Angel Reese Sends Heartwarming Message to Hailey Van Lith After Her Major Announcement
After winning the program's first national title in 2023, the LSU Tigers brought in Louisville star Hailey Van Lith via the transfer portal.
The thought of her teaming with Angel Reese, who was the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and a unanimous first-team All-American, had many thinking the Tigers would dominate the sport. That didn't end up being the case. Van Lith seemed to struggle adapting to her role as a point guard, but LSU still made it to the Elite Eight.
Now, Reese is shining in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky, and Van Lith transferred to TCU. However, she didn't walk away from Baton Rouge empty-handed. She announced on Saturday that she had obtained her master's degree from LSU. Something that Reese made sure to give her props for.
"yesss babe!!! so proud 😘," wrote Reese in the comment section of Van Lith's Instagram post.
LSU Tigers players Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith speak at a press conference at the NCAA Tournament
© Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Van Lith's academic workload was a bit different from the average student and even most athletes. She revealed in a recent interview with USA Today that while she was finishing her degree at LSU, she was also beginning the process of getting a second master's at TCU.
On top of working toward both degrees at the same time, Van Lith also happened to be on Team USA's 3X3 team at the Paris Olympics. So, in between games and their pursuit for a medal, which ended up being bronze, Van Lith was writing papers for two different degrees.
"I'm finishing my master's in business at LSU and I'm starting my master's in liberal arts at the same time at TCU," Van Lith said earlier this month. "So doing that together ... and it's been a process, but hopefully it'll work out and I'll graduate in a couple of days from LSU."
Now at TCU, Van Lith looks to return to the offensive success she had while at Louisville. Her points per game, rebounding, and field goal percentage took hits at LSU.
She joins a TCU program that seemed poised for title contention at the start of last season. The Horned Frogs started 14-0, but the injury bug derailed their season. At one point, they had to forfeit two games due to a lack of players and were forced to conduct in-season walk-on tryouts to meet the available player minimum.
This season can truly be a big year for Van Lith, who has a chance to contend for a title, earn another degree and bolster her WNBA Draft stock in the process.
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