a prominent figure in the NIL world, and the basketball star has recently teamed up with well-known brands like Adidas, LaCroix Sparkling Water, and Apple Cash.

Because of her continued partnerships, Hailey is estimated to be worth between $1 million to $5 million, and she's earned $563,000 from endorsements, per Sportskeeda.

On Wednesday, Apple Cash shared this post with Hailey and Flau'jae to promote their baking services. The video shows the ease of sending cash through IMessage in a text thread with the two basketball stars.

"Commissioned by #AppleCash. Basketball is a piece of cake. So is sending cash. @haileyvanlith @flaujae," the caption read.

On Tuesday, Hailey announced on IG that she partnered up with La Croix. She posed in a basketball arena with a can of the sparkling water in her hand as she wrote in a notebook. "Proud to team up with @lacroixwater for sparkling hydration on and off the court 🏀✨ #livelacroix #ad," she wrote.

Hailey was one of Adidas's first NIL partners, per Marketing Brew, and the two joined forces in 2022 while she was still playing for Louisville.

On March 18, Adidas announced a new partnership with Hailey after releasing a commercial with her in hopes to amplify their recent campaign around helping athletes find the joy in their sport again.

“As athletes navigate high-stake sport moments throughout their careers, it can be difficult to cope with the weight of expectations. Our focus is helping these athletes re-capture the joy they have playing sports,” said adidas Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing Chris Murphy in the press release. "In partnership with Hailey Van Lith, we’re inspiring the next generation of athletes, and helping them get back to why they started playing sports in the first place – to have fun.

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