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Hailey Van Lith was reunited with former college teammate Angel Reese when the Chicago Sky selected the TCU standout with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.
Van Lith told reporters that she “can’t wait” to play with Reese again at her introductory press conference on Thursday (h/t Yahoo Sports’ Ian Casselberry).
“The WNBA provides a lot of spacing and we have a very unique roster,” Van Lith said. “Any time I can play in space with talented bigs around me is when I’m able to do my job best. That will be more impactful than when we played together at LSU.”
She also revealed that the best advice Reese gave her upon entering the WNBA was “to be in shape.”
Van Lith and Reese suited up for LSU together during the 2023-24 season. The Tigers finished the year with a 31-6 record, advancing to the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA women’s tournament before falling to Iowa.
Reese was eventually selected by Chicago with the No. 7 overall pick in the ensuing draft, while Van Lith spent her final college season at TCU.
She excelled as a member of the Horned Frogs, averaging a team-high 17.9 points and 5.4 assists to go along with 4.6 rebounds per game. Van Lith was also efficient inside the arc, shooting 52.2 percent on two-point field goals despite connecting on just 33.8 percent of her triples.
She’ll look to make an immediate impact on a Sky team that showed promise in 2024, but ended the year with a mere 13-27 record. Reese was a bright spot for Chicago last season, averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game while earning an All-Star nod.
The Sky have been active throughout the offseason as they look to improve in 2025, acquiring two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins in a trade with the Washington Mystics.
As Van Lith enters her rookie season in the WNBA, she’s looking forward to reuniting with Reese on the court.
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