Hailey Van Lith is grateful for her long, well-traveled college career after it ends in Elite Eight
Hailey Van Lith is grateful for her long, well-traveled college career after it ends in Elite Eight
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Hailey Van Lith got a text from her dad hours before TCU tipped off against Texas in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
“The sun is going to rise tomorrow no matter if you win or lose,” the message read. “So go out there and have fun.”
Van Lith will have to find solace in that sunrise. She scored 17 points in a 58-47 loss to Texas on Monday night, and during an emotional postgame news conference, the well-traveled point guard was filled with more gratitude for her five-year college career than sadness at how it ended.
Van Lith played for three schools, scored 2,599 points and became the first college basketball player, woman or man, to reach the Elite Eight five times and take three programs to an NCAA regional final. The 23-year-old from Wenatchee, Washington, played three seasons at Louisville and last year at LSU, earning the nickname “Miss March” for her omnipresence in the tournament.
Nothing about the journey has been easy, Van Lith said while sitting next to coach Mark Campbell and teammates Sedona Prince and Madison Conner.
“I’m sitting up here now with women that I love and a coach that I love and a team that I love,” Van Lith said, “and we aren’t even sad about losing. We’re sad that we aren’t going to see each other probably next week. My journey has been crazy, I’m super grateful for it, wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Van Lith’s cheering section Monday night included Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who wore her jersey backwards to display her name across his chest.
Van Lith helped Louisville to a Final Four berth before deciding to join Angel Reese and four-time national champion coach Kim Mulkey at LSU, which lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa last year in the Elite Eight.
TCU soared to new heights after adding Van Lith, advancing past the second round of March Madness for the first time.
The Horned Frogs (34-4) set records for victories and Big 12 wins (16) while going 19-0 at home during the regular season. Van Lith averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds, leaving a legacy in the program in just one season.
“I don’t know the criteria in regards to getting your jersey hung at TCU,” Campbell said, “but I have a hard time believing that anybody in any sport in one year can have a greater impact than what Hailey Van Lith has had at TCU.”
Van Lith, one of the most popular players and top name, image and likeness earners in women’s basketball, opened up after TCU’s second-round win over Louisville about her struggles with mental health. She said playing for TCU and her faith helped her overcome those obstacles.
“It was a lot of nights of being, like, ‘I feel like God has put this thing on my heart to be great, but it’s not working out right now,'” Van Lith said. “A lot of times I had to look at myself in the mirror and just be like, ‘What do you want, Hailey? Who are you?’”
“I’m grateful for it,” she added. “I’m grateful for the fact that (God) gave me a hard journey because I would not be the woman I am sitting up here without it.”
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By ALANIS THAMES
AP Sports Writer
