Hailey Van Lith was one year away from tying a bow on a traditional college basketball career at Louisville and being cemented as one of the most decorated four-year starters in Cardinals history.
She had just led the Atlantic Coast Conference program to its third straight appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament’s Elite Eight and put up career-high numbers, including 19.7 points per game.
However, the 5-foot-9 point guard from Wenatchee, Washington, had other plans. With WNBA aspirations on her mind, Van Lith swapped Louisville red and black for LSU purple and gold and embarked on a new journey with the Southeastern Conference’s Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her lone season included another run to the Elite Eight, and it was back to the transfer portal.
Coach Mark Campbell’s pro-style offense caught her eye, and she decided her fifth and final year of eligibility would be spent at TCU. There, she helped the Horned Frogs win the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, followed by Van Lith’s final Elite Eight run, this time in purple and white.
College sports was once rooted in tradition, school pride and loyalty, but those expectations are changing — if not fading — in a landscape where athletes have won the ability to transfer season to season, year to year. Some are painted as disloyal or selfish, but Van Lith and others don’t see it that way.