TCU superstar Hailey van Lith could be set for a reunion with old team Louisville in the March Madness - after spending three years with the Cardinals previously.
The point guard is preparing to lead her team into the NCAA Tournament as she looks to bring her collegiate career to a triumphant close. The talented 23-year-old wrote her name into Texas Christian University history, as the Horned Frogs earned a first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship triumph.
Her efforts on the court earned her the conference's Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year prizes, before she helped her team to clinch the Big 12 tournament title. Heading into the March Madness, the Horned Frogs have been named as No. 2 seeds, with a tournament-opener to come against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Van Lith, who also previously turned out for LSU between 2023-24, could now be set for an emotional reunion with previous alma mater Louisville - if TCU and the Cardinals can succesfully navigate their first round match-ups. Previously, the projected future WNBA star explained her reasons for leaving the University of Louisville.
Speaking back in 2023, she told Bleacher Report: "It came down to my ability to be happy, and I had to put myself first. "I had done my part, and I had sacrificed myself and given my all to that program. But at the end of the day, I just I wasn't enjoying everyday life. It was a situation there where I chose that I deserve happiness."
"Some of the highs in my life have been there but also the deepest lows in my life have been there. I think that I was at the point where I felt like I had learned what I needed to learn from that situation and that environment," Van Lith said. "I was giving myself grace to leave and find something better for myself."
She continued: "I know in my heart that I made the right decision for me and my family, and for women's basketball in general. I don't regret going to Louisville. I'm a much better player and a much better person because of my experience there."
Fast forward a couple of years and there is no mistaking the esteem Van Lith is held in at TCU, with teammate Sedona Prince having spoken of the impact the guard has made at Schollmaier Arena. She said: We needed a senior leader to join us and to come in and be another incredible piece, a scoring threat, it’s like no other."
Meanwhile, TCU coach Mark Campbell said of the player: "Hailey is one of those kids that changes your whole program in every area. She has no chill. She goes. She is the ultimate competitor in everything she does, in her grind and her preparation. We have a pro that’s still in college is what we have.
"I’m just forever grateful for Hailey in these nine months that we got to be together. Man, I’d give my left arm to have another ride and do it again. But we’re going to max this out. We’ve got a lot of basketball still ahead of us."
