Former LSU Teammates Ready to ‘Run it Back’ with WNBA’s Chicago Sky

Hailey Van Lith now has college basketball in the rearview mirror. Fortunately, as she transitions to the WNBA, not all is completely new.

Van Lith, who played at Louisville, LSU and TCU during her five-year college career, has a familiar face to help guide her through the transition to the professional ranks.

Hello, Angel Reese.

“Angel has always been a huge encourager for me,” Van Lith said Monday at the Chicago Sky’s media day. “Whenever I show any signs of self-doubt or questioning, she’s always the first person to basically tell me to snap out of it.

“And if I’m performing below my capabilities, she’ll hold me accountable and remind me who I am and who I’m supposed to be.”

With the season opener just days away, Van Lith continues to lean on Reese for support.

Ex-LSU Teammates Share Mutual Respect

Van Lith and Reese spent only one season together in college, joining forces at LSU under Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey. Van Lith, who had been a go-to scorer in three seasons with the Cardinals, struggled to adjust to her new team, not to mention a new role at point guard. Her offensive production dipped. Criticism and scrutiny followed.

In her final game as a Tiger, a 94-87 loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight, Van Lith shot only 2 of 10, including 1 of 6 from 3, and finished with nine points.

Van Lith transferred later that month to TCU, while Reese declared for the WNBA Draft and was selected seventh overall by the Sky.

All the while, the former college teammates continued to share mutual respect.

“We share a lot of values, and we align on a lot of things that happen off the court and what we think the standard of your character should be,” Van Lith said. “… I just think that she goes about things the right way.”

Van Lith enjoyed a career rebirth at TCU, where she averaged 17.9 points — up from 11.6 the previous season — a career-high 5.4 assists and was named the Big 12 Conference’s Player and Newcomer of the Year. She also took the school to its first Elite Eight.

Reese, meanwhile, led the WNBA in rebounding (13.1 per game), notched a league-record 15 consecutive double-doubles and finished second to Caitlin Clark in Rookie of the Year voting.

Van Lith Lands with Chicago at Reese’s Request

Chicago took Van Lith with the 11th pick in last month’s draft, much to the delight of Reese, who excitedly tweeted, “Let’s run it backkkkk,” after the selection was announced.

Reese later told reporters that she’d even advocated for her in conversations with general manager Jeff Pagliocca.

“I was like ‘If you want a dog, go get Hailey.’ And I kept telling him that,” Reese said. “And you can see her grit, you can see how hard she works, she’s one of the first to get in the gym and one of the last to leave.”

While external expectations for the Sky — owners of the WNBA’s third-worst record (13-27) in 2024 — are low, Reese and Van Lith believe they can help steer the franchise back in the right direction.

If nothing else, they’re certainly excited to be teammates again.

“I enjoy being around her,” Van Lith told reporters. “She’s a competitor. I can’t wait to get to play with her again and just let both of our competitive energies amplify one another.”

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