Hailey Van Lith is back in the transfer portal after just one year with LSU, according to multiple reports.
While Van Lith was eligible for the WNBA draft this year, her name did not appear on the preliminary draft list published Thursday.
Van Lith will be a graduate transfer, and has just one year of eligibility left for the 2024-25 season. She spent a single season with the Tigers, which ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to Iowa.
One of the top players in the portal last season, Van Lith changed positions at LSU as part of a headline-grabbing transfer class that included DePaul standout Aneesah Morrow. Van Lith left Louisville, where she had been the focal point of the offense, was an honorable mention All-American, and helped the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022.
Previously a shooting guard, Van Lith played the point for the Tigers throughout the season. While a welcome change, it also came with some awkwardness. Van Lith averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists per game, both lower than her previous career highs, which included 19.7 points per game as a junior at Louisville.
Van Lith’s final defensive assignment at LSU against Caitlin Clark saw the 22-year-old struggle on the big stage, with limited coaching adjustments in the game.
Ahead of LSU’s Sweet 16 matchup with UCLA, Van Lith defended her decision to go to LSU.
"A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me," Van Lith told reporters before LSU's Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA, "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."