LSU’s Hailey Van Lith enters transfer portal for 2nd straight year

LSU guard Hailey Van Lith is in the transfer portal for the second consecutive season.

Van Lith averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists in her first and only season with the Tigers, who saw their season end on Monday with a loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight. The Associated Press viewed the portal to confirm her decision.

LSU also will be without star Angel Reese next season as she decided to skip her final season of eligibility and enter the WNBA draft.

Van Lith was eligible to declare for the draft, but also had the option to return for another season because of the extra year that was granted by the NCAA to athletes whose freshmen season was affected by the pandemic.

She starred at Louisville her first three years, leading the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022. Louisville lost in the Elite Eight last year before she decided to transfer to LSU. She was one of the biggest names in the portal last season and is again now.

Van Lith left Louisville as a graduate transfer, joining the Tigers and taking on a less prominent role offensively.

“A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me,” Van Lith told reporters before LSU’s win over UCLA in the Sweet 16, “but one thing that they can’t argue with is that at this point, I know how to fend for Hailey and I know how to fight for Hailey and that’s going to help me the next level.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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