rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Hailey Van Lith’s basketball journey has been a series of ups and downs, and she reached a new peak on Monday when she was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The moment, which was in serious doubt this time a year ago after a disastrous season at LSU, was a long time coming for the All-American. It took immense amounts of hard work, both on and off the court, and pit stops in Paris and Fort Worth, for Van Lith to put herself back in position to be a first-round pick.
“The Lord put me in situations that I needed to go through to grow as a basketball player and a human being, and that’s not something that I was ever mad about,” Van Lith said Monday night. “I accepted that. I worked through it with my sports psychologist. We understood together, like hey, this is something that you can grow from. This is an experience you should embrace. You should run toward this.
“That shows somebody who really believes in themselves, and at the end of the day, the next level was all about who believes they can. If I can carry that over to the next level, I think I’m setting myself up for success.”
WNBA Draft grades, results: Paige Bueckers goes No. 1 to Wings, Hailey Van Lith to fill Sky’s point guard need
Jack Maloney
Van Lith, Angel Reese to reunite in Chicago
Van Lith will join a Sky team that’s hoping to take the next step in its rebuild, which began last year with Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. The Sky also added Slovenian forward Ajša Sivka at No. 10 in this year’s draft to go along with a number of veteran acquisitions this offseason, including Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot.
Those two veterans, particularly Vandersloot, will provide a blueprint for Van Lith, who has always been able to put the ball in the basket and is much improved as a playmaker.
Van Lith’s arrival in Chicago will also give her a chance to reunite with former LSU teammate Angel Reese. Their lone season together in Baton Rough did not end well, especially for Van Lith, but the two have remained in contact since then. After learning she was headed to Chicago, Van Lith said she and Reese have a mutual respect for one another’s game and character.
“Mostly I’m just excited to get to be around her again,” Van Lith said. “I think we have a lot of similarities about how we carry ourselves and our mindset on what’s important to us. She’s a dog, man. She turns up the intensity of everybody around her.
“I’m excited to be in that environment with her again where she can pull more out of me than I think I have.”
The feeling is mutual.
“We ain’t do it right the first time,” Reese wrote on social media after the Sky picked Van Lith. “Let’s run it backkkkk.”
How does Van Lith fit at the pro level?
Questions remain about Van Lith’s ability to make the transition to the WNBA due to her size (she’s 5-foot-9, at best), defensive limitations and inconsistent outside shot. She is a fierce competitor, though, and has won everywhere she’s gone.
Looking at the Sky’s depth chart, there is a pathway for Van Lith to be their point guard of the future.
“First and foremost, I’m wanting to bring a toughness, a resilience,” Van Lith said. “Whatever my role is, whatever my opportunities are, I think I just want to contribute to the culture of tough, selfless, hardworking players that I think that they’re looking to join to the program.
“That’s what I am looking to bring. It’s more of an attitude, a mindset than anything, and I think I’m more than capable of doing that.”
