2 weeks Ago By Chris Burns
TCU's sensation Hailey Van Lith had a bone to pick with a journalist who didn't get their facts straight following her impressive debut for the Horned Frogs on Tuesday. Van Lith shone in her first game with TCU's women's team during a matchup with Houston Christian. The WNBA hopeful stood out as she joined Sedona Price as one of only two players to hit double figures.
In her inaugural appearance , the 23-year-old racked up 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, shooting at 43 per cent in the 78-41 win. She achieved these numbers in 35 minutes on the court. However, one reporter mistakenly thought this performance marked a personal best for the ex-LSU standout.
Van Lith quickly stepped in to set the record straight. "A career high at TCU? Thirty-five minutes?" she asked back at the journalist. "That's wrong.
Maybe at LSU I didn't play 35, but...
" Blockbuster NBA trade pitch sees $215M star join Victor Wembanyama on San Antonio Spurs Kim Mulkey celebrates huge recruitment win as five-star prospect explains LSU decision The journalist in question, Nick Girimonte, later took to social media to issue an apology to Van Lith. "I apologize to Hailey Van Lith for getting her career high in minutes wrong. The official TCU stat sheet set me up, so hand up (but not really hand up)," he said, "I will triple check my stats from now on.
" BroBible reports that, in reality, Van Lith has logged over 35 minutes in a game on no fewer than 50 occasions throughout her college basketball career. After spending the previous year with the Tigers, Van Lith transferred to Fort Worth. Before that she played for Louisville.
The once five-star recruit for women's college basketball had a short-lived stint at LSU where she struggled with her role. After being twice named to the All-ACC first team and making the All-Freshman team at Louisville, Van Lith experienced a dip at the Tigers with her points per game falling to 11.6, although her assists rose to 3.
6. The basketball phenom took her talents to Texas in pursuit of recapturing her stellar form from her Louisville days, and if her debut is any indicator, it looks like her gamble has paid off. When Van Lith decided to leave LSU behind, her former head coach Kim Mulkey expressed nothing but support, even though she revealed that Van Lith's ambitions were set on the WNBA draft this year.
"Her aspirations were to get drafted this year," she said. "And she realized, 'I need another year, and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position.' And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.
" Mulkey said in April. Despite which path Van Lith takes to the WNBA, her prospects are looking bright. Having represented Team USA at the Paris Olympics in 3x3 basketball - alongside stars like Rhyne Howard, Cierra Burdick, and Dearica Hamby - she helped bring home a bronze medal for her country.
TCU is set to face off against New Orleans, who currently hold a 0-1 record, on Sunday, November 10..
