Hailey Van Lith's long college career ends with a loss, but also redemption

New York Times

01-04-2025

BIRMINGHAM, Ala — Standing at the top of the key, as Texas celebrated its first Final Four trip since 2003, TCU coach Mark Campbell addressed his players on the court for the final time this season. He then turned to his star, Hailey Van Lith, and gave her a hug.
They embraced for about a minute before waving goodbye to their fans and walking off the court arm in arm.
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The second-seeded Horned Frogs were fresh off their 58-47 loss to top-seeded Texas on Monday night, ending Van Lith's long career that has spanned five seasons with three different teams in five Elite Eights.
But no tears rolled down her face on the court.
Those came when TCU got back into the locker room and even at times in the postgame news conference. When Van Lith got choked up, it was from talking about her season at TCU and Campbell, not the loss to Texas.
'He has just breathed life into me, and from a life perspective, he's taught me a lot of great lessons about how to have healthy relationships, and what it takes to have a healthy relationship, and how much better life can be if you just let people see who you are,' Van Lith said.
Hailey Van Lith embraces her coach after her last collegiate game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tMvictQfSg
— ESPN (@espn) April 1, 2025
Van Lith arrived at TCU with no expectations about how many wins she'd gain with the Horned Frogs, who were 21-13 in Campbell's first year last season. Last season, Van Lith's season also ended in the Elite Eight with LSU — a year filled with adversity for her. She said she just wanted to find herself, find love in basketball and in life again. She said she found that at TCU.
Monday night's Elite Eight wasn't her best game. She finished with 17 points, seven turnovers and shot just 3 of 14 from the field, but the legacy she's left at TCU and in college basketball isn't tied to just this result.
She said she wanted redemption this season, a place where she felt at home, and to play for a coach who helped her be herself. She got more than she could've ever imagined, and at the same time, she impacted an entire program that was rebuilding from the ground up after using walk-ons last season to fill its injury-plagued roster.
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'To watch Hailey show up and do her process and her grind and her training habits, it was inspiring to her teammates, it was inspiring to our staff,' Campbell said. 'You want to give your best when you see someone approach their craft the way that she does. And that's been from Day 1.'
When Van Lith left LSU, entering the transfer portal a second time after spending her first three seasons at Louisville, her father, Corey Van Lith, told her that Campbell reached out.
That wasn't uncommon, though. Van Lith and Campbell have kept in contact since he was an assistant at Oregon and was her primary recruiter out of high school. Despite not choosing the Ducks, they kept in contact throughout their career.
He texted to check on her and consistently reached out to her parents as well. When she left Louisville, Campbell reached out again. He didn't think he had a shot to sign Van Lith, though.
So, he just gave her advice on her options and what types of schools fit her style. They broke down offensive schemes and more. 'He cared about my best interests,' Van Lith said.
Van Lith remembered that when Campbell called her father again last year. Corey wasn't sure if they should call back, though, because TCU wasn't having much success, but Van Lith urged him to call, and soon after, she and Campbell connected too.
She loved the idea of playing back in a pick-and-roll offense with a dominant big and shooters around her. But even more importantly, she felt refreshed talking to him.
'It was like a revival of somebody breathing life into me when that whole year I felt like people were taking it,' Van Lith said. 'For him to make me feel something in a 30-minute conversation that I hadn't felt for a whole year, I knew I had to take a visit.'
Van Lith doesn't regret playing at LSU. But she acknowledged that it wasn't the best fit for her from a basketball standpoint. The 5-foot-9 guard thrives in the pick-and-roll and with her ability to create off the bounce, especially with plays breaking down. That wasn't always possible at LSU because coach Kim Mulkey's offense ran off dominant post players. Angel Reese was the focus of the offense, along with Aneesah Morrow.
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'Coach Mulkey's vision for a one was different than the one that I am,' Van Lith said. 'The style of play I play as a one didn't fit her system.' Her numbers dropped to just 11.6 points per game, her lowest average since her freshman season. Her WNBA projections dipped as well, along with her confidence.
Van Lith has been in the spotlight since she was coming out of Cashmere High School in Washington and had one of the largest followings in college basketball, men's or women's. She said the spotlight wore on her at times in her college career.
This postseason, for the first time, she opened up about her mental health struggles and seeking help to heal. There were days when she said she had suicidal thoughts and took medication because she couldn't sleep or eat.
Though she felt more at ease in Fort Worth and with the Horned Frogs, those feelings didn't just disappear. She arrived at TCU with a wall up, Campbell said.
'She kind of kept her distance for different reasons,' he said. 'Just as we went through that journey together, that wall slowly came down, and she opened up and became vulnerable and we were able to challenge each other and have honest conversations.'
She and Campbell were tied at the hip throughout her time at TCU. She needed to get to know her new coach on a deeper level, and he wanted her to be able to open up to him. As she did, the improvement in her game started to show as well.
LET'S GOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/by6gd4QSBl
— TCU Women's Basketball (@tcuwbb) April 1, 2025
She wanted to play point guard at TCU, a position many around the country thought she couldn't play because of her struggles at LSU. She set the TCU single-season record in assists with 202 and points with 663. She was the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
'She was the perfect piece at the right time,' Campbell said.
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Her impact with the Horned Frogs won't be forgotten, Campbell said.
'I don't know the criteria in regards to getting your jersey hung at TCU, but I have a hard time believing that anybody in any sport in one year can have a greater impact than what Hailey Van Lith has had at TCU,' Campbell said. 'If it's up to me, yes, no question (her jersey will eventually be retired).'
As Van Lith walked off the floor at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, it was obvious that TCU had changed her for the better.
'I really praise God for the struggle and the suffering,' Van Lith said. 'I praise Him for the nights where I didn't want to be alive anymore. I praise Him for the nights that I was on medication because I couldn't sleep or eat. And it's painful to talk about it, but it's really how beautiful life is. So I'm sitting up here now with women that I love and a coach that I love and a team that I love and we aren't even sad about losing. We're sad that we aren't going to see each other probably next week. So, my journey has been crazy. I'm super grateful for it; wouldn't have had it any other way.'
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
(Photo of Hailey Van Lith: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)