WNBA Draft: Hailey Van Lith goes No. 11 to Sky, ‘excited’ to reunite with former LSU teammate Angel Reese

Hailey Van Lith’s basketball journey has been a series of ups and downs, and she reached a new peak on Monday when she was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. 

The moment, which was in serious doubt this time a year ago after a disastrous season at LSU, was a long time coming for the All-American. It took immense amounts of hard work, both on and off the court, and pit stops in Paris and Fort Worth, for Van Lith to put herself back in position to be a first-round pick. 

“The Lord put me in situations that I needed to go through to grow as a basketball player and a human being, and that’s not something that I was ever mad about,” Van Lith said Monday night. “I accepted that. I worked through it with my sports psychologist. We understood together, like hey, this is something that you can grow from. This is an experience you should embrace. You should run toward this.

“That shows somebody who really believes in themselves, and at the end of the day, the next level was all about who believes they can. If I can carry that over to the next level, I think I’m setting myself up for success.”