On Black Friday, now-No. 10 TCU pulled off the upset win of the season against then-No. 3 Notre Dame in the Cayman Islands Classic, 76-68. Not only did the win tie the highest-ranked victory in program history, but it was also a testament to the potential of this offense and the growing draft stock of Hailey Van Lith.
Van Lith always had a high draft potential—until last season. She struggled in her only year at LSU, where she posted career lows in scoring efficiency and saw her points per game decrease by eight points. Her season with the Tigers dropped her draft stock significantly, leading to doubts about whether she could play at the WNBA level. During that season, she played mostly on-ball, which was an adjustment that she struggled with.
This win against Notre Dame showcased Van Lith’s improvement as a lead guard.
On the game’s first possession, Notre Dame started by putting two on the ball, doubling Van Lith at the point of the screen. She makes a nice hanging pass here, which is a play she made a few times throughout this game when Notre Dame was in a trapping coverage.
Van Lith has always had the quickness to punish defenses with her wicked crossover. Sonia Citron was her primary defender for most of…
