“We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk,” tweeted an excited Angel Reese. The former teammates were just reunited. The Chicago Sky had built one of the most exciting young cores in the league — Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, and Hailey Van Lith. As thrilled and ready as the Chi-Town Barbie is after a disastrous season, head coach Tyler Marsh hasn’t just come to play either. He is positive about the Windy City’s pick and is setting the bar high.
The Sky’s new head coach comes in with a reputation. He’s known for developing talent and getting the best out of his players. And now, he’s got a stacked young core to work with.
Van Lith is coming off a historic run at TCU. She led the Horned Frogs to their first conference tournament title since 2005 and their first-ever Big 12 title game, earning MVP honors. But that was just the beginning. The star guard put up 72 points in the tournament, pushing the program to its first-ever Elite 8 appearance. Now, with a Ms. March moniker that feat brought her, the head coach is tapping into one quality to set his expectations of Van Lith.
“HVL can adjust. 3 different school and 3 different systems she had to learn. That ability gives me hope that she can adjust to playing at the WNBA level.” he said in the press conference after drafting the guard. And that is quite true. Van Lith has played for three different programs during her college career– Louisville Cardinals, LSU Tigers, and TCU Horned Frogs, and made it to the Elite Eight in each of those jerseys. Every year at that, making her the only player to ever attain the milestone.
Marsh: “HVL can adjust. 3 different school and 3 different systems she had to learn. That ability gives me hope that she can adjust to playing at the WNBA level.”
— Karli Bell (@KarliBell33) April 15, 2025
At Louisville, Van Lith was a star, averaging 19.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. But she wanted to win at the highest level. So she moved to LSU, the reigning champions, and joined her future teammate, Angel Reese. But things didn’t go as planned. Van Lith struggled to replicate her success under Kim Mulkey. She was benched in the second round of the Big Dance and faced heavy criticism for her performance, especially in a tough Elite Eight loss.
But that setback became a turning point. “God carried me through the lows of my life when I wasn’t able to get up and walk,” Van Lith said, crediting her faith for helping her find strength. She bounced back at TCU, leading them to new heights and ultimately becoming a first-round pick in the WNBA draft.
For the Sky, this season is all about answering the critics who slammed them after missing the playoffs last year. “There’s a direct correlation between winning and developing. We want to be as competitive as possible. We want to set a level of expectations to the standard we want to play at,” said coach Tyler Marsh, making it clear that his goal is to win.
The Sky’s offseason moves already signaled their intentions. Bringing in Ariel Atkins was a massive boost. But that’s not all! They’ve also drafted Ajša Sivka, Maddy Westbeld, and Aicha Coulibaly, adding fresh talent to their squad. Having a player like Hailey Van Lith obviously helps. But this isn’t just about her mentality. The floor spacing in Chicago, with players like Cardoso and Reese opening up opportunities for Van Lith to score will be a thing to watch out for!
The dynamic between Reese and Van Lith will definitely draw eyes. Their friendship goes way back.
Angel Reese and Van Lith may not have been super close, but the Chi-Town Barbie is keeping it strong
Despite playing together for just one season, Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith helped LSU achieve an impressive 31-6 record. They earned the number 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Things may not have gone as planned for the defending champions in the Big Dance, but despite that, Reese and Van Lith have remained good friends.
Syndication: The Des Moines Register LSU Lady Tigers guard Flau jae Johnson 4 forward Angel Reese 10 and guard Hailey Van Lith 11 take questions from the media at MVP Arena, Sunday, March 31, 2024 in Albany, N.Y. Des Moines , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xZachxBoyden-Holmes/ThexRegisterx USATSI_22910769
In fact, Reese was one of the first to congratulate Van Lith when TCU won the Big 12 tournament. “So proud of you sis! @haileyvanlith,” Reese said on Hailey’s Instagram post about winning the tournament. She also extensively talked about her relation with HVL on her podcast Unapologetically Angel!
“We weren’t like super close but I was probably one of the closer people with her on the team because I think she was really distant from everybody else so I kind of felt bad so I was like let me get closer and like see who she is,” she said. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how this dynamic develops on the court in the upcoming season!
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