Born in Wenatchee, Washington, Hailey Van Lith grew up loving basketball. She was competitive and inspired by her sport, set on the fact that it was her future career. Beginning her NCAA career at the University of Louisville, Van Lith went all the way to the Final Four as only a freshman. Then, after three seasons at Louisville, Van Lith transferred to LSU, where she would continue her successful career. There, she helped to lead the team to a season record of 31-6 and to the Elite Eight.
Van Lith has also represented her country. She's been on U.S. youth national teams and already has an Olympic bronze medalist with the 3x3 national team. With many awards and medals, Van Lith seemingly lived the dream in her early life. But she was struggling deeply with her self-worth and finding who she is without it being attached to basketball.
Success at TCU
TCU ended its season on a remarkable run to the Elite Eight in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Monday after losing to the No. 1 seed, the Texas Longhorns. While the team fell just short of the Final Four, this season marked the first time that TCU women’s basketball made it to the Elite Eight.
Van Lith was a catalyst player and led the team here with her 26-point game against Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. She’s the first player in tournament history to ever take three different teams to the Elite Eight. She explains that this success is self-driven, saying, "At this point, I just have ultimate confidence and faith in myself to compete at an intense level."
Impact at TCU
Competing at such a high level for so long, Van Lith’s entire identity was defined through basketball. “I wasn’t necessarily in a place where I knew who I was anymore,” she said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. After a time of hardship at LSU, Van Lith went to TCU where Mark Campbell, her head coach, stressed how important it was that she let people see who she is, whether centered around basketball or not. Reflecting back on her time at TCU and with Coach Campbell, Van Lith stated that, “He has just breathed life into me. That took a lot of work on his part that he did not have to do. He could have told me to screw off when I was giving him problems.”
“I've known ever since it started that…I'm going through such a unique journey that it has to be for a reason bigger than myself.”
During her time with TCU, she played some of her best basketball to date. She had the most single-season points by a TCU player with 680 over the season and 204 assists. Van Lith even earned the Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors, becoming the first player in league history to win both awards in the same season. More importantly, Van Lith’s time at TCU completely transformed her spirit and identity, leading to unprecedented success and new heights.
Career Focus on Mental Health
Many athletes have an abundance of athletic success, but what we don’t always see is the struggles behind closed doors. In her first years in college, Van Lith suffered from serious depression. "When I was younger in college, I was suicidal, I was heavily medicated and felt trapped,” she told ESPN. “And you would never know it because I was having a ton of success on the court.” Like many, Van Lith kept these feelings of suffering internally, feeling that she could push past her mental health struggles if she continued to succeed athletically. But when student-athlete Katie Meyer tragically died by suicide in the winter of 2022, Van Lith knew that she needed to ask for help.
She openly discusses her journey of finding a sport psychologist, saying, “I've known ever since it started that…I'm going through such a unique journey that it has to be for a reason bigger than myself. And so I've known that I had to share it at some point.” Van Lith aims to destigmatize seeking help and urges all young athletes to find what they need for their own well-being. Her story is one that radiates hope, and she lives as a walking example of the success that comes when personal well-being is at the forefront of our journey in sport.
Her unwavering status as a role model and leader for the community has taken her far, most recently in her being chosen as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's April 2025 Digital Cover Model. In her cover story, her journey is explored, and it captures her true awareness of the importance of self and how to get there. In this moment of her collegiate career ending and her professional career on the horizon, she has remarkable insight, saying, “Loyalty begins with honoring yourself before you can truly honor other people.”
Looking toward the draft, Van Lith is predicted to be a first-round pick. This success and revitalization are largely attributed to her persistent advocacy and unrelenting fight to be herself, within and outside of the confines of sport. She reminds us that asking for help is a strength, and that we’re never alone in our struggles.
